A dual inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus virulence and biofilm attenuates expression of major toxins and adhesins

Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen that invades and damages host tissue by the expression of devastating toxins. We here performed a phenotypic screen of 35 molecules that were structurally inspired by previous hydroxyamide-based S. aureus virulence inhibitors compiled from commercial sources or designed and synthesized de novo. One of the most potent compounds, AV73, did not only reduce hemolytic alpha-hemolysin expression in S. aureus but also impeded in vitro biofilm formation. The effect of AV73 on bacterial proteomes and extracellular protein levels were analyzed by quantitative proteomics and revealed a significant down-regulation of major virulence and biofilm promoting proteins. To elucidate the mode of action of AV73, target identification was performed using affinity-based protein profiling (AfBPP).