The CpxP family of bacterial chaperones: novel antibiotic targets

"There is a particular lack of new agents to treat infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria" was a major conclusion from a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention in 2013. One reason for this is Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) possess an outer membrane (OM); making them impermeable and therefore resistant to many antibiotics that are active against Gram-positives. Infection by the bacterial pathogen, Salmonella is a global issue, with approximately 94 million people contracting gastroenteritis or food poisoning each year. Morbidity of Salmonella infections, particularly associated with outbreaks, is exacerbated by antibiotic resistance, which can lead to more complicated illness in patients. Novel therapeutic agents to treat Salmonella infections are urgently required. An exciting challenge is to decipher the genetic, molecular and biophysical basis of membrane impermeability as a bacterial resistance mechanism. This could expand the use of therapeutic compounds to include those to which Salmonella are currently resistant. This studentship builds from our recent publications that demonstrated that structural and functional overlap exists between the CpxP family of chaperones, and that they are required for Salmonella resistance to antibiotics. We believe that the CpxP chaperones present a potential new opportunity to therapeutically target Salmonella.