Induced expression of melittin, an antimicrobial peptide, inhibits infection by Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis in a HeLa cell line

• Published in: International journal of antimicrobial agents Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 133 - 137
• Main Authors: LAZAREV, V. N, PARFENOVA, T. M, GULARYAN, S. K, MISYURINA, O. Yu, AKOPIAN, T. A, GOVORUN, V. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian; English
• Published: London Elsevier 01.02.2002; Amsterdam; New York, NY
• Subjects: Chlamydia trachomatis - drug effects; Chlamydia trachomatis - physiology; Cytomegalovirus - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Genetic Vectors - genetics; HeLa Cells; Humans; Melitten - biosynthesis; Melitten - genetics; Melitten - pharmacology; Membrane Potentials; Mycoplasma hominis - drug effects; Mycoplasma hominis - physiology; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Transfection
• ISSN: 0924-8579; 1872-7913
• DOI: 10.1016/S0924-8579(01)00479-4

As the number of pathogenic microbial strains resistant to different antibiotics increases, amphipathic peptides with antimicrobial activity are promising agents for the therapy of infectious diseases. This work deals with the effect of an amphipathic antimicrobial peptide, melittin, expressed within recombinant plasmid vectors, on infection with urogenital pathogens Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma hominis in HeLa cell culture. Recombinant plasmid constructs with the melittin gene under the control of the tetracycline-responsive promoter of human cytomegalovirus were obtained. We showed inhibition of C. trachomatis and M. hominis infection after the introduction of recombinant plasmid vectors expressing the melittin gene into the infected cell culture.