title: Single-molecule force spectroscopy and imaging of the vancomycin/D-Ala-D-Ala interaction.
abstract: The clinically important vancomycin antibiotic inhibits the growth of pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus by blocking cell wall synthesis through specific recognition of nascent peptidoglycan terminating in D-Ala-D-Ala. Here, we demonstrate the ability of single-molecule atomic force microscopy with antibiotic-modified tips to measure the specific binding forces of vancomycin and to map individual ligands on living bacteria. The single-molecule approach presented here provides new opportunities for understanding the binding mechanisms of antibiotics and for exploring the architecture of bacterial cell walls.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Chimie des Interfaces, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2/18, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deghorain
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Philipp D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Pollheimer
authors.forename: Hermann J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Errington
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallet
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Haulot
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verbelen
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hols
authors.forename: Yves F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Dufrêne
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013294:Lactococcus lactis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008024:Ligands; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D036103:Nanotechnology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008024:Ligands; C002956:alanylalanine; D014640:Vancomycin