- AGG01
AGG01 is the tentative name of a new peptide antibiotic discovered in the breast milk of the Tammar wallaby , ref cite web title Fighting superbugs with milk url http www.newscientist.com article mg19025484.300 fighting superbugs with milk.html work http NewScientist.com NewScientist.com date 2006 04 20 accessdate 2006 09 07 ref reportedly one hundred times more powerful than penicillin . ref name times cite news date 2006 05 21 title Wallaby milk gives scientists the jump on deadly superbug url http www.timesonline.co.uk article 0,,2087 2190319,00.html publisher Sunday Times Britain location London ref This compound was found to be effective against MRSA , E. coli , Streptococci , Salmonella , Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomonas spp., Proteus vulgaris , and Staphylococcus aureus . AGG01 is a cationic peptide , which is a polycationic protein which is rich in positive residues of the amino acids s arginine and lysine , and which folds into an amphipathic structure one which has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas . These features mean that it can interact with the anionic lipids in the bacterial membrane, such as phosphatidylglycerol. It inserts itself into the membrane, by competing with cross linking proteins between each membrane layer, and then sets up trans membrane protein channels which induce ion transport out of the cell. This causes huge leakage via osmosis through these pores and the general consensus is that the loss of these essential molecules is the mechanism by which bacteria are killed. The bacterial membrane has a different structure from the mammalian plasma membrane, so the protein can only kill pathogenic cells and not human ones. As of 2007 , the compound is undergoing pre clinical trials. ref cite news date 2007 05 09 title Anti superbug weapon developed from wallaby milk url http www.cosmosmagazine.com node 1290 publisher COSMOS Magazine ref References Reflist Antibiotic stub Category Antibiotics ... more details
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