Faculty of Science
Microbiology and Immunology

Vacuolar-ATPase inhibitors are antimicrobial agents active against intracellular mycobacteria

Graphs depicting bacterial growth

Publication Date

Publication Journal

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Author(s)

Leah Rankine-Wilson, Tirosh Shapira, Jake Felker, Matthew Christofferson, Henok Sahile, Joseph Chao, Houria Afshar, Raymond J. Andersen, Jim Sun, and Yossef Av-Gay

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) evades the host immune defenses by blocking phagosome acidification through its secreted phosphatase PtpA, which binds to the vacuolar ATPase (v-ATPase) and disrupts key cellular processes. This study examined the antimicrobial effects of three v-ATPase inhibitors on the growth of Mtb, M. abscessus, and M. bovis BCG. The findings revealed that the inhibitors alter host-bacteria interactions and that Bafilomycin A1 binds PtpA, highlighting new possibilities for developing host-targeted therapies against intracellular mycobacterial infections.

  • Av-Gay Lab
  • Sun Lab

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Microbiology and Immunology

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