HEИндивидуална стипендия2024–2026

ICECOUP · ICE coupling protein inhibitors

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2024-03-15 → 2026-03-14
Финансиране от ЕС: 165 313 €
Участници: 1
Схема: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Белтъкът MobBICE, който помага на бактериите E. coli да пренасят гени за устойчивост, се анализира с цел откриване на вещества, които да блокират този процес. Това е важно, за да се ограничи разпространението на антибиотикорезистентни бактерии, застрашаващи човешкото здраве.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

ICE coupling protein inhibitors

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health. Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show that AMR is responsible for more than 35,000 deaths every year in the European Union/ European Economic area. The global overuse and misuse of antibiotics has resulted in the proliferation and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria harbouring a multitude of Antibiotic Resistance (AR) genes that can be mobilized by different horizontal gene transfer processes. Conjugative plasmids and Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICEs) constitute the main drivers of AR spread. Although ICEs outnumber conjugative plasmids, yet they still have been largely overlooked as vectors of AR and there is a substantial knowledge gap regarding their dissemination. ICEs are typically found integrated in the host chromosome and encode the machinery for their conjugation. Type IV Coupling proteins (T4CPs) are essential for conjugation, but only a few (mainly plasmid encoded) have been exhaustively studied. The main goal of ICECOUP was to in-depth characterize MobBICE, the T4CP of an ICE designated as ICEEc1 which was found in Escherichia coli ECOR31, with the aim of finding ICE conjugation inhibitors to block/minimise AR spread. The specific objectives of ICECOUP were: 1) To characterise MobBICE in vitro using different biochemical and biophysical techniques; 2) To assess MobBICE capacity to mobilise different mobile genetic elements (MGE) through different conjugation assays; and 3) To evaluate in vitro and in vivo potential of MobBICE inhibitors. Despite the early termination of the action, ICECOUP contributed to increasing the molecular knowledge about T4CPs belonging to ICEs of Gram-negative bacteria. Several molecular traits of MobBICE were described, as well as its interaction with other players involved in conjugation. In addition, it provided novel data about the interaction with mobilizable and conjugative plasmids.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is one of the greatest threats to human health. The global overuse of antibiotics has resulted in the proliferation and dissemination of antibiotic resistant bacteria harboring a multitude of antibiotic resistance genes that can be mobilized by different horizontal gene transfer processes such as conjugation. Integrative Conjugative Elements (ICEs) are mobile genetic elements which are typically found integrated in the bacterial chromosome and encode the machinery for their conjugation. The so-called coupling proteins have a critical role in the conjugation process. ICECOUP is focused on the molecular and functional characterization of a critical component for ICE transmission, the coupling protein, with the ultimate goal of finding ICE conjugation inhibitors to block or, at least, minimize the AR spread. To date, ICE coupling proteins have received little attention despite their importance in the transfer mechanism. The supervision of Dr. Itziar Alkorta at the University of Basque Country(UPV/EHU) is a key element to guarantee the success of this project. ICECOUP will generate extensive and innovative scientific outputs that in the long run will have a societal impact, enhancing the catalogue of weapons to combat antibiotic resistance. The multidisciplinary approach of ICECOUP will allow me the reinforce my scientific knowledge and soft skills, while I acquire outreach and project management capacities. Undoubtedly, should this project be funded, it will strengthen my prospects to forge a stable career as an independent researcher able to secure funding.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO/ EUSKAL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEA · LeioaКоординаторИспания