Host defence peptide plectasin targets bacterial cell wall precursor lipid II by a calcium-sensitive supramolecular mechanism.

Antimicrobial resistance is a leading cause of mortality, calling for the development of new antibiotics. The fungal antibiotic plectasin is a eukaryotic host defence peptide that blocks bacterial cell wall synthesis. Here, using a combination of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, atomic force microscopy and activity assays, we show that plectasin uses a calcium-sensitive supramolecular killing mechanism. Efficient and selective binding of the target lipid II, a cell wall precursor with an irreplaceable pyrophosphate, is achieved by the oligomerization of plectasin into dense supra-structures that only form on bacterial membranes that comprise lipid II. Oligomerization and target binding of plectasin are interdependent and are enhanced by the coordination of calcium ions to plectasin's prominent anionic patch, causing allosteric changes that markedly improve the activity of the antibiotic. Structural knowledge of how host defence peptides impair cell wall synthesis will likely enable the development of superior drug candidates.

In Bacterial Membranes Lipid II Changes the Stability of Pores Formed by the Antimicrobial Peptide Nisin.

Resistance to available antibiotics poses a growing challenge to modern medicine, as this often disallows infections to be controlled. This problem can only be alleviated by the development of new drugs. Nisin, a natural lantibiotic with broad antimicrobial activity, has shown promise as a potential candidate for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, nisin is poorly soluble and barely stable at physiological pH, which despite attempts to address these issues through mutant design has restricted its use as an antibacterial drug. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of the antimicrobial effectiveness, which relies in part on its ability to form pores, is crucial for finding innovative ways to manage infections caused by resistant bacteria. Using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we find that the bacterial membrane-specific lipid II increases the stability of pores formed by nisin and that the interplay of nisin and lipid II reduces the overall integrity of bacterial membranes by changing the local thickness and viscosity.

Elucidating Daptomycin's Antibacterial Efficacy: Insights into the Tripartite Complex with Lipid II and Phospholipids in Bacterial Septum Membrane.

This study elucidated the mechanism of formation of a tripartite complex containing daptomycin (Dap), lipid II, and phospholipid phosphatidylglycerol in the bacterial septum membrane, which was previously reported as the cause of the antibacterial action of Dap against gram-positive bacteria via molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling methods. Others have suggested that this transient complex ushers in the inhibition of cell wall synthesis by obstructing the downstream polymerization and cross-linking processes involving lipid II, which is absent in the presence of cardiolipin lipid in the membrane. In this work, we observed that the complex was stabilized by Ca2+-mediated electrostatic interactions between Dap and lipid head groups, hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonds, and salt bridges between the lipopeptide and lipids and was associated with Dap concentration-dependent membrane depolarization, thinning of the bilayer, and increased lipid tail disorder. Residues Orn6 and Kyn13, along with the DXDG motif, made simultaneous contact with constituent lipids, hence playing a crucial role in the formation of the complex. Incorporating cardiolipin into the membrane model led to its competitively displacing lipid II away from the Dap, reducing the lifetime of the complex and the nonexistence of lipid tail disorder and membrane depolarization. No evidence of water permeation inside the membrane hydrophobic interior was noted in all of the systems studied. Additionally, it was shown that using hydrophobic contacts between Dap and lipids as collective variables for enhanced sampling gave rise to a free energy barrier for the translocation of the lipopeptide. A better understanding of Dap's antibacterial mechanism, as studied through this work, will help develop lipopeptide-based antibiotics for rising Dap-resistant bacteria.

Specific Binding of the α-Component of the Lantibiotic Lichenicidin to the Peptidoglycan Precursor Lipid II Predetermines Its Antimicrobial Activity.

To date, a number of lantibiotics have been shown to use lipid II-a highly conserved peptidoglycan precursor in the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria-as their molecular target. The α-component (Lchα) of the two-component lantibiotic lichenicidin, previously isolated from the Bacillus licheniformis VK21 strain, seems to contain two putative lipid II binding sites in its N-terminal and C-terminal domains. Using NMR spectroscopy in DPC micelles, we obtained convincing evidence that the C-terminal mersacidin-like site is involved in the interaction with lipid II. These data were confirmed by the MD simulations. The contact area of lipid II includes pyrophosphate and disaccharide residues along with the first isoprene units of bactoprenol. MD also showed the potential for the formation of a stable N-terminal nisin-like complex; however, the conditions necessary for its implementation in vitro remain unknown. Overall, our results clarify the picture of two component lantibiotics mechanism of antimicrobial action.

Lipid II Binding and Transmembrane Properties of Various Antimicrobial Lanthipeptides.

There has been an alarming rise in antibacterial resistant infections in recent years due to the widespread use of antibiotics, and there is a dire need for the development of new antibiotics utilizing novel modes of action. Lantibiotics are promising candidates to engage in the fight against resistant strains of bacteria due to their unique modes of action, including interference with cell wall synthesis by binding to lipid II and creating pores in bacterial membranes. In this study, we use atomic-scale molecular dynamics computational studies to compare both the lipid II binding ability and the membrane interactions of five lanthipeptides that are commonly used in antimicrobial research: nisin, Mutacin 1140 (MU1140), gallidermin, NVB302, and NAI107. Among the five peptides investigated, nisin is found to be the most efficient at forming water channels through a membrane, whereas gallidermin and MU1140 are found to be better at binding the lipid II molecules. Nisin's effectiveness in facilitating water transport across the membrane is due to the creation of several different water trajectories along with no significant water delay points along the paths. The shorter peptide deoxyactagardine B (NVB302) was found to not form a water channel. These detailed observations provide insights into the dual mechanisms of the action of lantibiotic peptides and can facilitate the design and development of novel lanthipeptides by strategic placement of different residues.

Computational evaluation of modified peptides from human neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP-1).

The development of bacterial resistance toward antibiotics has been led to pay attention to the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The common mechanism of AMPs is disrupting the integrity of the bacterial membrane. One of the most accessible targets for α-defensins human neutrophil peptide-1 (HNP-1) is lipid II. In the present study, we performed homology modeling and geometrical validation of human neutrophil defensin 1. Then, the conformational and physicochemical properties of HNP-1 derived peptides 2Abz14S29, 2Abz23S29, and HNP1ΔC18A, as well as their interaction with lipid II were studied computationally. The overall quality of the predicted model of full protein was -5.14, where over 90% of residues were in the most favored and allowed regions in the Ramachandran plot. Although HNP-1 and HNP1ΔC18A were classified as unstable peptides, 2Abz14S29 and 2Abz23S29 were stable, based on the instability index values. Molecular docking showed similar interaction pattern of peptides and HNP-1 to lipid II. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed the overall stability of conformations, though the fluctuations of amino acids in the modified peptides were relatively higher than HNP-1. Further, the binding affinity constant (Kd) of HNP-1 and 2Abz23S29 in complex with lipid II was 10 times stronger than 2Abz14S29 and HNP1ΔC18A. Overall, computational studies of conformational and interaction patterns have signified how derived peptides could have displayed relatively similar antimicrobial results compared to HNP-1 in the reported experimental studies. Chemical modifications not only have improved the physicochemical properties of derived peptides compared to HNP-1, but also they have retained the similar pattern and binding affinity of peptides. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A Biochemical Lanthanide-Encoding Approach Enables Quantitative Monitoring of the Bacterial Response to Vancomycin Treatment.

A pathogenic bacterium has its own mechanisms for not only pathogenic attack but also exogenous invasion defense, in which the bacterial cell wall is the front line of attack and defense. We developed a biochemical lanthanide-encoding approach to quantify the uncanonical d-amino acid (d-X) that was edited in a small proportion into the terminal acyl-d-Ala-d-X of nascent peptidoglycan UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptides in the bacterial cell wall. This approach overcomes the difficulties regarding quantification and accuracy issues encountered by the popular optical imaging and traditional high-performance liquid chromatography-based methods. Newly synthesized azide-d-Leu and ketone-d-Met were used together with alkynyl-d-Ala for their metabolic assembly and then bioorthogonally encoded by the correspondingly fabricated DBCO-DOTA-Gd, H2NO-DOTA-Eu, and azide-DOTA-Sm tags. This approach allows direct quantification of the d-X in situ in the cell wall using 158Gd, 153Eu, and 154Sm species-unspecific isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, avoiding any tedious and complex "cell-broken" pretreatment procedures that might induce racemization of the d-X. The obtained site-specific and accurate in situ information about the d-X enables quantitative monitoring of the bacterial response when Staphylococcus aureus meets vancomycin, showing that the amounts of azide-d-Leu and ketone-d-Met assembled are more important after determining the structure- and composition-dependent bacterial antibiotic resistance mechanisms. In addition, we found that the combined use of vancomycin and d-Ala restores the efficacy of vancomycin and might be a wise and simple way to combat vancomycin intermediate-resistant S. aureus.

Mode of action of teixobactins in cellular membranes.

The natural antibiotic teixobactin kills pathogenic bacteria without detectable resistance. The difficult synthesis and unfavourable solubility of teixobactin require modifications, yet insufficient knowledge on its binding mode impedes the hunt for superior analogues. Thus far, teixobactins are assumed to kill bacteria by binding to cognate cell wall precursors (Lipid II and III). Here we present the binding mode of teixobactins in cellular membranes using solid-state NMR, microscopy, and affinity assays. We solve the structure of the complex formed by an improved teixobactin-analogue and Lipid II and reveal how teixobactins recognize a broad spectrum of targets. Unexpectedly, we find that teixobactins only weakly bind to Lipid II in cellular membranes, implying the direct interaction with cell wall precursors is not the sole killing mechanism. Our data suggest an additional mechanism affords the excellent activity of teixobactins, which can block the cell wall biosynthesis by capturing precursors in massive clusters on membranes.

Environmental and dynamic effects explain how nisin captures membrane-bound lipid II.

Antibiotics (AB) resistance is a major threat to global health, thus the development of novel AB classes is urgently needed. Lantibiotics (i.e. nisin) are natural compounds that effectively control bacterial populations, yet their clinical potential is very limited. Nisin targets membrane-embedded cell wall precursor - lipid II - via capturing its pyrophosphate group (PPi), which is unlikely to evolve, and thus represents a promising pharmaceutical target. Understanding of exact molecular mechanism of initial stages of membrane-bound lipid II recognition by water-soluble nisin is indispensable. Here, using molecular simulations, we demonstrate that the structure of lipid II is determined to a large extent by the surrounding water-lipid milieu. In contrast to the bulk solvent, in the bilayer only two conformational states remain capable of nisin binding. In these states PPi manifests a unique arrangement of hydrogen bond acceptors on the bilayer surface. Such a "pyrophosphate pharmacophore" cannot be formed by phospholipids, which explains high selectivity of nisin/lipid II recognition. Similarly, the "recognition module" of nisin, being rather flexible in water, adopts the only stable conformation in the presence of PPi analogue (which mimics the lipid II molecule). We establish the "energy of the pyrophosphate pharmacophore" approach, which effectively distinguishes nisin conformations that can form a complex with PPi. Finally, we propose a molecular model of nisin recognition module/lipid II complex in the bacterial membrane. These results will be employed for further study of lipid II targeting by antimicrobial (poly)cyclic peptides and for design of novel AB prototypes.

A Chemical Biology Approach to Understanding Molecular Recognition of Lipid†II by Nisin(1-12): Synthesis and NMR Ensemble Analysis of Nisin(1-12) and Analogues.

Natural products that target lipid II, such as the lantibiotic nisin, are strategically important in the development of new antibacterial agents to combat the rise of antimicrobial resistance. Understanding the structural factors that govern the highly selective molecular recognition of lipid II by the N-terminal region of nisin, nisin(1-12), is a crucial step in exploiting the potential of such compounds. In order to elucidate the relationships between amino acid sequence and conformation of this bicyclic peptide fragment, we have used solid-phase peptide synthesis to prepare two novel analogues of nisin(1-12) in which the dehydro residues have been replaced. We have carried out an NMR ensemble analysis of one of these analogues and of the wild-type nisin(1-12) peptide in order to compare the conformations of these two bicyclic peptides. Our analysis has shown the effects of residue mutation on ring conformation. We have also demonstrated that the individual rings of nisin(1-12) are pre-organised to an extent for binding to the pyrophosphate group of lipid II, with a high degree of flexibility exhibited in the central amide bond joining the two rings.

Bacterial Lipid II Analogs: Novel In Vitro Substrates for Mammalian Oligosaccharyl Diphosphodolichol Diphosphatase (DLODP) Activities.

Mammalian protein N-glycosylation requires the transfer of an oligosaccharide containing 2 residues of N-acetylglucosamine, 9 residues of mannose and 3 residues of glucose (Glc3Man9 GlcNAc2) from Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-diphospho (PP)-dolichol (DLO) onto proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Under some pathophysiological conditions, DLO biosynthesis is perturbed, and truncated DLO is hydrolyzed to yield oligosaccharyl phosphates (OSP) via unidentified mechanisms. DLO diphosphatase activity (DLODP) was described in vitro, but its characterization is hampered by a lack of convenient non-radioactive substrates. Our objective was to develop a fluorescence-based assay for DLO hydrolysis. Using a vancomycin-based solid-phase extraction procedure coupled with thin layer chromatography (TLC) and mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that mouse liver membrane extracts hydrolyze fluorescent bacterial lipid II (LII: GlcNAc-MurNAc(dansyl-pentapeptide)-PP-undecaprenol) to yield GlcNAc-MurNAc(dansyl-pentapeptide)-P (GM5P). GM5P production by solubilized liver microsomal proteins shows similar biochemical characteristics to those reported for human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell DLODP activity. To conclude, we show, for the first time, hydrolysis of lipid II by a eukaryotic enzyme. As LII and DLO are hydrolyzed by the same, or closely related, enzymes, fluorescent lipid II analogs are convenient non-radioactive substrates for investigating DLODP and DLODP-like activities.

Docking on Lipid II-A Widespread Mechanism for Potent Bactericidal Activities of Antibiotic Peptides.

Natural product antibiotics usually target the major biosynthetic pathways of bacterial cells and the search for new targets outside these pathways has proven very difficult. Cell wall biosynthesis maybe the most prominent antibiotic target, and ß-lactams are among the clinically most relevant antibiotics. Among cell wall biosynthesis inhibitors, glycopeptide antibiotics are a second group of important drugs, which bind to the peptidoglycan building block lipid II and prevent the incorporation of the monomeric unit into polymeric cell wall. However, lipid II acts as a docking molecule for many more naturally occurring antibiotics from diverse chemical classes and likely is the most targeted molecule in antibacterial mechanisms. We summarize current knowledge on lipid II binding antibiotics and explain, on the levels of mechanisms and resistance development, why lipid II is such a prominent target, and thus provide insights for the design of new antibiotic drugs.

Optimization of a small-molecule Lipid II binder.

Lipid II is an essential precursor of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis and an attractive target for antibiotics. Lipid II is comprised of specialized lipid (bactoprenol) linked to a hydrophilic head group consisting of a peptidoglycan subunit (N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) disaccharide coupled to a short pentapeptide moiety) via a pyrophosphate. We previously identified a (E)-2,4-bis(4-bromophenyl)-6-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)pyrylium boron tetrafluoride salt, termed 6jc48-1, that interacts with the MurNAc moiety, the phosphate cage and the isoprenyl tail of Lipid II. Here, we report on the structure-activity relationship of 6jc48-1 derivatives obtained by de novo chemical synthesis. Our results indicate that bacterial killing is positively driven by bi-phenyl stacking with peptidoglycan units. Replacement of bromides by fluorides resulted in activity against S. aureus without affecting Lipid II binding and cytotoxicity. Antibacterial activity was affected negatively by extended interaction of the scaffold with Lipid II isoprenyl units.

Structural determination of archaeal UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 4-epimerase from Methanobrevibacter ruminantium M1 in complex with the bacterial cell wall intermediate UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid.

The crystal structure of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 4-epimerase (UDP-GlcNAc 4-epimerase; WbpP; EC 5.1.3.7), from the archaeal methanogen Methanobrevibacter ruminantium strain M1, was determined to a resolution of 1.65 Å. The structure, with a single monomer in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, contained a conserved N-terminal Rossmann-fold for nucleotide binding and an active site positioned in the C-terminus. UDP-GlcNAc 4-epimerase is a member of the short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases superfamily, sharing sequence motifs and structural elements characteristic of this family of oxidoreductases and bacterial 4-epimerases. The protein was co-crystallized with coenzyme NADH and UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid, the latter an unintended inclusion and well known product of the bacterial enzyme MurB and a critical intermediate for bacterial cell wall synthesis. This is a non-native UDP sugar amongst archaea and was most likely incorporated from the E. coli expression host during purification of the recombinant enzyme.

Developing Equipotent Teixobactin Analogues against Drug-Resistant Bacteria and Discovering a Hydrophobic Interaction between Lipid II and Teixobactin.

Teixobactin, targeting lipid II, represents a new class of antibiotics with novel structures and has excellent activity against Gram-positive pathogens. We developed a new convergent method to synthesize a series of teixobactin analogues and explored structure-activity relationships. We obtained equipotent and simplified teixobactin analogues, replacing the l- allo-enduracididine with lysine, substituting oxygen to nitrogen on threonine, and adding a phenyl group on the d-phenylalanine. On the basis of the antibacterial activities that resulted from corresponding modifications of the d-phenylalanine, we propose a hydrophobic interaction between lipid II and the N-terminal of teixobactin analogues, which we map out with our analogue 35. Finally, a representative analogue from our series showed high efficiency in a mouse model of Streptococcus pneumoniae septicemia.

Towards new antibiotics targeting bacterial transglycosylase: Synthesis of a Lipid II analog as stable transition-state mimic inhibitor.

Described here is the asymmetric synthesis of iminosugar 2b, a Lipid II analog, designed to mimic the transition state of transglycosylation catalyzed by the bacterial transglycosylase. The high density of functional groups, together with a rich stereochemistry, represents an extraordinary challenge for chemical synthesis. The key 2,6-anti- stereochemistry of the iminosugar ring was established through an iridium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic amination. The developed synthetic route is suitable for the synthesis of focused libraries to enable the structure-activity relationship study and late-stage modification of iminosugar scaffold with variable lipid, peptide and sugar substituents. Compound 2b showed 70% inhibition of transglycosylase from Acinetobacter baumannii, providing a basis for further improvement.

Genome-wide mutant profiling predicts the mechanism of a Lipid II binding antibiotic.

Identifying targets of antibacterial compounds remains a challenging step in the development of antibiotics. We have developed a two-pronged functional genomics approach to predict mechanism of action that uses mutant fitness data from antibiotic-treated transposon libraries containing both upregulation and inactivation mutants. We treated a Staphylococcus aureus transposon library containing 690,000 unique insertions with 32 antibiotics. Upregulation signatures identified from directional biases in insertions revealed known molecular targets and resistance mechanisms for the majority of these. Because single-gene upregulation does not always confer resistance, we used a complementary machine-learning approach to predict the mechanism from inactivation mutant fitness profiles. This approach suggested the cell wall precursor Lipid II as the molecular target of the lysocins, a mechanism we have confirmed. We conclude that docking to membrane-anchored Lipid II precedes the selective bacteriolysis that distinguishes these lytic natural products, showing the utility of our approach for nominating the antibiotic mechanism of action.

Direct observation of the influence of cardiolipin and antibiotics on lipid II binding to MurJ.

Translocation of lipid II across the cytoplasmic membrane is essential in peptidoglycan biogenesis. Although most steps are understood, identifying the lipid II flippase has yielded conflicting results, and the lipid II binding properties of two candidate flippases-MurJ and FtsW-remain largely unknown. Here we apply native mass spectrometry to both proteins and characterize lipid II binding. We observed lower levels of lipid II binding to FtsW compared to MurJ, consistent with MurJ having a higher affinity. Site-directed mutagenesis of MurJ suggests that mutations at A29 and D269 attenuate lipid II binding to MurJ, whereas chemical modification of A29 eliminates binding. The antibiotic ramoplanin dissociates lipid II from MurJ, whereas vancomycin binds to form a stable complex with MurJ:lipid II. Furthermore, we reveal cardiolipins associate with MurJ but not FtsW, and exogenous cardiolipins reduce lipid II binding to MurJ. These observations provide insights into determinants of lipid II binding to MurJ and suggest roles for endogenous lipids in regulating substrate binding.

Solid-Phase Modular Synthesis of Park Nucleotide and Lipids I and II Analogues.

A solid-phase synthesis of Park nucleotide as well as lipids I and II analogues, which is applicable to the synthesis of a range of analogues, is described in this work. This technique allows highly functionalized macromolecules to be modularly labeled. Multiple steps are used in a short time (4 d) with a single purification step to synthesize the molecules by solid-phase synthesis.

Binding Site and Potency Prediction of Teixobactin and other Lipid II Ligands by Statistical Base Scoring of Conformational Space Maps.

BACKGROUND: Lipid II, a peptidoglycan, is a precursor in bacterial cell synthesis. It has both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties. The molecule translocates a bacterial membrane to deliver and incorporate "building blocks" from disaccharide-pentapeptide into the peptidoglican wall. Lipid II is a valid antibiotic target. A receptor binding pocket may be occupied by a ligand in various plausible conformations, among which only few ones are energetically related to a biological activity in the physiological efficiency domain. This paper reports the mapping of the conformational space of Lipid II in its interaction with Teixobactin and other Lipid II ligands. METHODS: In order to study computationally the complex between Lipid II and ligands, a docking study was first carried on. Docking site was retrieved form literature. After docking, 5 ligand conformations and further 5 complexes (denoted 00 to 04) for each molecule were taken into account. For each structure, conformational studies were performed. Statistical analysis, conformational analysis and molecular dynamics based clustering were used to predict the potency of these compounds. A score for potency prediction was developed. RESULTS: Appling lipid II classification according to Lipid II conformational energy, a conformation of Teixobactin proved to be energetically favorable, followed by Oritravicin, Dalbavycin, Telvanicin, Teicoplamin and Vancomycin, respectively. Scoring of molecules according to cluster band and PCA produced the same result. Molecules classified according to standard deviations showed Dalbavycin as the most favorable conformation, followed by Teicoplamin, Telvanicin, Teixobactin, Oritravicin and Vancomycin, respectively. Total score showing best energetic efficiency of complex formation shows Teixobactin to have the best conformation (a score of 15 points) followed by Dalbavycin (14 points), Oritravicin (12v points), Telvanicin (10 points), Teicoplamin (9 points), Vancomycin (3 points). CONCLUSION: Statistical analysis of conformations can be used to predict the efficiency of ligand - target interaction and consecutively to find insight regarding ligand potency and postulate about favorable conformation of ligand and binding site. In this study it was shown that Teixobactin is more efficient in binding with Lipid II compared to Vancomycin, results confirmed by experimental data reported in literature.