Decoding the molecular machine behind E. coli and cholera (2/16/2012)
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered the workings behind some of the bacteria that kill hundreds of thousands every year, possibly paving the way for new antibiotics that could treat infections more effectively.
With antibiotic resistance on the rise in strains of pathogenic bacteria, innovative strategies are needed to discover ways of treating bacterial infections in both humans and in agriculture.
Writing in the journal PLoS Pathogens, the team from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences show how they studied the molecular machine known as the 'type II bacterial secretion system', which is responsible for delivering potent toxins from bacteria such as enterotoxigenic E. coli and Vibrio cholerae into an infected individual.
Professor Richard Pickersgill, who led the research, said: "Bacterial secretion systems deliver disease causing toxins into host tissue. If we can understand how these machines work, then we can work out how it they might be stopped."
In order to infect, Gram negative bacteria have to export their toxins into their host across both an inner and outer membrane. Professor Pickersgill explains: "The pore in the outer membrane which the toxins pass through is formed from protein subunits which are guided into place by a protein pilot. The protein pilot interacts with the subunits that form the pore in the outer membrane; if the protein pilot is missing, then the pore forms in the inner membrane and not the outer membrane and secretion is stopped."
Professor Pickersgill adds: "If we can successfully interfere with this or with other interactions we are discovering then we might be able to halt the secretion system and prevent these harmful diseases."
The same type II secretion system that enables E. coli and cholera is also used by bacteria that cause substantial food spoilage, such as Dickeya dadantii. Crop spoilage by plant infecting bacteria is becoming an increasing problem in the UK due to the warmer and wetter summers caused by global climate change, and the team hope that the results of this study will be of interest to both agrichemical scientists seeking ways of preventing crop damage and pharmaceutical companies seeking new antibiotics.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the Queen Mary, University of London
Post Comments:
| 
Subscribe
Researchers gain greater insight into earthquake cycles
The millennium-old olive trees of the Iberian Peninsula are younger than expected
Science nugget: Lightning signature could help reveal the solar system's origins
Antarctic octopus sheds light on ice-sheet collapse
Power generation technology based on piezoelectric nanocomposite materials developed
Mini cargo transporters on a rat run
Molecular spectroscopy tracks living mammalian cells in real time as they differentiate
Women have bigger pupils than men
Novel radiation surveillance technology could help thwart nuclear terrorism
Purple sea urchin metamorphosis controlled by histamine
Scholars to apply facial recognition software to unidentified portrait subjects
World's largest digital camera project passes critical milestone
'Inhabitants of Madrid' ate elephants? meat and bone marrow 80,000 years ago
Robots fighting wars could be blamed for mistakes on the battlefield
X-rays create a window on glass formation
Can sound science guide dispersant use during subsea oil spills?
How Usain Bolt can run faster -- effortlessly
Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot
Growing market for human organs exploits poor
Chimpanzees have policemen, too
Playful learning inside a square
Can consuming caffeine while breastfeeding harm your baby?
Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging
Detailed picture of how myoV 'walks' along actin tracks
Enhancing cognition in older adults also changes personality
A new artificial intelligence technique to speed the planning of tasks when resources are limited
Film coatings made from whey
If a fat tax is coming, here's how to make it efficient, effective
Glial cells supply nerve fibers with energy-rich metabolic products
Team discovers novel approach to stimulate immune cells
Scientists make stunning inner space observations
Slicing mitotic spindle with lasers, nanosurgeons unravel old pole-to-pole theory
Scripps Research Institute scientists solve a mystery of bacterial growth and resistance