Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown function of the immune system that could pave the way for new antibiotics.
The discovery, made by researchers in Israel, revealed that a part of the body known for recycling proteins has a hidden ability to release powerful bacteria-killing chemicals.
BBB reports that the breakthrough, centred on the proteasome, a tiny structure found in every cell, challenges existing knowledge of how the body defends against infection.
While its primary role has been understood as breaking down old proteins for reuse, the study, published in Nature, shows that it can detect bacterial infections and transform into a weapon against them.
Instead of merely recycling proteins, the proteasome repurposes them into molecules that attack bacteria by breaking down their outer layers.
Prof Yifat Merbl, from the Weizmann Institute of Science, described the finding as “really exciting” and a revelation of a “novel mechanism of immunity” that operates throughout the body. She noted that the discovery introduces a whole new category of potential natural antibiotics.
The research team used what they termed “dumpster diving” to identify these antibiotic molecules, testing them on bacteria in the lab and on mice suffering from pneumonia and sepsis.
The results, they said, were comparable to some existing antibiotics. Additionally, when the proteasome was disabled in lab-grown cells, bacteria such as Salmonella were able to infect them far more easily.
Prof Daniel Davis, an immunologist at Imperial College London, called the findings “extremely provocative and very interesting,” emphasising that the study challenges the way scientists understand the body’s ability to fight infection.
“What’s really exciting about this, is it’s a totally undiscovered process by which anti-germ molecules are made inside our cells, it feels profoundly important and surprising,” he said.
However, he cautioned that while the discovery is promising, further testing is needed before it can be translated into new antibiotics.
The discovery comes at a crucial time, as antibiotic-resistant infections are on the rise, claiming an estimated one million lives annually. Despite the urgent need for new antibiotics, research in the field has stagnated.
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Against this backdrop, some scientists see the new findings as a rare source of optimism. Dr Lindsey Edwards, a microbiology lecturer at King’s College London, called the discovery a “potential goldmine” for antibiotics.
“In previous years it’s been digging up soil [to find new antibiotics], it is wild that it’s something we have within us, but comes down to having the technology to be able to detect these things,” she said.
She also suggested that since these molecules already exist naturally in the human body, developing them into drugs may pose fewer safety concerns.
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