Quickening the pace of anthrax research: three advances point towards possible therapies

• Published in: Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 58 - 62
• Main Authors: Chaudry, G.Jilani, Moayeri, Mahtab, Liu, Shihui, Leppla, Stephen H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2002
• Subjects: Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors; Adenylyl Cyclases - chemistry; Animals; Anthrax; Anthrax - etiology; Anthrax - metabolism; Anthrax - therapy; Antigens, Bacterial - chemistry; Bacillus anthracis - pathogenicity; Bacterial Toxins - antagonists & inhibitors; Bacterial Toxins - chemistry; Bacterial Toxins - immunology; Cloning, Molecular; Crystallography, X-Ray; Drug Design; Humans; Kif1C; Kinesin - antagonists & inhibitors; Kinesin - genetics; Lethal factor; Mice; Models, Molecular; Mutation; Protease Inhibitors - chemistry; receptor; Receptors, Peptide - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, Peptide - chemistry; Receptors, Peptide - genetics; TEM8; toxin; receptor; toxin; Microbiology; Anthrax; Kif1C; Molecular Medicine; TEM8; Lethal factor
• ISSN: 0966-842X; 1878-4380
• DOI: 10.1016/S0966-842X(01)02294-6

Anthrax toxin is the dominant virulence factor of
Bacillus anthracis and drugs blocking its action could therefore have therapeutic benefit. Three recent papers suggest new ways to inhibit the toxin. Identification of the cell surface toxin receptor could lead to the design of binding competitors and receptor decoys. Determination of the crystal structure of the lethal factor protease will facilitate ongoing efforts to develop protease inhibitors as therapies. Finally, the susceptibility of certain inbred mice to anthrax lethal toxin was associated with mutations in the kinesin-like protein Kif1C, a discovery that could help to explain how anthrax toxin kills animals.
Three recent advances suggest new ways to inhibit the anthrax toxin, the dominant virulence factor of
Bacillus anthracis.