σE-Hfq Pathway
Our experience with inhibitors of trans-translation led us to explore other pathways that are candidate targets for antibiotic development and chemical biology studies. In collaboration with Sarah Ades, we engineered and validated assays for inhibition of two mechanisms that are important for maintenance of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria: σE-directed transcription, and Hfq-sRNA repression of gene expression. We have inhibitors of each of these pathways that have antibiotic and anti-infective activities.