Like a switch that turns on a light, the mechanism that turns Staphylococcus aureus bacteria from harmless to deadly has been identified by Canadian scientists with the aid of University of Nebraska Medical Center researchers.
In an international collaboration, Paul Dunman, Ph.D., associate professor, pathology/microbiology, and his post doctoral trainee, Christelle Roux, Ph.D., provided key data on the breadth of activity that two molecules have to switch staph into an infectious organism.
Staphylococcus aureus, also referred to as “staph,” kills about 100,000 Americans each year and would be harmless but for the action of the regulating molecules, or peptides.
The major breakthrough was reported by researchers at UNMC, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the University of Western Ontario, in a recent edition of Science Express, the online version of the journal that promotes articles with significant findings.
“I’ve studied virulence factors for 10 years and have never seen anything of this magnitude,” said Dr. Dunman, a member of UNMC’s newly formed Center for Staphylococcal Research.
“These small peptides that allow staph to become infectious will be good targets for new drug discovery.”
The next step will be to study the mechanism to discover how the molecule regulates the virulence factors and to identify compounds that will inhibit the peptide, Dr. Dunman said.
The next phase of the study will be conducted by Nathan Magarvey, Ph.D., assistant professor, biochemistry, biomedical sciences and chemistry, McMaster University. The principal investigator of this study, Dr. Magarvey first spoke with Dr. Dunman about collaborating on this project 18 months ago.
“Paul is a recognized world leader in microarray technology. He’s a rock star,” Dr. Magarvey said. “The first antibiotics effective against staph are made from molecules of the same general class as these staph peptides.”
Staph is present on the skin or in the nose of healthy people and:
• Causes 1.7 million infections annually in the United States;
• Is the culprit of many minor and, thus, unreported skin infections; and
• Has been a leading cause of hospital infections worldwide.
Ken Bayles, Ph.D., professor, pathology and microbiology, and director of UNMC’s Staphylococcal Research Center, said the discovery is surprising. “With all the research that’s been done on staph, there are still gems to be found.”
The Science article can be accessed at this link: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1188888.pdf
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. UNMC’s extramural research support now exceeds $100 million, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.