David,
Actually, natural selection accomplished the cloning of specific
phage polypeptides that are capable of lysing host cells "from without".
These are known as BACTERIOCINS. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, there are
many of these types of molecules. I expect that some artificial molecular
polishing will be necessary to make this into a drug.
Yes, an immune response will develop in the patient, but many
pharmaceutical drugs fall in the same category, and yet we are able to
use them as antibiotics.
-Dele Ogunseitan
Laboratory for Molecular Ecology
Dept. of Environmental Analysis & Design
University of California
Irvine
On Mon, 1 Apr 1996, David A. Mullin wrote:
> > The trick is to use only partial phage particles. This works
> >because of the phenomenon of "LYSIS-FROM-WITHOUT" . It is possible to
> >clone the host recognition peptide for some phage particles and use this
> >in large concentrations to destabilize the bacterial membrane integrity.
> >That way, only a specific protein will be introduced into the patient.....
>> Dear Oladele,
>> No single phage protein has ever been shown to mediate the
> phenomenom known as lysis from without. If you know otherwise I would
> appreciate a reference. Even if you could find such a protein, patients
> would develope immunity to such a "host recognition peptide" after the
> first injection and thus it could not be safely used a second time.
>>> Sincerely,
>>> D. Mullin
>>
