October 13, 2017
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Destroying Helicobacter pylori by disrupting synthesis of its cell wall!
Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS have recently demonstrated that it is possible to destroy the cell wall of a bacterium by simply disrupting the assembly of two proteins. They focused on Helicobacter pylori, a model bacterium for this type of study. Their research has revealed the structure of a protein complex, which is vital for cell wall synthesis. And they have proved that, by blocking the formation of this complex, the bacterium dies. This scenario could be reproduced, as a therapeutic strategy, to destroy the bacterium.