Scientists at the University of Sheffield discovered how an effective bacterial toxin can target and kill MRSA, paving the way for potential new therapies for super bacteria.
A new study led by Dr. Stéphane Mesnage of the University of Sheffield explains how lysostaphin specifically recognizes the MRSA cell wall and quickly causes the pathogen to break down.
Lysostaphin can increase the number of molecules bound to the surface of MRSA cells, which allows the enzyme to "swim" along the cell wall and cause rapid decomposition.
Lysostaphin is an enzyme that has been shown to eradicate staphylococcal infections, such as MRSA, alone or with antibiotics. Although it was discovered more than 50 years ago, little is known about how to kill these infections.
Scientists hope to use their findings to develop new treatments for MRSA and other drug-resistant superbugs that similarly target infections.
MRSA is a bacterial super bacteria that are resistant to several antibiotics and is often spread in hospitals where people are more susceptible to infection.
Dr. Stéphane Mesnage, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, said: "Lysostaphin is arguably the most studied enzyme after lysozyme, so we are very pleased that our research can explain the mechanism supporting its effective antibacterial activity.
"Our research explains how this enzyme targets and digests MRSA bacteria, and why it is so effective. Hospital-acquired infections caused by bacteria resistant to the last antibiotic are on the rise, but our work may lead to new Enzyme development. These super error handling methods that use the same positioning mechanism."
The paper "Two-point recognition of Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan by hemolytic globulin SH3b" was published today (Monday, November 4) in "Nature Chemical Biology".
The Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield focuses on the study of DNA, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and proteins, and how they affect biological functions, such as host-pathogen interactions. Researchers are dedicated to studying issues ranging from genomics and nucleic acids to plants and photosynthesis, to solve major global challenges in food security, antimicrobial resistance, and population aging. Many scientists in the department followed in the footsteps of Sir Hans Krebs. The first professor of biochemistry in the department won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1953.
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