Beyond Vancomycin
Understanding an antibiotic of last resort may lead to new weapons
against deadly bacteria
The discovery of bacterial strains
resistant to the drug vancomycin has forced researchers to develop new
strategies for combating infections that occur in patients after surgery.
References:
Ge, M. . . . and D. Kahne. 1999. Vancomycin derivatives that inhibit
peptidoglycan biosynthesis without binding D-Ala-D-Ala. Science
284(April 16):507.
Mayville, P. . . . R.P. Novick, and T.W. Muir. 1999. Structure-activity
analysis of synthetic autoinducing thiolactone peptides from Staphylococcus
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Sieradzki, K. . . . and A. Tomasz. 1999. The development of vancomycin
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Smith, T.L., et al. 1999. Emergence of vancomycin resistance
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Further Readings:
1996. Antibiotic-eating germ alarms doctors. Science News
150(Dec. 21):397.
1996. Turning DNA into an antibiotic. Science News 149(Jan.
20):47.
Evans, D.A., et al. 1998. Total synthesis of vancomycin and
eremomycin aglycons. Angewandte Chemie International Edition
37:2700.
Nicolaou, K.C., et al. 1999. Total synthesis of vancomycin.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition 38(Jan. 15):240.
Nicolaou, K.C., et al. 1998. Total synthesis of vancomycin
aglycon-Part 1: Synthesis of amino acids 4-7 and construction of the
AB-COD ring skeleton. Angewandte Chemie International Edition
37:2708.
Nicolaou, K.C., et al. 1998. Total synthesis of vancomycin
aglycon-Part 1: Synthesis of amino acids 1-3 and construction of the
AB-COD-DOE ring skeleton. Angewandte Chemie International Edition
37:2714.
Raloff, J. 1998. Livestock's
role in antibiotic resistance. Science News 154(July 18):39.
Seppa, N. 1997. Antibiotic resistance falls in Finland. Science
News 152(Sept. 6):157.
______. 1997. A new gap in the
antibiotic arsenal. Science News 151(June 7):348.
Waldvogel, F.A. 1999. New resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
New England Journal of Medicine 340(Feb. 18):556.
Walsh, C.T. 1993. Vancomycin resistance: Decoding the molecular logic.
Science 261(July 16):308.
Williams, D.H. 1999. Sugaring vancomycin. Nature 397(Feb.
18):567.
Wu, C. 1997. Antibiotics better in pairs. Science News 151(Jan.
25):60.
Sources:
Daniel Kahne
Princeton University
Department of Chemistry
Princeton, NJ 08544
Patrick J. Loll
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine
Department of Pharmacology
Room 124, John Morgan Building
3620 Hamilton Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6084
Web sites: http://pharm.med.upenn.edu/Loll/loll_lab.html
and http://pharm.med.upenn.edu/Loll/vancomycin.html
Marissa Miller
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Bacteriology and Mycology Branch
Bethesda, MD 20892
Tom W. Muir
Rockefeller University
Laboratory of Synthetic Protein Chemistry
1230 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Web site: http://www.rockefeller.edu/labheads/muir/muir-lab.html
K.C. Nicolaou
Scripps Research Institute
10550 North Torrey Pines Road, TPC-20
La Jolla, CA 92037
Web site: http://www.scripps.edu/chem/nicolaou
Richard P. Novick
New York University Medical Center
Department of Microbiology
Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine
550 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Web site: http://www.med.nyu.edu/people/R.Novick.html
Christopher T. Walsh
Harvard Medical School
Biological Chemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
BCMP-LHRRB 301a
45 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115
Web site: http://sbweb.med.harvard.edu/~bcmp/walsh.html
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 17, April 24,
1999, p. 268. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
