The Response Regulator BfmR Is a Potential Drug Target for Acinetobacter baumannii
Abstract
Increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria, particularly Gram-negative bacilli, has significantly affected the ability of physicians to treat infections, with resultant increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. In fact, some strains of bacteria are resistant to all available antibiotics, such as Acinetobacter baumannii , which is the focus of this report. Therefore, the development of new antibiotics active against these resistant strains is urgently needed. In this study, BfmR is further validated as an intriguing target for a novel class of antibiotics. Successful inactivation of BfmR would confer the multiple benefits of a decreased ability of A. baumannii to survive in human body fluids, increased sensitivity to complement-mediated bactericidal activity and, importantly, increased sensitivity to other antibiotics. Structural studies support the potential for this “druggable” target, as they identify the potential for small-molecule binding at functionally relevant sites. Next-phase high-throughput screening studies utilizing BfmR are warranted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jun 22, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1128/msphere.00082-16
Entities
People
- Akshay Manohar
- Janet M. Beanan
- Jessica Graham
- Ruth Olson
- Thomas A. Russo
- Timothy C. Umland
- Ulrike Macdonald
Organizations
- Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development, VA Office of Research and Development
- Office of Science
- Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- University at Buffalo