The structural biology of molecular recognition by vancomycin.
Vancomycin is the archetype among naturally occurring compounds known as glycopeptide antibiotics. Because it is a vital therapeutic agent used world-wide for the treatment of infections with gram-positive bacteria, emerging bacterial resistance to vancomycin is a major public health threat. Recent investigations into the mechanisms of action of glycopeptide antibiotics are driven by a need to understand their detailed mechanism of action so that new agents can be developed to overcome resistance. These investigations have revealed that glycopeptide antibiotics exhibit a rich array of complex cooperative phenomena when they bind target ligands, making them valuable model systems for the study of molecular recognition.
Loll
P J
PJ
Department of Pharmacology, Johnson Foundation for Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-6084, USA. loll@pharm.med.upenn.edu
Axelsen
P H
PH
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D008024:Ligands; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008024:Ligands; D014640:Vancomycin