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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Antimicrobial Synergy Testing by the Inkjet Printer-assisted Automated Checkerboard Array and the Manual Time-kill Method
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Antimicrobial Synergy Testing by the Inkjet Printer-assisted Automated Checkerboard Array and the Manual Time-kill Method

Published on: April 18, 2019

Antibiotics from microbes: converging to kill.

Michael A Fischbach1

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. fischbach@fischbachgroup.org

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|August 22, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Antibiotics, products of mutation and selection, can be studied using evolutionary biology tools. Analyzing their gene clusters reveals convergent evolution and offers insights into antibiotic resistance and natural product roles.

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Antibiotic Dereplication Using the Antibiotic Resistance Platform
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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Antimicrobial Synergy Testing by the Inkjet Printer-assisted Automated Checkerboard Array and the Manual Time-kill Method
12:03

Antimicrobial Synergy Testing by the Inkjet Printer-assisted Automated Checkerboard Array and the Manual Time-kill Method

Published on: April 18, 2019

Antibiotic Dereplication Using the Antibiotic Resistance Platform
10:49

Antibiotic Dereplication Using the Antibiotic Resistance Platform

Published on: October 17, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Antibiotics are genetically encoded small molecules arising from mutation and natural selection.
  • Genetics, biochemistry, and bioinformatics link antibiotics to their encoding gene clusters.
  • Evolutionary biology tools can analyze these molecules and their origins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review examples of convergent evolution in microbially produced antibiotics.
  • To explore how distinct gene clusters evolve similar antibiotic phenotypes or merge into single units.
  • To highlight the evolutionary perspective on antibiotic biosynthesis and function.

Main Methods:

  • Surveying literature on microbially produced antibiotics.
  • Analyzing gene clusters encoding antibiotics.
  • Applying principles of evolutionary biology to antibiotic biosynthesis.
  • Examining cases of convergent evolution and gene cluster mergers.

Main Results:

  • Identified instances where distinct gene clusters converged on similar antibiotic phenotypes.
  • Documented cases of distinct gene clusters merging into a single functional unit.
  • Demonstrated the evolutionary versatility of antibiotic biosynthetic pathways.

Conclusions:

  • An evolutionary lens reveals the adaptability of antibiotic production pathways.
  • Studying antibiotic evolution provides strategies for combating antibiotic resistance.
  • Understanding the natural roles of antibiotics is facilitated by evolutionary analysis.