The evolution of a Na ⁺ -sensitive <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> mutant unmasks the moonlighting aminopeptidase PepA as a regulator of <i>nhaB</i> Na ⁺ /H ⁺ antiporter gene expression

The emergence and spread of multi-resistant bacteria are a major problem for humans and animals. Therefore, the identification of novel targets for the development of novel antibiotics to combat pathogenic bacteria is extremely important. Since sodium ion homeostasis is an essential process in many pathogenic bacteria, especially those living in marine environments, it represents an interesting target for antibiotics. The perturbation of sodium ion homeostasis does indeed impair the fitness of the human pathogenic bacterium <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> but can be restored by the rapid evolution of the bacteria. This suggests that inhibiting multiple targets with different antibiotics might be more effective in preventing the development of resistant bacteria.