University scientists have identified a molecule that various species of bacteria use for communication — a discovery that may lead to antibiotic drugs that are more powerful in fighting disease.
A team of researchers led by Fred Hughson, assistant professor of molecular biology, found the genes and proteins needed to produce and receive the signals several years ago.
But the actual signaling molecule had remained elusive for the past 10 years.
Last spring, Hughson discovered the structure of this small molecule by using X-ray crystallography.
The discovery was published in the journal Nature on Jan. 31.
Scientists could apply these findings to the production of new antibiotic drugs that block the communication signals between bacteria before a colony develops and launches an attack.
Hughson said these new antibiotics would be more efficient than current antibiotics, which destroy harmful bacteria. Most antibiotics, however, fail to kill certain mutant, resistant strands.
"Now there can be a broad spectrum of antibiotics rather than a different antibiotic for every disease," Hughson said.
The University has licensed Quorex Pharmaceuticals Inc. — a biotechnology firm that creates antibiotics — in Carlsbad, Calif., to pursue this possibility.
Hughson's partner, University biologist Bonnie Bassler said the signaling molecule is also important because its central molecule is boron. Originally scientists expected the molecule to be carbon-based.
Before now, researchers have found very few uses of boron in biology.
Boron compounds have showed promise in treating arthritis while boric acid is used as an antiseptic and pesticide.
In future experiments, Bassler and Hughson hope to study the existence of boron in the signaling molecule to discover the advantage of a boron-based molecule and whether other elements could replace boron to produce molecules with similar functions.
"This molecule is unrelated to those previously studied," Bassler said, "but the signals opened up our thinking about what can be done."
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