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Antimicrobial Proteins

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Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
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Microbial Interactions: Predation

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Methods for the Extraction of Endosymbionts from the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Methods for the Extraction of Endosymbionts from the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Published on: June 19, 2017

Antimicrobial peptides keep insect endosymbionts under control.

Frédéric H Login¹, Séverine Balmand, Agnès Vallier

¹INSA-Lyon, INRA, UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|October 25, 2011

Summary

Weevil coleoptericin-A (ColA) peptide regulates endosymbiont growth by inhibiting cell division. This discovery reveals how host immune effectors maintain long-term bacterial symbiosis in invertebrates.

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Last Updated: May 28, 2026

Methods for the Extraction of Endosymbionts from the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

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Published on: June 19, 2017

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Insect-Microbe Interactions

Background:

Vertically transmitted endosymbionts are crucial for invertebrate evolution, persisting for millions of years.
The mechanisms maintaining these long-term bacterial residents within hosts remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the functional basis of long-term endosymbiont maintenance in invertebrates.
To identify host factors regulating the growth and localization of vertically transmitted endosymbionts.

Main Methods:

RNA interference (RNAi) was used to silence the coleoptericin-A (ColA) gene in weevils.
The effects of ColA silencing on endosymbiont morphology, location, and bacterial cell division were analyzed.

Main Results:

The coleoptericin-A (ColA) antimicrobial peptide selectively targets endosymbionts within bacteriocytes.
ColA inhibits endosymbiont cell division, regulating their growth.
Silencing ColA led to smaller endosymbionts that escaped bacteriocytes and invaded other insect tissues.

Conclusions:

Antimicrobial peptides like ColA can play a role in maintaining, rather than eliminating, beneficial endosymbionts.
This suggests that host-symbiont coevolution can shape immune system components for the benefit of the symbiotic relationship.
The findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms governing stable endosymbiosis.