Скачать или смотреть Developing new treatment tools for bacterial infections, Annabel Walsh

The FphH protein from the disease-causing bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, has been identified as an enzyme associated with biofilm formation. Biofilm formation is a process by which bacterial cells secrete a sticky substance around their growing population, shielding them from the attack of an infected person’s immune system or antibiotics taken to treat the infection. FphH has shown potential as a target for new antibiotic development, requiring knowledge about the structure and function of the enzyme for medications to be developed in the future. To characterise FphH, the substrate preference was investigated as well as the activity of a suspected inhibitory compound, and antibiotic, fusidic acid. To connect these observations, an in-depth search of the available publications referencing FphH was carried out. FphH was found to be a lipase, an enzyme which breaks down fats, that was inhibited by Compound 3 and unaffected by fusidic acid.