Antimicrobial peptide from spider venom inhibits Chlamydia trachomatis infection at an early stage

Antichlamydial activity of cyto-insectotoxin 1a (CIT 1a), representative of a unique class of antimicrobial peptides from the venom of the Central Asian spider Lachesana tarabaevi, was studied. A plasmid vector expressing the cit 1a gene controlled by a human cytomegalovirus tetracycline-dependent promoter was constructed. Impressive inhibition of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in HEK 293 cells transfected by the cit 1a-harboring vector was achieved. With the use of various schemes of cell infection and gene expression induction, it was shown for the first time that an antimicrobial peptide exerts its potent antichlamydial action at an early stage of the pathogen life cycle.