Hebrew University Team Finds a Shortened Bee Venom Peptide, Mel(5-24), Kills Staph With Far Less Resistance Than Melittin
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem designed melittin derivatives and ran experimental evolution tests in Staphylococcus aureus: full-length melittin and highly hydrophobic variants drew high resistance, while the truncated Mel(5-24) kept its antibacterial activity with minimal resistance and less cross-resistance to other peptides. Melittin-evolved bacteria shared mutations in pmtR, while Mel(5-24)-evolved bacteria changed only ydbT, and resistance tracked with peptide hydrophobicity and length, the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy paper reports. The work was done in lab cultures.