Sunday, August 31, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Medicine

Possible alternative to antibiotics produced by bacteria

April 29, 2024
in Medicine
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Corynebacteria under the microscope:
66
SHARES
599
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered a new so-called lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37. It is produced by staphylococci that colonize the skin and acts specifically against their main competitors there, the corynebacteria. This specificity is presumably mediated by a very special mechanism of action, which the researchers were able to decipher in detail. Their results have now been published in the renowned ISME Journal.

Corynebacteria under the microscope:

Credit: University Hospital Bonn (UKB) / Jan-Samuel Puls

Many bacteria produce substances to gain an advantage over competitors in their highly competitive natural environment. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have discovered a new so-called lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37. It is produced by staphylococci that colonize the skin and acts specifically against their main competitors there, the corynebacteria. This specificity is presumably mediated by a very special mechanism of action, which the researchers were able to decipher in detail. Their results have now been published in the renowned ISME Journal.

Due to increasing antibiotic resistance in pathogens causing infections, the development of new antibacterial substances is important. Hopes are pinned on a new group of substances produced by gram-positive bacteria, the lantibiotics. These are antimicrobial peptides that often have a very narrow spectrum of activity. “Such compounds are highly interesting from a medical point of view, as they could specifically attack individual groups of organisms without affecting the entire bacterial flora, as is the case with broad-spectrum antibiotics, for example,” says corresponding author Dr. Fabian Grein, until recently head of the DZIF research group “Bacterial Interference” at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the UKB and member of the Transdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) “Life & Health” at the University of Bonn.

Essential competitive advantage over corynebacteria

The UKB research team led by Fabian Grein and Tanja Schneider, together with the team led by Ulrich Kubitscheck, Professor of Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Bonn, have now discovered a new lantibiotic, namely epilancin A37. It is produced by staphylococci, which are typical colonizers of the skin and mucous membranes. Little is known about these antimicrobial peptides. “We were able to show that epilancins are widespread in staphylococci, which underlines their ecological importance,” says first author Jan-Samuel Puls, a doctoral student from the University of Bonn at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the UKB. This is because staphylococci and corynebacteria are important genera of the human microbiota – i.e. the totality of all microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses – in the nose and skin, which are closely linked to health and disease. The need to produce such a compound indicates a pronounced competition between the species. The researchers were able to show that the newly discovered epilancin A37 acts very specifically against corynebacteria, which are among the main competitors of staphylococci within the skin microbiome.

New mode of action in the “bacterial war” decoded

“This specificity is presumably mediated by a very special mechanism of action that we were able to decipher in detail,” says Grein. Epilancin A37 penetrates the corynebacterial cell, initially without destroying it. The antimicrobial peptides accumulate in the cell and then dissolve the cell membrane from the inside, thus killing the corynebacterium. Co-author Dr. Thomas Fließwasser from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the UKB, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bonn and acting head of the DZIF research group “Bacterial Interference” adds: “Our study shows how a specific mechanism of action can be used to specifically combat a single bacterial species. It therefore serves us as a ‘proof of concept'”.

Promotion:
This project was funded by the German Center for Infection Research and the Transregio SFB TRR 261 “Antibiotic CellMAP” of the German Research Foundation.



Journal

The ISME Journal

DOI

10.1093/ismejo/wrae044

Article Title

Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteriocin A37 kills natural competitors with a unique mechanism of action

Article Publication Date

26-Apr-2024

Share26Tweet17
Previous Post

Framework conditions for clinical studies involving vulnerable groups – conference on the Declaration of Helsinki revision process

Next Post

Maps developed with artificial intelligence confirm low levels of phosphorus in Amazonian soil

Related Posts

blank
Medicine

NPT100-18A Mitigates Mitochondrial Stress in Parkinson’s Model

August 31, 2025
blank
Medicine

Large Language Models Transforming Healthcare: An Overview

August 31, 2025
blank
Medicine

Innovative Approach to Assess Anterior Cerebral Circulation Stenosis

August 31, 2025
blank
Medicine

Understanding Cytochrome P450 Oxidoreductase Deficiency in 46,XX Patients

August 31, 2025
blank
Medicine

Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoflowers: Toxicity Studies in Rats

August 31, 2025
blank
Medicine

Reducing Sensory Impairment May Decrease Delirium in Surgery

August 31, 2025
Next Post
Maps developed with artificial intelligence confirm low levels of phosphorus in Amazonian soil

Maps developed with artificial intelligence confirm low levels of phosphorus in Amazonian soil

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27542 shares
    Share 11014 Tweet 6884
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    955 shares
    Share 382 Tweet 239
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    642 shares
    Share 257 Tweet 161
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    509 shares
    Share 204 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    313 shares
    Share 125 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • NPT100-18A Mitigates Mitochondrial Stress in Parkinson’s Model
  • New FGF3 Mutation Linked to LAMM Syndrome
  • Large Language Models Transforming Healthcare: An Overview
  • Innovative Approach to Assess Anterior Cerebral Circulation Stenosis

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Blog
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,182 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading