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Lookup NU author(s): Dr James ConnollyORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2017 The Authors. Molecular Microbiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Anti-virulence (AV) compounds are a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics for fighting bacterial infections. The Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) is a well-studied and attractive AV target, given that it is widespread in more than 25 species of Gram-negative bacteria, including enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and as it is essential for host colonization by many pathogens. In this work, we designed, synthesized and tested a new series of compounds that block the functionality of the T3SS of EHEC. Affinity chromatography experiments identified the primary target of the compounds as the T3SS needle pore protein EspD, which is essential for effector protein translocation into host cells. These data were supported by mechanistic studies that determined the coiled-coil domain 1 of EspD as a key compound-binding site, thereby preventing correct assembly of the T3SS complex on the cell surface. However, binding of inhibitors to EspD or deletion of EspD itself did not result in transcriptional down-regulation of effector proteins. Instead, we found the compounds to exhibit dual-functionality by also down-regulating transcription of the entire chromosomal locus encoding the T3SS, further demonstrating their desirability and effectiveness.
Author(s): Zambelloni R, Connolly JPR, Huerta Uribe A, Burgess K, Marquez R, Roe AJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Molecular Microbiology
Year: 2017
Volume: 105
Issue: 4
Pages: 606-619
Print publication date: 01/08/2017
Online publication date: 14/06/2017
Acceptance date: 02/04/2016
Date deposited: 20/09/2019
ISSN (print): 0950-382X
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2958
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.13719
DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13719
PubMed id: 28557017
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