The University of Illinois Chicago’s scientists have uncovered that a natural peptide from fruit flies, known as drosocin, could be instrumental in developing new antibiotics.
The team’s research, as featured in Nature Chemical Biology, highlights that drosocin provides protection to the insect against bacterial threats by latching onto bacterial ribosomes. This attachment prevents the ribosome from effectively performing its primary role — the production of new proteins necessary for cellular function.
Interfering with various stages of translation — the mechanism that transforms DNA into protein molecules — can interrupt protein creation. The researchers at UIC discovered that drosocin latches onto the ribosome, disrupting translation termination when the ribosome encounters the stop signal at the gene’s end.
“Drosocin is the second peptide antibiotic discovered that halts translation termination,” explained Alexander Mankin, one of the authors of the study and a Distinguished Professor at the Center for Biomolecular Sciences and the department of pharmaceutical sciences in the College of Pharmacy. The first, apidaecin, discovered in honeybees, was first identified by UIC researchers in 2017.
The research team, led jointly by Mankin and Nora Vázquez-Laslop, research professor in the College of Pharmacy, successfully produced the fruit fly peptide and hundreds of its variants directly within bacterial cells.
“The drosocin and its active derivatives manufactured within the bacteria caused the bacterial cells to self-annihilate,” Mankin commented.
Despite the functional similarities between drosocin and apidaecin, the team noted differences in their chemical structures and how they bind to the ribosome.
“We aim to understand the functionality of these peptides better to potentially use the same mechanism to engineer new antibiotics. Studying the two peptides together aids in designing new antibiotics that incorporate the most effective aspects of each,” Mankin concluded.
The article, “Inhibition of translation termination by the antimicrobial peptide Drosocin,” was published on 30 March 2023, in Nature Chemical Biology. DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01300-x
This research received funding from the National Institutes of Health.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Fruit Fly Peptide in Antibiotic Development
What natural peptide have the researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago discovered?
The researchers have discovered a natural peptide from fruit flies called drosocin, which has potential applications in the development of novel antibiotics.
How does the peptide drosocin work?
Drosocin binds to bacterial ribosomes, thereby preventing the ribosome from creating new proteins, an essential function for cellular life. This action forces the bacterial cells to self-destruct.
What does “translation termination” mean in this context?
Translation termination refers to the final stage in protein synthesis where the translation of DNA into protein molecules stops when the ribosome reaches the end of a gene. Drosocin hinders this termination process.
What are the similarities and differences between the peptides drosocin and apidaecin?
Both drosocin and apidaecin halt the process of translation termination in bacteria, leading to the self-destruction of bacterial cells. However, they differ in their chemical structures and the ways they bind to the ribosome.
What potential applications could this study have in the medical field?
Understanding how these peptides work could facilitate the creation of new antibiotics. By comparing the components of the two peptides, researchers can engineer new antibiotics that incorporate the best aspects of each.
More about Fruit Fly Peptide in Antibiotic Development
- University of Illinois Chicago: Link
- Nature Chemical Biology: Link
- Research Article: “Inhibition of translation termination by the antimicrobial peptide Drosocin” Link
4 comments
wow fruit fly compound could lead 2 new antibiotics! amazin research & discovry! hope it helpz with antibiottic resistance!!! #SciencIsCool
translashun terminashun blockd! drosocin doin the job. potential new drugs on the horizon! #AntibioticsRule
bees n fruit flies helpin save us from bacteria? apidaecin & drosocin, buzzy superheroz! #NatureRocks
drosocin, the fly peptide, bindin 2 ribosomes? killin bacteria? gr8 find! more antibiotix 4 the win!