A small molecule that mitigates bacterial infection disrupts Gram-negative cell membranes and is inhibited by cholesterol and neutral lipids.

ABSTRACT: Infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria are difficult to fight because these pathogens exclude or expel many clinical antibiotics and host defense molecules. However, mammals have evolved a substantial immune arsenal that weakens pathogen defenses, suggesting the feasibility of developing therapies that work in concert with innate immunity to kill Gram-negative bacteria. Using chemical genetics, we recently identified a small molecule, JD1, that kills Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) residing within macrophages. JD1 is not antibacterial in standard microbiological media, but rapidly inhibits growth and curtails bacterial survival under broth conditions that compromise the outer membrane or reduce efflux pump activity. Using a combination of cellular indicators a

SUBMITTER: Dombach JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7748285 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature