Platensimycin activity against mycobacterial beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is an urgent need for the discovery and development of new drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, especially due to the recent emergence of multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant strains. Herein, we have examined the susceptibility of mycobacteria to the natural product platensimycin.

Methods and findings

We have demonstrated that platensimycin has bacteriostatic activity against the fast growing Mycobacterium smegmatis (MIC = 14 microg/ml) and against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MIC = 12 microg/ml). Growth in the presence of paltensimycin specifically inhibited the biosynthesis of mycolic acids suggesting that the antibiotic targeted the components of the mycolate biosynthesis complex. Given the inhibitory activity

SUBMITTER: Brown AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2707616 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature