Vancomycin assembly: nature's way.
Antibiotics are precious resources in the fight to combat bacterial infections caused by pathogenic organisms. Vancomycin is one of the antibiotics of last resort in the treatment of life-threatening infections by gram-positive bacteria. The rules by which nature assembles the glycopeptide (vancomycin) and lipoglycopeptide (teicoplanin) antibiotics are becoming elucidated and verified: first amino acids are synthesized, then joined together and cross-linked. This knowledge opens up approaches for reprogramming strategies at the level of altered monomers, swapped assembly lines, and different post-assembly tailoring enzymes.
Hubbard
Brian K
BK
Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacolgy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. bhubbard@mpi.com
Walsh
Christopher T
CT
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006031:Glycosylation; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014640:Vancomycin