![]() Traditionally, the Monotremata are considered to belong to the mammalian subclass Prototheria, which diverged from the therapsid line that led to the Theria and subsequently split into the marsupials (Marsupialia) and eutherians (Placentalia). The platypus was placed with the echidnas into a new taxon called the Monotremata (meaning ‘single hole’ because of their common external opening for urogenital and digestive systems). Some initially considered it to be a true mammal despite its duck-bill and webbed feet. Opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of bioMérieux, Inc.The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has always elicited excitement and controversy in the zoological world 1. Concentrations of rMLP (recombinant MLP) at 50 µg ml−1 was “effective at inhibiting the growth of two susceptible bacterial strains of S. While doctors won’t be prescribing a platypus milk-derived antibiotic in the immediate future, Newman and her team genetically engineered a recombinant MLP so that they could test the protein’s antimicrobial potency. “Although we’ve identified this highly unusual protein as only existing in Monotremes, this discovery increases our knowledge of protein structures in general, and will go on to inform other drug discovery work done at the Centre,” Newman said in a CSIRO press release. The bacteria-killing protein in this milk is MLP, which Newman describes as a highly unusual ringlet-like formation with a 3-dimensional shape that is unlike any mammalian protein seen before. The CSIRO team speculates that the platypus evolved the ability to make anti-bacterial milk to overcome the inherent weakness in the animal’s process of lactation. By allowing milk to pool outside the mother’s body before the platypus babies drink it, the milk is exposed to microbial pathogens that could harm the newborns. Newman’s hypothesis is based on the assertion that nursing without teats is not optimally hygienic. The milk pools in “groves” on the mother’s stomach and the newborn platypus laps up the pooled milk. While the platypus is a mammal and appears to nurse its young, the platypus does not have teats to express milk for their young. “It is hypothesized that MLP in monotreme milk has evolved to specifically support the unusual lactation strategy of this lineage and may have played a central role in the evolution of these mammals.” “The crystal structure of MLP reveals no three-dimensional similarity to any known structures and reveals a heretofore unseen fold, supporting the idea that monotremes may be a rich source for the identification of novel proteins,” said the research team in their paper. Much of the paper describes the details of the isolation of MLP and the crystallization trials used to determine its structure, which, like the platypus itself, is very weird: It is present in the milk of monotremes and is unique to this lineage,” according to Newman et al. “Monotreme lactation protein (MLP) is a recently identified protein with antimicrobial activity. ![]() Janet Newman, the lead author of the latest research titled, “Structural characterization of a novel monotreme-specific protein with antimicrobial activity from the milk of the platypus,” published in the journal, Structural Biology Communications. “Platypus are such weird animals that it would make sense for them to have weird biochemistry,” said CSIRO scientist Dr. ![]() ![]() Now, after 8 years of study, they think they know why. In 2010, scientists at Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), discovered that platypus milk had antimicrobial properties. ![]()
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