Abstract 1715 Mirror-Image Peptide Cholera Toxin Inhibitor Discovery

Cholera is a disease of great concern in impoverished regions around the world where poor infrastructure leads to a contaminated water supply, especially during natural disasters. Cholera toxin is a protein secreted by the bacteria Vibrio cholerea in the intestinal lumen where it is endocytosed by enterocytes after binding of the homopentameric B subunit (CtxB) to ganglioside GM1. Once inside the cell, the enzymatically active A1 subunit causes excessive cAMP production, intestinal chloride secretion, and the osmotic movement of water, resulting in severe diarrhea and dehydration.