Newswise — A global team of scientists, including researchers from Trinity College Dublin, has made significant advancements in understanding a crucial bacterial enzyme, offering valuable insights for chemists in developing new drugs to inhibit its activity and combat disease-causing bacteria. This research assumes even greater importance amidst mounting concerns regarding the escalating rates of antibiotic resistance.
Under the leadership of Martin Caffrey, Fellow Emeritus in Trinity’s School of Medicine and School of Biochemistry and Immunology, the team employed cutting-edge techniques such as next-generation X-ray crystallography and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. These methods allowed them to delve deep into the inner workings of the bacterial enzyme, effectively providing a comprehensive molecular blueprint. This blueprint can be utilized to design drugs that exploit any structural weaknesses identified.
The enzyme in question, Lnt, exclusively exists in bacteria and plays a crucial role in constructing robust cell membranes that facilitate the transport of molecules into and out of cells. Importantly, this enzyme is absent in humans, making it an immensely promising therapeutic target. Targeting Lnt with tailor-made drugs should minimize potential side effects for patients.
The groundbreaking findings of this study have recently been published in the esteemed international journal Science Advances.
Martin Caffrey commented, "Numerous disease-causing bacteria have developed resistance to a wide range of first-line drugs used in their treatment. With antimicrobial resistance on the rise globally, the World Health Organization has long warned of an approaching post-antibiotic era, in which minor injuries and common infections could prove fatal."
"Therefore, the urgent need for new drugs cannot be overstated. Although the path from unveiling a structural blueprint like this to developing a novel drug can be arduous, the exceptional level of precision we have achieved in elucidating this potential target places it squarely in our sights," Caffrey added.
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