The term prophenin derives from its composition, which is rich in proline (~50%) and phenylalanine (~20%). The protein sequence consists of repeating proline-rich decamers. Binding assays indicate that even an individual decamer subunit has LPS-binding activity at least equivalent to that of polymyxin B. In vitro results show that the LPS-binding properties of the holoprotein are more than the sum of its parts, but even the "parts" show enough anti-LPS activity to make them potentially useful antibiotics.

Reference: UCLA Case No. 1994-518

US Patent Number: 5,889,152 5,804,553 5,633,229