The Esc(1-21)-1c Antimicrobial Peptide Inhibits a Specific Transcriptional Activator of the MexAB-OprM Efflux Pump in <i>P. aeruginosa</i>.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains is increasingly becoming a critical threat to global health. Among the resistance mechanisms, the MexAB-OprM efflux pump confers P. aeruginosa with an efficient method to export a broad spectrum of antibiotics. The antimicrobial peptide Esc (1-21)-1c was shown to downregulate this efflux system, though its mechanism of action has not been unveiled thus far. Here, we employed a combination of molecular modeling and experimental methods to investigate the precise peptide inhibitory mechanism. Functional proteomic experiments revealed the P. aeruginosa protein Q9I5H3, homologous to E. coli QseB, as a putative key target of Esc(1-21)-1c. Molecular docking predicted stable peptide-protein interaction

SUBMITTER: Cane C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12563431 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature