Deep learning reveals antimicrobial peptides within prions
Prion and prion-like proteins are classically associated with protein misfolding, but amyloidogenic sequences can also participate in host defence. Here, using deep learning, we screened 19.3 million fragments from 2,897 curated prion-related proteins and identified 1,179 candidate antimicrobial peptides, which we term prionins. Among 75 synthesized prionins, 59 inhibited bacterial pathogens, 53 perturbed membranes and 2 reduced Acinetobacter baumannii infection burden in mice.
Authors
- César de la Fuente‐Núñez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2005-5629)
- Marcelo D. T. Torres (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6165-9138)
- Fangping Wan
Institutions
- University City Science Center (US)
- University of the Arts (US)
- Translational Therapeutics (United States) (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Philadelphia University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Microbiology
- Published
- 2026-06-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02408-1
- Primary Topic
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Pennsylvania
- National Institutes of Health
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences