employing protein aggregation as an antibacterial design strategy
Antibiotic resistance is increasing globally at such a pace that many experts fear the dawn of the post-antibiotic era if we fail to meet the urgent need for novel therapeutics. We evaluated if the working hypothesis of the MANGO...
Antibiotic resistance is increasing globally at such a pace that many experts fear the dawn of the post-antibiotic era if we fail to meet the urgent need for novel therapeutics. We evaluated if the working hypothesis of the MANGO ERC project that protein aggregation is driven by sequence specific interactions can be exploited to generate aggregates that are specifically toxic to bacteria without affecting mammalian cells. In particular we examined if peptides encoding aggregation-prone sequence segments of bacterial proteins can display antimicrobial activity by initiating aggregation in bacteria but not in mammalian cells. Unbiased in vitro screening of aggregating peptides lead to the identification of several hits that are strongly bactericidal against drug resistant gram+ S aureus strains, and others against pathogenic gram- E coli strains. The peptides cured mice from bacterial sepsis without apparent toxic side effects. The peptides enter and accumulate in the bacterial cytosol where they cause aggregation of bacterial polypeptides and the formation of inclusion bodies. Although the precise chain of events that leads to cell death remains to be elucidated, the ability to tap into aggregation-prone sequences of bacterial proteomes to elicit antimicrobial activity represents a rich and unexplored chemical space to be mined in search of novel therapeutic strategies to fight infectious diseases that are increasingly threatening global healthcare. However, given the novelty of this concept, the viability of aggregating peptides as antimicrobial therapeutics needs to be further advanced in order to consolidate the already significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry. In the current proposal we outline a series of experiments designed to address some of the key questions that were raised by potential investors and experts from the pharmaceutical sector to whom we presented the current data package.ver más
Seleccionando "Aceptar todas las cookies" acepta el uso de cookies para ayudarnos a brindarle una mejor experiencia de usuario y para analizar el uso del sitio web. Al hacer clic en "Ajustar tus preferencias" puede elegir qué cookies permitir. Solo las cookies esenciales son necesarias para el correcto funcionamiento de nuestro sitio web y no se pueden rechazar.
Cookie settings
Nuestro sitio web almacena cuatro tipos de cookies. En cualquier momento puede elegir qué cookies acepta y cuáles rechaza. Puede obtener más información sobre qué son las cookies y qué tipos de cookies almacenamos en nuestra Política de cookies.
Son necesarias por razones técnicas. Sin ellas, este sitio web podría no funcionar correctamente.
Son necesarias para una funcionalidad específica en el sitio web. Sin ellos, algunas características pueden estar deshabilitadas.
Nos permite analizar el uso del sitio web y mejorar la experiencia del visitante.
Nos permite personalizar su experiencia y enviarle contenido y ofertas relevantes, en este sitio web y en otros sitios web.