Activation of a Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channel, MscL, Underlies the Membrane Permeabilization of Dual-Targeting Antibacterial Compounds

Robin Wray, Junmei Wang, Paul Blount, Irene Iscla

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Resistance to antibiotics is a serious and worsening threat to human health worldwide, and there is an urgent need to develop new antibiotics that can avert it. One possible solution is the development of compounds that possess multiple modes of action, requiring at least two mutations to acquire resistance. Compound SCH-79797 both avoids resistance and has two mechanisms of action: one inhibiting the folate pathway, and a second described as “membrane permeabilization”; however, the mechanism by which membranes from bacterial cells, but not the host, are disrupted has remained mysterious. The opening of the bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance, MscL, which ordinarily serves the physiological role of osmotic emergency release valves gated by hypoosmotic shock, has been previously demonstrated to affect bacterial membrane permeabilization. MscL allows the rapid permeabilization of both ions and solutes through the opening of the largest known gated pore, which has a diameter of 30 Å. We found that SCH-79797 and IRS-16, a more potent derivative, directly bind to the MscL channel and produce membrane permeabilization as a result of its activation. These findings suggest that possessing or adding an MscL-activating component to an antibiotic compound could help to lower toxicity and evade antibiotic resistance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number970
JournalAntibiotics
Volume11
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2022

Keywords

  • antibiotic resistance
  • bacterial channels
  • bacterial drug target
  • druggable target
  • dual mechanism antibiotics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology (medical)
  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology

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