According to Prof. Engelberg-Kolka, "From a practical point of view, the discovery of this mechanism can offer a new way to develop new and improved antibiotics that will effectively utilize the mechanism in order to subdue bacteria more effectively"
Researchers from the Hebrew University and the University of Vienna have revealed a mechanism of building proteins caused by stressful conditions, and involved in killing bacterial cells. The discovery may pave the way for the development of innovative antibiotics that will help overcome health problems among the public.
The research work, conducted under the leadership of Prof. Hanna Engelberg-Kolka from the Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute (IMRIC) and the School of Medicine of the Hebrew University, in collaboration with her students and the laboratory of Prof. Isabella Moll from the University of Vienna, opens a new chapter in understanding the construction of proteins under stressful conditions - the conditions in which Most often found in bacterial cells, among humans and in nature in general.
In the last fifty years, the biological mechanism responsible for building proteins has been frequently studied, mainly in the E-Coli bacteria that reside permanently in the intestines. The mechanism works through the ribosomes, which are found in large numbers in every living cell, and translate into proteins the genetic information transmitted by messenger RNA from the genome to the ribosome.
The research by Prof. Engelberg-Kulke and Prof. Mol, recently published in the journal Cell, presents a breakthrough in the field. He shows, for the first time, that under stressful situations, such as starvation and receiving antibiotics, the production of a toxic protein of the bacteria is increased, which causes a change in the system that produces the bacteria's proteins. This toxic protein cuts off parts of the ribosome and messenger RNA, thereby preventing the normal interaction of these components.
As a result, a replacement mechanism is created that includes a subgroup of ribosomes called "stress ribosomes", which are involved in the selective construction of proteins, some of which cause the death of the bacteria.
According to Prof. Engelberg-Kolka, "From a practical point of view, the discovery of this mechanism can offer a new way to develop new and improved antibiotics that will effectively utilize the mechanism in order to subdue bacteria more effectively."
