The Microbial Toxin Microcin B17: Prospects for the Development of New Antibacterial Agents

Publication date: Available online 8 June 2019Source: Journal of Molecular BiologyAuthor(s): Frederic Collin, Anthony MaxwellAbstractMicrocin B17 (MccB17) is an antibacterial peptide produced by strains of Escherichia coli harbouring the plasmid-borne mccB17 operon. MccB17 possesses many notable features. It is able to stabilise the transient DNA gyrase-DNA cleavage complex, a very efficient mode of action shared with the highly-successful fluoroquinolone drugs. MccB17 stabilises this complex by a distinct mechanism making it potentially valuable in the fight against bacterial antibiotic resistance. MccB17 was the first compound discovered from the Thiazole/Oxazole-Modified Microcins (TOMMs) family and the Linear Azole-containing Peptides (LAPs); these ribosomal peptides are post-translationally modified to convert serine and cysteine residues into oxazole and thiazole rings. These chemical moieties are found in many other bioactive compounds like the vitamin thiamine, the anti-cancer drug bleomycin, the antibacterial sulfathiazole and the antiviral nitazoxanide. Therefore, the biosynthetic machinery that produces these azole rings is noteworthy as a general method to create bioactive compounds. Our knowledge of MccB17 now extends to many aspects of antibacterial-bacteria interactions: production, transport, interaction with its target, resistance mechanisms; this knowledge has wide potential applicability. After a long time with limited progress on MccB17, recent publication...
Source: Journal of Molecular Biology - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research