Enzyme found in bacteria can kill dangerous pathogens, research concludes

LA JOLLA, Calif. Researchers at Burnham Institute for Medical Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and University of Maryland last week demonstrated that an enzyme that is essential to many bacteria can be targeted to kill dangerous pathogens. In addition, investigators discovered chemical compounds that can inhibit this enzyme and suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

These findings are essential to develop new broad-spectrum antibacterial agents to overcome multidrug resistance.

“It’s clear that because of bacterial resistance, we need new, wide-spectrum antibiotics,” stated Andrei Osterman, an associate professor in Burnham’s Bioinformatics and Systems Biology program. “This enzyme is indispensable in many pathogens, so finding ways to inhibit it could give us new options against infection.”

The research was published in the Cell Journal Chemistry & Biology on Aug. 27.

According to the National Institutes of Health, drug resistance is making many diseases increasingly difficult — and sometimes impossible — to treat. They point to tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as two pathogens that pose a serious threat to human health.

The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.