Patent ID: 7244706

Claim:
A therapeutic method for treating a disease resulting from a microbial infection of an individual comprising: a) providing an antimicrobial polypeptide wherein the polypeptide is not SEQ ID NO:1, consisting of from N-terminus to C-terminus: (i) a first cluster of 2-7 amino acids wherein 2 of the 2-7 residues are strongly basic and identical to a contiguous sequence contained in the sequence GRRRRS (SEQ ID NO:4) or a strongly basic substitute of the contiguous sequence; (ii) a second cluster of 17-21 amino acids that has a grand hydropathicity value of at least −0.609 and an average aliphatic index value of at least 35.45: (iii) a third cluster of 2 to 7 amino acids wherein 2 of the 2-7 residues are strongly basic and identical to a contiguous sequence contained in the sequence MRKVRG (SEQ ID NO:5) or a strongly basic substitute of the contiguous sequence; and optionally (iv) a fourth cluster of amino acids that is an endocytosis clearance fragment recognized and internalized by cells via endocytosis clearance pathway or a 1-17 amino acid cluster that is a contiguous sequence contained in PVSCIKRDSPIQCIQAIA (SEQ ID NO:3); wherein the clusters of amino acids are joined to form a single contiguous amide linkage backbone, and wherein the substitute preserves anti-microbial activity of the isolated polypeptide; and b) administering a therapeutic amount of the antimicrobial polypeptide or functional variant thereof to the individual, wherein the functional variant is a substitute of a sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 having a basic residue at positions 2, 3, 4, 5, 28, 29, 31, 39 and 40, a hydrophobic residue at positions 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 32, 35, 37, 38, 44, 46, 47, 49 and 50, and an acidic residue at positions 16 and 41.