Target for Firmicutes and Related Bacteria: The PRP Protease

摘要

L27 in Staphylococcus aureus and other Firmicutes is encoded with an N-terminal extension that is not present in most Gram-negative organisms and is absent from mature ribosomes. We have identified a cysteine protease, conserved among bacteria containing the L27 N-terminal extension, which performs post-translational cleavage of L27. The provided methods have utility for the development of new therapeutic antibiotics that target this novel pathway in order to kill pathogenic Firmicutes and related bacteria.