Antibiotics that Kill

Single-Cell Analysis: The Differences That Kill

Using single-cell RNA sequencing, Avraham et al. investigate how variability in macrophage response to infection is controlled by variability within the pathogen population. They find that heterogeneous expression of the Salmonella virulence factor PhoP and subsequent cell-wall modifications lead to the bimodal induction of the interferon-response in infected macrophages.

Drugs that Kill Cancer Stem-like Cells

Designing surfaces that kill bacteria on contact.

Poly(4-vinyl-N-alkylpyridinium bromide) was covalently attached to glass slides to create a surface that kills airborne bacteria on contact. The antibacterial properties were assessed by spraying aqueous suspensions of bacterial cells on the surface, followed by air drying and counting the number of cells remaining viable (i.e., capable of growing colonies). Amino glass slides were acylated wit...

Anti-protozoal and anti-bacterial antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis kill cancer subtypes enriched for stem cell-like properties

Key players in translational regulation such as ribosomes might represent powerful, but hitherto largely unexplored, targets to eliminate drug-refractory cancer stem cells (CSCs). A recent study by the Lisanti group has documented how puromycin, an old antibiotic derived from Streptomyces alboniger that inhibits ribosomal protein translation, can efficiently suppress CSC states in tumorspheres ...

Antibiotics that affect the ribosome.

The ribosome is a major bacterial target for antibiotics. Drugs inhibit ribosome function either by interfering in messenger RNA translation or by blocking the formation of peptide bonds at the peptidyl transferase centre. These effects are the consequence of the binding of drugs to the ribosomal subunits. Various mechanisms, including enzymatic detoxification, target alteration (ribosomal [r]R...