Mechanism of Action and Initial, In Vitro SAR of an Inhibitor of the Shigella flexneri Virulence Regulator VirF.

ABSTRACT: Shigella spp. are among the main causative agents of acute diarrheal illness and claim more than 1 million lives per year worldwide. There are multiple bacterial genes that control the pathogenesis of Shigella, but the virF gene may be the most important. This gene, located on the primary pathogenicity island of Shigella, encodes VirF, an AraC-family transcriptional activator that is responsible for initiating the pathogenesis cycle in Shigella. We have previously shown that it is possible to attenuate the virulence of Shigella flexneri via small molecule inhibition of VirF. In this study, we probed the mechanism of action of our small molecule inhibitors of VirF. To enable these studies, we have developed a homologous and efficient expression and purification system for VirF and have opti

SUBMITTER: Emanuele AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4564171 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature