Albicidin, a potent DNA gyrase inhibitor with clinical potential

The emergence of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a serious global problem which requires the development of new effective antimicrobial therapeutics. Albicidin produced by the sugarcane pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans is a potent DNA gyrase inhibitor with inhibitory effects significantly better than most DNA gyrase inhibitors. Albicidin acts primarily by inhibiting the religation of the cleaved DNA intermediate during the gyrase catalytic sequence similar to quinolones. The clinical realization of albicidin has been hampered by limited production and its unsolved structure. In this review, the relationship between albicidin and sugarcane leaf-scald disease is described. Furthermore, the biosynthesis and resistance mechanisms of albicidin are discussed. Finally, recent efforts to solve the structure and produce albicidin in a heterologous host and chemically are summarized.