Tuberculosis remains the leading infectious killer worldwide and current treatment depends heavily on rifampicin. Rising rifampicin resistance shows the limits of relying on a single drug that targets bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). The new study tested rifampicin paired with a probe compound called AAP-SO2 that binds RNAP at a site distinct from rifampicin and specifically slows the elongation stage of transcription.
The researchers call this strategy vertical inhibition because the two compounds block different steps of the same pathway. The work explains why the pairing can overcome the common βS450L resistance mutation: that mutation reduces RNAP speed and makes it stall more often, and AAP-SO2 exploits this weakness. In culture AAP-SO2 killed the βS450L mutant and removed the mutation from the population, restoring rifampicin sensitivity.
In liquid culture the two drugs had additive effects, each contributing without boosting the other. However, in a rabbit model designed to mimic dormant, clustered tissue the combination was synergistic and together killed far more bacteria. Because AAP-SO2 was developed as a probe rather than a drug, the next step is to build a stable derivative; the team has filed a provisional patent on the dual-inhibition strategy.
Difficult words
- tuberculosis — a serious infectious disease that kills people
- rifampicin — an antibiotic drug used to treat tuberculosis
- resistance — ability of bacteria to survive a drug
- RNA polymerase — enzyme that makes RNA from DNA
- transcription — process of making RNA from a gene
- vertical inhibition — blocking different steps in one pathway
- mutation — a change in a gene or protein
- synergistic — two things working together stronger
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think developing drug pairs is better than relying on a single drug? Why or why not?
- How might blocking different steps in the same pathway reduce drug resistance in bacteria? Give one or two reasons.
- What challenges could scientists face when turning a probe compound into a stable drug derivative?
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