ARS | Publication request: A HIGH-THROUGHPUT GENETIC SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING AND CHARACTERIZING OLIGOPEPTIDE-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS THAT INHIBIT ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND VIRULENCE IN BACTERIA (STRATEGIES FOR ID/DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ANTIMICROB)

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 5, 2002
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Our ability to combat bacterial pathogens is an ongoing struggle. An approach to addressing this problem is to identify bacterial proteins that are sensitive to inhibition and to identify exogenous molecules that can serve as cognate inhibitors. Since oligopeptides can serve as agents that perturb bacterial functions, we developed a novel high-throughput genetic system for synthesizing, evaluating, characterizing and determining the targets of oligopeptides that inhibit antibiotic resistance or virulence in Salmonella. Using this system we identified and characterized novel oligopeptides that inhibit Salmonella and also Shigella and pathogenic E. coli. These oligopeptides appear to act by directly interacting with proteins involved in providing either antibiotic resistance or virulence. This information will be part of a database used to further study and prevent or treat infections with pathogenic bacteria. The systems described herein can be extended to numerous pathogens for analogous studies.