Visualizing Teixobactin Supramolecular Assemblies and Cell Wall Damage in B. Subtilis Using CryoEM
Paul Joshua Hurst1, Michael A Morris1, Annissa A Graham1
1Department of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2025, United States.
ACS Omega
|October 25, 2021
Abstract:
The antibiotic teixobactin targets bacterial cell walls. Previous research has proposed that the active form of teixobactin is a nano-/micron-sized supramolecular assembly. Here, we use cryogenic transmission electron microscopy to show that at 1 mg/mL, teixobactin forms sheet-like assemblies that selectively act upon the cell wall. At 4 μg/mL, teixobactin is active, and aggregates are formed either transiently or sparingly at the cell surface.


