Identification of novel anthrax toxin countermeasures using in silico methods.

ABSTRACT: Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming, gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF) is the primary anthrax toxin component responsible for cytotoxicity and host death and has been a heavily researched target for design of postexposure therapeutics in the event of a bioterror attack. Various computer-aided drug design methodologies have proven useful for pinpointing new antianthrax drug scaffolds, optimizing existing leads and probes, and elucidating key mechanisms of action. We present a selection of in silico virtual screening protocols incorporating docking and scoring, shape-based searching, and pharmacophore mapping techniques to identify and prioritize small molecules with potential biological activity agains

SUBMITTER: Chiu TL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4634872 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature