A search of the traditional DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans has revealed coding for extinct bacteria-killing proteins that we might revive to struggle infections
Health
1 December 2022
Ancient people akin to Neanderthals had bodily defences towards micro organism which may assist us deal with infections these days SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/DDP/AFP through Getty Images
Reviving extinct antibiotic molecules encoded within the DNA of Neanderthals and Denisovans might present a brand new weapon within the struggle towards antimicrobial resistance.
Last yr, César de la Fuente on the University of Pennsylvania and his colleagues reported on greater than 2000 antibiotic peptides encoded by trendy human DNA.
Now, de la Fuente and lots of the identical researchers have recognized six extra antibiotic peptides encoded in historical mitochondrial DNA beforehand extracted …