Keanu Reeves’ Latest Role? Fungus-Killing Bacterial Compound.
By Emily Schmall
New York Times
When scientists at a German research institute discovered that certain bacterial compounds kill fungi, they were reminded of a deadly effect on Hollywood proportions: specifically Keanu Reeves in his leading role in the thriller series “John Wick”.
The compounds, which the researchers dubbed “keanumycins,” killed fungi harmful to both plants and humans with deadly precision.
“Keanu Reeves plays many iconic roles in which he’s extremely efficient at ‘inactivating’ his enemies. The keanumycins do the same with fungi,” said Dr. Pierre Stallforthone of the researchers and professor of paleobiotechnology at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology in Jena, Germany.
A publicist for Reeves did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The entertainment company Lionsgatethe distributor of the “John Wick” films, held a question-and-answer forum on Reddit with Reeves over the weekend, in which he detailed his reaction to the discovery that bears his name.
“They should have called it John Wick,” he said. “But that’s pretty cool… and surreal to me. But thanks, scientist! Good luck and thanks for helping us.”
The bacterial compounds are effective against both plant fungal diseases and fungi that plague humans, according to findings published in January in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
“The keanumycins create holes in the surface of the pathogen and it ‘bleeds out,'” said the study’s lead author. Sebastian GoetzePostdoctoral researcher in paleobiotechnology at the Leibniz Institute.
“Like Keanu Reeves in his many prolific killer roles, even at low concentrations, the newly discovered molecules can very efficiently kill various human fungal pathogens by rifling through them,” he said.
In the latest episode of “John Wick,” Reeves plays a retired hit man who returns to hunt his enemies.
The authors cooked a broth of bacteria that produce keanumycin and applied it to a hydrangea plant covered with the fungus Botrytis cinerea, a common plague among greenhouse crops such as tomatoes and strawberries.
They found that the bacteria filled the fungus with holes, ridding hydrangea of the plague and proved that keanumycins are effective against a crop pest that causes gray mold rot and leads to significant crop losses every year.
The compounds also work against Candida albicans, a naturally occurring fungus in the human body whose overproduction can cause infections.
A natural and biodegradable active ingredient such as keanumycins could be an important alternative to pesticides and antibiotics in a “crisis of anti-infectives”, according to Götze, or drugs for the prevention or treatment of infections. Many fungi are now resistant to drugs and substances that used to kill them in the past.
“Resistance to most drugs used to treat infectious diseases is spreading worldwide,” said Götze. “If fungal phytopathogens are resistant to fungicides, your crop production will decline, which in extreme cases can lead to famine.”
The researchers’ findings suggest microbial evolution to combat predatory pathogens, he said Matthew Nelsena researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago who was not involved in the study.
“Previous efforts have aimed at using such natural products for human consumption to combat animal and plant pathogens. However, over time, many pathogenic organisms – including fungi – have developed resistance to the chemicals we use to fight them,” Nelsen said. “Consequently, we must find a new way to outsmart or outperform them.”