Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Phage Therapy Application to Counteract Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Cystic Fibrosis Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: May 12, 2020
Inhibiting an Epoxide Hydrolase Virulence Factor from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Protects CFTR
Christopher D Bahl1, Kelli L Hvorecny1, Jennifer M Bomberger2
1Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 7200 Vail Building, Hanover, NH 03755 (USA) http://www.dartmouth.edu/∼madden.
Abstract:
Opportunistic pathogens exploit diverse strategies to sabotage host defenses. Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes the CFTR inhibitory factor Cif and thus triggers loss of CFTR, an ion channel required for airway mucociliary defense. However, the mechanism of action of Cif has remained unclear. It catalyzes epoxide hydrolysis, but there is no known role for natural epoxides in CFTR regulation. It was demonstrated that the hydrolase activity of Cif is strictly required for its effects on CFTR. A small-molecule inhibitor that protects this key component of the mucociliary defense system was also uncovered. These results provide a basis for targeting the distinctive virulence chemistry of Cif and suggest an unanticipated role of physiological epoxides in intracellular protein trafficking.
More Related Videos
07:16Development of a Polymicrobial Colony Biofilm Model to Test Antimicrobials in Cystic Fibrosis
Published on: September 20, 2024
10:26P. aeruginosa Infected 3D Co-Culture of Bronchial Epithelial Cells and Macrophages at Air-Liquid Interface for Preclinical Evaluation of Anti-Infectives
Published on: June 15, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Cystic Fibrosis: Pathogenesis
CF is primarily caused by a genetic mutation in a chromosome 7 gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. The most common gene mutation leading to CF is the ΔF508 mutation,...
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis