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New leads on mechanisms that confer virulence to E.coli-type bacteria

By 12 de December de 2011November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 12.12.2011

New leads on mechanisms that confer virulence to E.coli-type bacteria

A team headed by scientists from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) –located at the Barcelona Scientific Park– reports how the protein Ler, which is found in pathogenic bacteria, interacts with certain DNA sequences, thereby activating numerous genes responsible for virulence, which bacteria then exploit to infect human cells. Ler is present in pathogenic Escherichia coli (E.coli) strains, such as the one that caused a deadly infectious outbreak in Germany last May. The study has been published in the scientific journal PloS Pathogens.


The researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key region of the DNA-protein complex. Knowledge about the structures that control the activity of genes associated with virulence and resistance to antibiotics is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate bacterial pathogenicity and to pave the way for alternative treatments to conventional antibiotics.

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