Cationic peptides: a new source of antibiotics

Antimicrobial cationic peptides are an important component of the innate defenses of all species of life. Different peptides may have antibacterial, antiendotoxic, antibiotic-potentiating or antifungal properties, and so they are being developed for use as a novel class of antimicrobial agents and as the basis for making transgenic disease-resistant plants and animals.