Researchers Find Protein that Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance
November 02, 2017
LA JOLLA, Calif. & ANN ARBOR, Mich. Bacterial growth on medical devices such as artificial hip implants, knee implants and catheters are a major threat to patient health.
Now, investigators at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the University of Michigan (U-M), have found that a protein produced within the human body, not previously known to influence bacterial infections, could fight this problem. The team's results were published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When bacteria collect on a surface, such as a medical device, they form a protective layer called a biofilm. These biofilms are held together by a scaffolding composed of a protein, called amyloid, produced by the bacteria.
In the case of implanted medical devices and catheters, biofilms protect bacterial colonies from the environment, including antibiotics a doctor might prescribe to attack the infection. In fact, a 2001 study found that 95 percent of urinary tract infections in critically ill patients were traced back to their catheters.
The researchers in the new study, led by Matthew Chapman, Ph.D., a U-M professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and Joel Buxbaum, M.D., professor emeritus in the department of molecular medicine at TSRI, found that a protein produced by humans called transthyretin, or TTR, can suppress the formation of amyloid and biofilm in a particular strain of E. coli, a common cause of urinary tract infections in humans.
One of the most important health implications for biofilms is on catheters. On any sort of device that you try to put in a human, a biofilm will form, Chapman said. This is a huge, huge problem because even after being catheterized for just a few days, biofilm formation gives bacteria a chance to colonize the device, which can lead to serious infections that are difficult to eradicate.
The team studied how TTR interacted with a strain of E. coli found in human urinary tract infections. In UTIs, the bacterial strain settles into the bladder, forming biofilm communities. Bacteria in a biofilm encase themselves in a coat of amyloid fibers that help to protect them from stressors in the environment. E. coli amyloids are composed of a protein called CsgA. When the researchers mixed purified TTR and CsgA, they found that CsgA could not make protective amyloids. Further, when TTR was added to biofilm-forming bacterial colonies, biofilm formation was inhibited.
It's easier to break individual sticks rather than a bundle. Similarly, bacterial infections can be treated more effectively if bacteria are not held together in biofilms, said Neha Jain, lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in the Chapman lab. We found that TTR can prevent biofilm formation in a uropathogenic E. coli strain, as well as other bacterial strains.
Taking down a bacterias key defense against its environment could allow the body to fight the infection more effectively or, Chapman said, allow physicians to prescribe a lower dose of antibiotics, or prescribe that a patient take antibiotics for a shorter period of time. This could help protect against the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
Its possible that products based on these protein interactions, if coated on susceptible surfaces prior to insertion or implantation in patients could reduce this problem considerably, said Buxbaum, who has long studied TTR.
Chapman and Buxbaum say implementing this will require more research, but the move would be positive.
These biofilms both make bacteria resistant to antibiotics and resistant to many of the host responses, Chapman said. If you could target that resistance, the host may be able to clear the infection, or you could potentially prescribe lower doses of antibiotics or shorten the duration of antibiotic usage, which would all be good things.
The research also highlights an interesting aspect of molecular biology, Buxbaum added.
As a biologic phenomenon, it is interesting that humans and bacteria have evolved in such a way that both express molecules with structures similar enough to interact in a biologically significant manner, even though they have quite different functions in their hosts, said Buxbaum.
The new study, Inhibition of curli assembly and Escherichia coli biofilm formation by the human systemic amyloid precursor transthyretin, also included authors from Ume University. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01-GM118651 and R01-AI099099), an Mcubed grant, the Protein Folding Disease Initiative, the Swedish Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the G ran Gustafsson Foundation and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.
Written by Morgan Sherburne, University of Michigan. Additional edits by Madeline McCurry-Schmidt, The Scripps Research Institute.
Infectious Diseases Molecular Medicine Buxbaum, Joel
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
23/10/2025
A deadline is looming for a new carriage deal between Verizon's Fios TV and Nexstar, with both Verizon and the pay TV-backed American Television Alliance bl...
23/10/2025
NEW YORK During a high-profile session at NAB Show New York, new survey data was shared that revealed significant public concern over artificial intelligence (A...
23/10/2025
BELLEVUE, Wash. and NEW YORK Fox Weather has tapped T-Mobile has as its preferred communications provider and announced that all Fox Weather reporters are being...
23/10/2025
PBS and Amazon Web Services have announced the network is using generative AI to provide enhanced search results to viewers on the PBS App and PBS LearningMedia...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
October 22nd, 2025 TRIBECA ANNOUNCES STAR-STUDDED LINEUP OF MEMBERSHIP EVENTS F...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
Researchers Find Protein that Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance 
