Inhibitors of Bacterial Toxins Identified

<p>THURSDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Using a novel yeast system, small molecule inhibitors of bacterial toxins have been identified, according to research published in the February issue of <i>PLoS Genetics</i>.</p><p>Anthony Arnoldo, from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues used a cell-based yeast phenotypic assay and a large-scale inhibitor screen to identify small molecules that could suppress the toxicity of 505 individual <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> genes.</p> <p>The researchers found that the inhibitor exosin inhibited the activity of Exoenzyme S, a toxin involved in Type III secretion. Exosin also protected mammalian cells against infection. Several yeast homologs of the known human targets of Exoenzyme S were also identified and found to be modified by the toxin.</p> <p>"Together, these observations validate our yeast-based approach for uncovering novel antibiotics," Arnoldo and colleagues conclude. "These compounds can be used as a starting point for new therapeutic treatments, and a similar strategy could be applied to a broad range of human pathogens like viruses or parasites."</p> <p><a href="http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2265467&rendertype=abstract"target="_new">Abstract</a><br/><a href="http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2265467" target="_new">Full Text</a></p>

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