TY - JOUR A1 - Hertlein, Tobias A1 - Sturm, Volker A1 - Jakob, Peter A1 - Ohlsen, Knut T1 - \(^{19}\)F Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Perfluorocarbons for the Evaluation of Response to Antibiotic Therapy in a Staphylococcus aureus Infection Model JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in recent decades has highlighted the importance of developing new drugs to treat infections. However, in addition to the design of new drugs, the development of accurate preclinical testing methods is essential. In vivo imaging technologies such as bioluminescence imaging (BLI) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are promising approaches. In a previous study, we showed the effectiveness of \(^{19}\)F MRI using perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions for detecting the site of Staphylococcus aureus infection. In the present follow-up study, we investigated the use of this method for in vivo visualization of the effects of antibiotic therapy. Methods/Principal findings Mice were infected with S. aureus Xen29 and treated with 0.9% NaCl solution, vancomycin or linezolid. Mock treatment led to the highest bioluminescence values during infection followed by vancomycin treatment. Counting the number of colony-forming units (cfu) at 7 days post-infection (p.i.) showed the highest bacterial burden for the mock group and the lowest for the linezolid group. Administration of PFCs at day 2 p.i. led to the accumulation of \(^{19}\)F at the rim of the abscess in all mice (in the shape of a hollow sphere), and antibiotic treatment decreased the \(^{19}\)F signal intensity and volume. Linezolid showed the strongest effect. The BLI, cfu, and MRI results were comparable. Conclusions \(^{19}\)F-MRI with PFCs is an effective non-invasive method for assessing the effects of antibiotic therapy in vivo. This method does not depend on pathogen specific markers and can therefore be used to estimate the efficacy of antibacterial therapy against a broad range of clinically relevant pathogens, and to localize sites of infection. KW - staphylococcus aureus KW - abscesses KW - vancomycin KW - antibiotics KW - magnetic resonance imaging KW - emulsions KW - bioluminescence imaging KW - in vivo imaging Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130113 VL - 8 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mühlberg, Eric A1 - Umstätter, Florian A1 - Domhan, Cornelius A1 - Hertlein, Tobias A1 - Ohlsen, Knut A1 - Krause, Andreas A1 - Kleist, Christian A1 - Beijer, Barbro A1 - Zimmermann, Stefan A1 - Haberkorn, Uwe A1 - Mier, Walter A1 - Uhl, Philipp T1 - Vancomycin-lipopeptide conjugates with high antimicrobial activity on vancomycin-resistant enterococci JF - Pharmaceuticals N2 - Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent one of the most important health care problems worldwide. While there are numerous drugs available for standard therapy, there are only a few compounds capable of serving as a last resort for severe infections. Therefore, approaches to control multidrug-resistant bacteria must be implemented. Here, a strategy of reactivating the established glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin by structural modification with polycationic peptides and subsequent fatty acid conjugation to overcome the resistance of multidrug-resistant bacteria was followed. This study especially focuses on the structure–activity relationship, depending on the modification site and fatty acid chain length. The synthesized conjugates showed high antimicrobial potential on vancomycin-resistant enterococci. We were able to demonstrate that the antimicrobial activity of the vancomycin-lipopeptide conjugates depends on the chain length of the attached fatty acid. All conjugates showed good cytocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. Radiolabeling enabled the in vivo determination of pharmacokinetics in Wistar rats by molecular imaging and biodistribution studies. An improved biodistribution profile in comparison to unmodified vancomycin was observed. While vancomycin is rapidly excreted by the kidneys, the most potent conjugate shows a hepatobiliary excretion profile. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the potential of the structural modification of already established antibiotics to provide highly active compounds for tackling multidrug-resistant bacteria. KW - antibiotics KW - multidrug-resistant bacteria KW - enterococci KW - vancomycin KW - structural modification KW - fatty acids KW - polycationic peptides Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-205879 SN - 1424-8247 VL - 13 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rubio-Cosials, Anna A1 - Schulz, Eike C. A1 - Lambertsen, Lotte A1 - Smyshlyaev, Georgy A1 - Rojas-Cordova, Carlos A1 - Forslund, Kristoffer A1 - Karaca, Ezgi A1 - Bebel, Aleksandra A1 - Bork, Peer A1 - Barabas, Orsolya T1 - Transposase-DNA Complex Structures Reveal Mechanisms for Conjugative Transposition of Antibiotic Resistance JF - Cell N2 - Conjugative transposition drives the emergence of multidrug resistance in diverse bacterial pathogens, yet the mechanisms are poorly characterized. The Tn1549 conjugative transposon propagates resistance to the antibiotic vancomycin used for severe drug-resistant infections. Here, we present four high-resolution structures of the conserved Y-transposase of Tn1549 complexed with circular transposon DNA intermediates. The structures reveal individual transposition steps and explain how specific DNA distortion and cleavage mechanisms enable DNA strand exchange with an absolute minimum homology requirement. This appears to uniquely allow Tn916-like conjugative transposons to bypass DNA homology and insert into diverse genomic sites, expanding gene transfer. We further uncover a structural regulatory mechanism that prevents premature cleavage of the transposon DNA before a suitable target DNA is found and generate a peptide antagonist that interferes with the transposase-DNA structure to block transposition. Our results reveal mechanistic principles of conjugative transposition that could help control the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. KW - DNA complex KW - crystallography KW - Tn1549 transposon KW - Tn916-like transposon family KW - conjugative transposition KW - tyrosine recombinase KW - antibiotic resistance KW - gene transfer KW - vancomycin KW - multidrug-resistant bacteria Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227085 VL - 173 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umstätter, Florian A1 - Domhan, Cornelius A1 - Hertlein, Tobias A1 - Ohlsen, Knut A1 - Mühlberg, Eric A1 - Kleist, Christian A1 - Zimmermann, Stefan A1 - Beijer, Barbro A1 - Klika, Karel D. A1 - Haberkorn, Uwe A1 - Mier, Walter A1 - Uhl, Philipp T1 - Vancomycin Resistance Is Overcome by Conjugation of Polycationic Peptides JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Multidrug‐resistant bacteria represent one of the biggest challenges facing modern medicine. The increasing prevalence of glycopeptide resistance compromises the efficacy of vancomycin, for a long time considered as the last resort for the treatment of resistant bacteria. To reestablish its activity, polycationic peptides were conjugated to vancomycin. By site‐specific conjugation, derivatives that bear the peptide moiety at four different sites of the antibiotic were synthesized. The most potent compounds exhibited an approximately 1000‐fold increased antimicrobial activity and were able to overcome the most important types of vancomycin resistance. Additional blocking experiments using d‐Ala‐d‐Ala revealed a mode of action beyond inhibition of cell‐wall formation. The antimicrobial potential of the lead candidate FU002 for bacterial infection treatments could be demonstrated in an in vivo study. Molecular imaging and biodistribution studies revealed that conjugation engenders superior pharmacokinetics. KW - antibiotics KW - bacterial resistance KW - glycopeptide antibiotics KW - peptide conjugates KW - vancomycin Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-215550 VL - 59 IS - 23 SP - 8823 EP - 8827 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Umstätter, Florian A1 - Werner, Julia A1 - Zerlin, Leah A1 - Mühlberg, Eric A1 - Kleist, Christian A1 - Klika, Karel D. A1 - Hertlein, Tobias A1 - Beijer, Barbro A1 - Domhan, Cornelius A1 - Zimmermann, Stefan A1 - Ohlsen, Knut A1 - Haberkorn, Uwe A1 - Mier, Walter A1 - Uhl, Philipp T1 - Impact of linker modification and PEGylation of vancomycin conjugates on structure-activity relationships and pharmacokinetics JF - Pharmaceuticals N2 - As multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a concerning burden, experts insist on the need for a dramatic rethinking on antibiotic use and development in order to avoid a post-antibiotic era. New and rapidly developable strategies for antimicrobial substances, in particular substances highly potent against multidrug-resistant bacteria, are urgently required. Some of the treatment options currently available for multidrug-resistant bacteria are considerably limited by side effects and unfavorable pharmacokinetics. The glycopeptide vancomycin is considered an antibiotic of last resort. Its use is challenged by bacterial strains exhibiting various types of resistance. Therefore, in this study, highly active polycationic peptide-vancomycin conjugates with varying linker characteristics or the addition of PEG moieties were synthesized to optimize pharmacokinetics while retaining or even increasing antimicrobial activity in comparison to vancomycin. The antimicrobial activity of the novel conjugates was determined by microdilution assays on susceptible and vancomycin-resistant bacterial strains. VAN1 and VAN2, the most promising linker-modified derivatives, were further characterized in vivo with molecular imaging and biodistribution studies in rodents, showing that the linker moiety influences both antimicrobial activity and pharmacokinetics. Encouragingly, VAN2 was able to undercut the resistance breakpoint in microdilution assays on vanB and vanC vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Out of all PEGylated derivatives, VAN:PEG1 and VAN:PEG3 were able to overcome vanC resistance. Biodistribution studies of the novel derivatives revealed significant changes in pharmacokinetics when compared with vancomycin. In conclusion, linker modification of vancomycin-polycationic peptide conjugates represents a promising strategy for the modulation of pharmacokinetic behavior while providing potent antimicrobial activity. KW - glycopeptide antibiotics KW - antimicrobial resistance KW - vancomycin KW - polycationic peptides KW - linker influence KW - pharmacokinetics KW - PEGylation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255197 SN - 1424-8247 VL - 15 IS - 2 ER -