A unique sensory structure that is able to bind host-specific sugar and is present on particularly virulent strains of Campylobacter jejuni has been identified.

‘A unique sensory structure that is able to bind host-specific sugar and is present on particularly virulent strains of Campylobacter jejuni has been identified by researchers.’

In their paper A direct-sensing galactose chemoreceptor recently evolved in invasive strains of Campylobacter jejuni published in Nature Communications, the team explain that the ability to cause disease depends
on the ability of bacterial cells to move towards their target host
cells. 




This movement is determined by specialized structures on the bacterial cells called sensory receptors that sense chemicals in their environment.
It is the first known finding of a bacterial sensor that can bind sugar directly.
The researchers used chicken models to look at the mutant displays with disabled CcrG sensor and determined that disabling just this one sensor reduces the ability of campylobacteria to colonize chickens. "This is a very important finding as sensory structures are very specific to each bacteria and offer high target specificity for design of new antimicrobial compounds," says research leader Professor Victoria Korolik. "Essentially it should be possible to design an antimicrobial drug to target a specific pathogen that will not affect normal flora".
"Targeting sensory apparatus of microbes also reduces risk of development of antimicrobial resistance, since the bacterial cell will not be killed, but rather, have its ability to reach host cells and cause disease, disabled."
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Institute director Professor Mark von Itzstein said Professor Korolik's progress added to the outstanding efforts being made across the whole institute.
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Source-Eurekalert