Research has found that bacteria in the genus Pseudomonas produce a powerful natural antimicrobial effect, effective on both plant and human fungi.
The study, published in the journal Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), and led by researchers from the Leibniz Institute-HKI, proved that antimicrobial products naturally produced by pseudomonas bacteria are effective against the plant pest Botrytis cinerea, which triggers gray rot and causes heavy crop losses every year. Gray mold lives on many plants, including strawberries and grapevines, and causes three different types of infections in grapes.
But what does Keanu Reeves have to do with it?
The research team has been working with pseudomonas for some time and already knew that they are very toxic to amoebas. Because amoebas and fungi share some characteristics, the researchers suspected that the toxins could also be effective in killing fungi.
Until now, only one toxin responsible for the bacteria’s deadly effect was known, but they found that there are three such toxins.
The researchers found genes for the biosynthesis of these natural products in the genome of the bacterium. They were able to isolate one of them and run further tests. This group of natural products belongs to the lipopeptides (classes of antibiotics that have activity against gram-positive bacteria). non-ribosomalwith soap-like properties.
The result? They realized that these lipopeptides kill so effectively that they had no choice but to call them ceanumycinsdue to the lethality of the actor’s roles Keanu Reeves.
Furthermore, ceanumycins are biodegradable and do not leave permanent residue in the soil. This means that the natural product can be transformed into a eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. Much like the characters played by Keanu Reeves, they are effective killers of wicked mushrooms one moment and kind to the innocent the next.
Keanumicins to the rescue
The researchers also found that pseudomonas antimicrobial products are also effective on fungi that affect humans, such as candida albicansbut instead, they are harmless to plant and human cells.
C. albicans is the fungus responsible for thrush, a common infection that usually affects the mouth, throat, or genitals. It is also an opportunistic fungus that mainly affects patients with compromised immune systems, for whom it can be serious and even fatal.
The WHO has included C. albicans in the list of priority fungal pathogens as one of four “critically endangered” public health pathogens, along with Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida auris, and Aspergillus fumigatus.
There are few specifically fungicidal drugs, so they are abused, so ceanumicin presents itself as a good basis for the development of new treatments.
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