Yogitha N. Srikhanta

Abstract Spore-forming bacteria produce two distinct cell types: vegetative cells and resilient spores. While antibiotic resistance is typically associated with vegetative cells, spores play a critical role in disseminating resistance genes due to their durability and transmissibility. We previously demonstrated that cephamycin antibiotics target the conserved spore-specific protein SpoVD, significantly reducing spore formation in pathogens including Clostridioides difficile.

Abstract Conjugative plasmids drive bacterial evolution and niche adaptation, yet how their active acquisition reshapes host transcription remains poorly understood. Most studies focus on stable plasmid carriage, overlooking the dynamic transcriptional changes during conjugation itself. Here, we investigate the active conjugation of RP4, a prototypical broad-host range plasmid, to E. coli, and K. pneumoniae recipients.

With the aim of discovering small molecule inhibitors of the sporulation process in Clostridioides difficile, we prepared a series of C-7 α-(4-substituted-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)acetamide analogues of cefotetan, a known inhibitor of the C. difficile sporulation-specific protein target CdSpoVD. These analogues were evaluated using both in vitro binding assays with CdSpoVD and antisporulation assays against C. difficile.