German scientists have discovered new bacterial compounds that are highly adept at avoiding predatory amoebas and killing their enemies, so much so that they have been named “keanumycins” in honor of the iconic actor Keanu Reeves. According to Pierre Stallforth, a researcher and professor of paleo biotechnology at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology in Jena, Germany, just as Keanu Reeves plays many iconic roles in which he efficiently inactivates his enemies, the keanumycins do the same with fungi.
Keanumycins are peptides, which are short chains of amino acids that enable Pseudomonas bacteria to evade predatory amoebas. In addition to being “amoebicidal,” the keanumycins are capable of significantly inhibiting the infection of hydrangeas, a flowering plant native to Japan, with Botrytis cinerea, one of the most devastating fungal pathogens. According to an article published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, B. cinerea infects a wide range of crops and causes annual production losses of $10 billion to $100 billion worldwide.
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According to the lead author of the study, Sebastian Götze, a postdoctoral researcher in paleobiotechnology at the Leibniz Institute in Germany, keanumycins create holes in the pathogen’s surface, causing it to bleed to death, similar to how Keanu Reeves is portrayed as a proficient killer in his many roles. These newly discovered molecules can also effectively kill various human fungal pathogens at low concentrations by riddling them with holes.
The discovery of keanumycins is great news for crops and could also benefit humans, as the newly discovered compounds were found to significantly inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, which causes thrush, vaginal yeast infections, and invasive candidiasis in people. This discovery could lead to the creation of new antifungals for both crops and people, which is crucial given the global threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance, which includes antibiotic resistance, happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve over time and become less responsive to medicines. This makes infections increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. Therefore, the discovery of keanumycins may provide a promising solution to this problem.
In a recent Reddit thread, Keanu Reeves expressed his appreciation for the scientists’ discovery and suggested that they should have named the new compounds after his character in the movie series, John Wick. However, he also expressed his gratitude to the scientists for their contribution to society.
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This content should not be accepted as official medical, legal, or professional advice.
