title: Spider venom peptides for gene therapy of Chlamydia infection.
abstract: Spider venoms are vast natural pharmacopoeias selected by evolution. The venom of the ant spider Lachesana tarabaevi contains a wide variety of antimicrobial peptides. We tested six of them (latarcins 1, 2a, 3a, 4b, 5, and cytoinsectotoxin 1a) for their ability to suppress Chlamydia trachomatis infection. HEK293 cells were transfected with plasmid vectors harboring the genes of the selected peptides. Controlled expression of the transgenes led to a significant decrease of C. trachomatis viability inside the infected cells.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Physico-Chemical Medicine of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of the Russian Federation, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya Street, 119435 Moscow, Russia. lazar0@mail.ru
authors.forename: Vassili N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Lazarev
authors.forename: Nadezhda F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Polina
authors.forename: Marina M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shkarupeta
authors.forename: Elena S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kostrjukova
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vassilevski
authors.forename: Sergey A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kozlov
authors.forename: Eugene V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Grishin
authors.forename: Vadim M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Govorun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D013111:Spider Venoms