As antibiotic resistance continues to grow as a significant global health issue, so does the demand for developing robust antibiotics to combat these drug-resistant microbes. In 2015, teixobactin was reported as an undecapeptide with the special ability of killing gram-positive bacteria without detectable resistance. Early studies have shown that the peptide binds to precursor molecules of the peptidoglycan layer, including lipids II and III, which results in bacterial lysis. However, there are no published studies that have elucidated the molecular localization of teixobactin in bacteria, which may further clarify the mechanism of action of the antibiotic. In this study, fluorescently tagged Arg10 teixobactin analogues were synthesized and characterized by MIC assays. Interaction of fluorescent teixobactin analogues with gram-positive bacteria will be disused. Results from this study may help guide smarter derivatization of the teixobactin pharmacophore with the hopes of improving target localization in gram-positive bacteria.

Interaction of fluorescent teixobactin analogues with bacteria

256th National Meeting (2018)

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