prevention and treatment: mutant

B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracisB. anthracisB. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracisB. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis The present invention pertains to the discovery that possesses a luxS gene that encodes a functional LuxS polypeptide, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Jones, Marcus B, Blaser, Martin J, Wood, Thomas, Ren, Dacheng
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 29.04.2008
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Summary:B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracisB. anthracisB. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracisB. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis B. anthracis The present invention pertains to the discovery that possesses a luxS gene that encodes a functional LuxS polypeptide, and that synthesizes a functional AI-2 quorum-sensing molecule. The invention provides mutant bacteria lacking the function of the luxS gene, which do not produce a functional AI-2 molecule and have growth defects compared to wild-type . The invention also concerns methods for inhibiting the growth of , or for preventing or treating infection, by inhibiting the activity of the LuxS polypeptide, or by exposure of the to furanone. In particular, the invention concerns the use of furanone, a compound that inhibits AI-2-mediated quorum-sensing, to inhibit the growth of , to inhibit toxin production, particularly that of protective antigen, and to prevent or treat infection. The invention also provides methods to prevent infection, or enhance an immune response to infection, by administering a vaccine comprising a cell in which the luxS gene is mutated.