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Purification of lincosaminide O-nucleotidyltransferase from Streptomyces coelicolor Müller

V P Marshall1, J E McGee, J I Cialdella

  • 1Upjohn Laboratories, Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, MI 49001.

Insights

Researchers purified lincosaminide O-nucleotidyltransferase from Streptomyces coelicolor. This enzyme adds ribonucleotides to pirlimycin, inactivating the antibiotic.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Enzymology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Lincosaminide antibiotics, such as pirlimycin, are crucial in treating bacterial infections.
  • Understanding antibiotic resistance mechanisms, including enzymatic inactivation, is vital for developing new therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To purify and characterize the enzyme responsible for the nucleotidylation of lincosaminide antibiotics.
  • To elucidate the specific reaction catalyzed by this enzyme and its role in antibiotic inactivation.

Main Methods:

  • Enzyme purification from Streptomyces coelicolor cell-free extracts using lysozyme treatment, MnCl2, (NH4)2SO4, and anion exchange chromatography.
  • Characterization of the enzyme's activity and the reaction product using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry (MS).

Main Results:

  • A 35-fold purification of lincosaminide O-nucleotidyltransferase was achieved.
  • The enzyme was confirmed to catalyze the 3-(5'-ribonucleotidylation) of pirlimycin, forming pirlimycin-3-(5'-adenylate).
  • The purified enzyme was separated from a co-existing macrolide phosphorylating enzyme.

Conclusions:

  • Lincosaminide O-nucleotidyltransferase plays a role in the inactivation of pirlimycin and related antibiotics.
  • This enzymatic activity represents a potential mechanism of antibiotic resistance.
  • The purification and characterization of this enzyme provide a basis for further studies into lincosaminide antibiotic metabolism and resistance.

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