Researchers Identify Ideal Target for Development of Novel Antimicrobials

Article

Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich have identified an enzyme that is involved in a modification pathway that is essential for bacterial pathogenicity. Because it shows no similarity to other known proteins, it may be an ideal target for development of novel antimicrobial drugs.

Studies on a number of pathogenic bacteria have shown that these strains become pathogenic only when an enzyme called elongation factor P (EF-P) is chemically modified on a conserved lysine residue. EF-P is a universally conserved translation factor, which is involved in protein synthesis. Two enzymes are known to be involved in modifying the conserved lysine of EF-P, however these enzymes cannot fully account for the pattern of modification seen on EF-P in living cells.

Thus, at least one other protein must be involved in the modification process however to date it has proved to be particularly elusive. Now a research team led by LMU biochemist Daniel Wilson, who is also affiliated with the Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), a Cluster of Excellence at LMU, has succeeded in identifying the mystery protein as the enzyme YfcM and showing that it displays hydroxylase activity. Strikingly, YfcM shows no sequence similarity to any other known protein and therefore may have a unique structure.

This is not the only reason why discovery of YfcM will arouse great interest. "YfcM may turn out to be an ideal target for the development of new - and urgently needed antibiotics, however more insight will be needed to ascertain the role of the YfcM mediated hydroxylation of EF-P," says Wilson.
 
 

Related Videos
Medical investigators going over data. (AdobeStock 589197902 by Wasan)
CDC logo is seen on a laptop. (Adobe Stock 428450603 by monticellllo)
Association for the Health Care Environment (Logo used with permission)
Ambassador Deborah Birx, , speaks with Infection Control Today about masks in schools and the newest variant.
mRNA technology  (Adobe Stock 485886181 by kaptn)
Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD
Woman lying in hospital bed (Adobe Stock, unknown)
Photo of a model operating room. (Photo courtesy of Indigo-Clean and Kenall Manufacturing)
GIANTmicrobes at the 2023 APIC Annual Conference and Exhibition.  (Photo by the author)
Related Content