Monica Cozzi, Mariacristina Failla, Eleonora Gianquinto, Sandra Kovachka, Valeria Buoli Comani, Carlotta Compari, Omar De Bei, Roberta Giaccari, Francesco Marchesani, Marialaura Marchetti, Luca Ronda, Barbara Rolando, Massimo Baroni, Gabriele Cruciani, Barbara Campanini, Stefano Bettati, Serena Faggiano, Loretta Lazzarato, Francesca Spyrakis
Human hemoglobin (Hb) is the preferred iron source of Staphylococcus aureus. This pathogenic bacterium exploits a sophisticated protein machinery called Iron-regulated surface determinant (Isd) system to bind Hb, extract and internalize heme, and finally degrade it to complete iron acquisition. IsdB, the surface exposed Hb receptor, is a proven virulence factor of S. aureus and the inhibition of its interaction with Hb can be pursued as a strategy to develop new classes of antimicrobials. To identify small molecules able to disrupt IsdB:Hb protein-protein interactions (PPIs), we carried out a structure-based virtual screening campaign and developed an ad hoc immunoassay to screen the retrieved set of commercially available compounds...
April 9, 2024: Scientific Reports