Influence of Ca(2+) ions on the activity of lantibiotics containing a mersacidin-like lipid II binding motif.
Mersacidin binds to lipid II and thus blocks the transglycosylation step of the cell wall biosynthesis. Binding of lipid II involves a special motif, the so-called mersacidin-lipid II binding motif, which is conserved in a major subgroup of lantibiotics. We analyzed the role of Ca(2+) ions in the mode of action of mersacidin and some related peptides containing a mersacidin-like lipid II binding motif. We found that the stimulating effect of Ca(2+) ions on the antimicrobial activity known for mersacidin also applies to plantaricin C and lacticin 3147. Ca(2+) ions appear to facilitate the interaction of the lantibiotics with the bacterial membrane and with lipid II rather than being an essential part of a peptide-lipid II complex. In the case of lacticin 481, both the interaction with lipid II and the antimicrobial activity were Ca(2+) independent.
Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University of Bonn, Germany.
T
T
Böttiger
T
T
Schneider
B
B
Martínez
H-G
HG
Sahl
I
I
Wiedemann
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020536:Enzyme Activators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014538:Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D020536:Enzyme Activators; D010455:Peptides; D014538:Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylmuramic Acid; C069249:muramyl-NAc-(pentapeptide)pyrophosphoryl-undecaprenol; C069959:mersacidin; D002118:Calcium