Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42035380›Full record

ArticleMolecular diversity2026

Subtractive proteomics-driven identification of AgrA and structure-guided discovery of phytochemical and marine natural products as novel anti-quorum sensing therapeutic leads against Enterococcus faecium.

Pradeep Kumar Sriram, Manikandan Jayaraman, Maharaja Muthuvairam Subbulakshmi, Shaslinah Nathar, Dhamodharan Prabhu, Jeyakanthan Jeyaraman

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Article in Molecular diversity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Pradeep Kumar SriramStructural Biology and Biocomputing Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Manikandan JayaramanStructural Biology and Biocomputing Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Maharaja Muthuvairam SubbulakshmiStructural Biology and Biocomputing Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Shaslinah NatharStructural Biology and Biocomputing Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dhamodharan PrabhuCentre for Bioinformatics, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore, 641 021, India.
Jeyakanthan JeyaramanStructural Biology and Biocomputing Lab, Department of Bioinformatics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi - 630 003, Tamil Nadu, India. jjbioinformatics@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Enterococcus faecium, a member of the ESKAPE pathogens, has become a significant clinical threat due to its rapidly increasing resistance to frontline antibiotics. This gram-positive bacterium has developed multidrug resistance through prolonged exposure to hospital environments, posing serious risks to immunocompromised patients. The present study aimed to identify novel therapeutic targets from the E. faecium genome and to explore the potential of marine natural products as anti-quorum sensing agents. A comprehensive subtractive proteomics pipeline incorporating non-human homology, essentiality, subcellular localization, druggability, and pathway uniqueness identified the accessory gene regulator A protein (AgrA) as a key target involved in quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and virulence. Following structural quality assessment, a hierarchy-based virtual screening of MNPs from the CMNPD and SPECS natural product libraries was carried out to identify potential AgrA inhibitors. The virtual screening workflow shortlisted three promising MNPs (CMNPD6428, CMNPD30814, and SPECS AE-765) with favourable binding affinities and pharmacokinetic properties. Docking scores ranged from - 7.46 to - 8.01 kcal/mol, and MM/GBSA binding free energy calculations (≤ - 50 kcal/mol) further supported their strong interactions. Pharmacokinetic evaluation indicated acceptable safety profiles. Density functional theory analysis confirmed the chemical stability and reactivity of the compounds through HOMO-LUMO energy gap assessment. Finally, 500 ns molecular dynamics simulations and principal component analysis-based free energy landscape mapping validated the structural stability and sustained binding of the identified MNPs within the AgrA binding pocket. Overall, this study highlights three promising MNPs as potential anti-quorum sensing leads against E. faecium, offering a foundation for future therapeutic development.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial ProteinsBiological ProductsEnterococcus faeciumProteomicsQuorum SensingDrug DiscoveryMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationStructure-Activity RelationshipAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial ProteinsBiological ProductsEnterococcus faeciumFree energy landscapeMolecular dynamics simulationQuorum sensingSubtractive proteomicsVirtual screening

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.