Virulence Systems of Human Pathogens as Targets for Novel Therapeutics and Prophylactics
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 22833
Special Issue Editor
Interests: virulence systems; ATPases; inhibitors; vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Bacterial pathogens have specialized protein transport systems used to secrete toxins and deliver them to their intended targets. In the case of human pathogens, the proteins are mostly toxins that are designed to interfere with the host cell’s metabolism and general functioning. The predominant targets are cells of the immune system, where many components have their function disabled or severely interrupted by the secreted bacterial toxins.
There are at least nine secretory systems known in pathogens, and each one is highly conserved in the organization and mechanism of protein transport. Since many are not necessary for the pathogen’s survival outside the host but necessary for the infection, the secretory systems have become a point of interest for indirect antibacterial strategies targeting the function of systems, their assembly, and the mechanism of protein transport. Surprisingly, solutions designed against one pathogen are effective against a broader range of bacteria, which suggests that the strategy may deliver broad-spectrum antibacterials. Since the mechanism is different than for known commercial vaccines and antibiotics, the indirect-acting agents may offer a strategy to break the drug resistance barrier.
As enticing as it is, the approach has some potential problems. The pathogens are not directly destroyed by the compounds/proteins and require a functioning immune system of the host to defeat the attacking pathogen. In many immunocompromised patients, most frequently with underlying conditions related to weakened or compromised immune systems, the strategy alone may not work and would require additional help from direct-acting agents such as antibiotics. Therefore, the indirect-acting agents may be relegated to a secondary role unless converted to direct-acting drugs in the future.
Dr. Wiesław Świętnicki
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- secretory systems
- inhibitors
- system assembly
- protein transport
- animal models for indirect-acting therapeutics
- antibodies directed against the secretory systems
- small molecules
- structural components
- secretory ATPases
- human receptors for the toxins
- in silico approaches to understanding the mechanism of toxicity and protein transport mechanism
- human pathogens
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