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Pharmacology

Screening inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor

Abstract

The disease anthrax is caused by lethal factor1, an enzyme component of the toxin produced by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis2. Here we describe substrate molecules for this factor that offer a means for high-throughput screening of potential inhibitors for use in anthrax treatment3. Our assay should help to answer the urgent call for new and specific therapies4 to combat this pathogen after its recent emergence as a terrorist bioweapon.

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Figure 1: Inhibition by In-2-LF of anthrax lethal factor (LF) in RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

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Correspondence to Cesare Montecucco.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Tonello, F., Seveso, M., Marin, O. et al. Screening inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor. Nature 418, 386 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/418386a

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