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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2009, p. 3472-3477, Vol. 53, No. 8
0066-4804/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.01436-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Imcroporin, a New Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide from the Venom of the Scorpion Isometrus maculates{triangledown}

Zhenhuan Zhao,{dagger} Yibao Ma,{dagger} Chao Dai, Ruiming Zhao, SongRyong Li, Yingliang Wu, Zhijian Cao,* and Wenxin Li*

State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

Received 27 October 2008/ Returned for modification 6 January 2009/ Accepted 8 May 2009

The pace of resistance against antibiotics almost exceeds that of the development of new drugs. As many bacteria have become resistant to conventional antibiotics, new drugs or drug resources are badly needed to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Antimicrobial peptides, rich sources existing in nature, are able to effectively kill multidrug-resistant pathogens. Here, imcroporin, a new antimicrobial peptide, was screened and isolated from the cDNA library of the venomous gland of Isometrus maculates. The MIC of imcroporin against MRSA was 50 µg/ml, 8-fold lower than that of cefotaxime and 40-fold lower than that of penicillin. Imcroporin killed bacteria rapidly in vitro, inhibited bacterial growth, and cured infected mice. These results revealed that imcroporin could be considered a potential anti-infective drug or lead compound, especially for treating antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Hubei, 430072, China. Phone: 86-27-68752831. Fax: 86-27-68752146. E-mail for Z. Cao: zjcao{at}whu.edu.cn. E-mail for W. Li: liwxlab{at}whu.edu.cn

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 18 May 2009.

{dagger} Z.Z. and Y.M. contributed equally.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, August 2009, p. 3472-3477, Vol. 53, No. 8
0066-4804/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.01436-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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