ARTICLE doi:10.1038/nature14098 A new antibiotic kills pathogens without detectable resistance LoseeL.Ling1*,TanjaSchneider2,3*,AaronJ.Peoples1,AmyL.Spoering1,InaEngels2,3,BrianP.Conlon4,AnnaMueller2,3, TillF.Scha¨berle3,5,DallasE.Hughes1,SlavaEpstein6,MichaelJones7,LinosLazarides7,VictoriaA.Steadman7,DouglasR.Cohen1, CintiaR.Felix1,K.AshleyFetterman1,WilliamP.Millett1,AnthonyG.Nitti1,AshleyM.Zullo1,ChaoChen4&KimLewis4 Antibioticresistanceisspreadingfasterthantheintroductionofnewcompoundsintoclinicalpractice,causingapublic healthcrisis.Mostantibioticswereproducedbyscreeningsoilmicroorganisms,butthislimitedresourceofcultivable bacteria was overmined by the 1960s. Synthetic approaches to produce antibiotics have been unable to replace this platform.Unculturedbacteriamakeupapproximately99%ofallspeciesinexternalenvironments,andareanuntapped sourceofnewantibiotics.Wedevelopedseveralmethodstogrowunculturedorganismsbycultivationinsituorbyusing specificgrowthfactors.Herewereportanewantibioticthatwetermteixobactin,discoveredinascreenofuncultured bacteria. Teixobactin inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding to a highly conserved motif of lipid II (precursor of peptidoglycan) and lipid III (precursor of cell wall teichoic acid). We did not obtain any mutants of Staphylococcus aureusorMycobacteriumtuberculosisresistanttoteixobactin.Thepropertiesofthiscompoundsuggestapathtowards developingantibioticsthatarelikelytoavoiddevelopmentofresistance. Widespreadintroductionofantibioticsinthe1940s,beginningwith factorsthroughthechambersenablesgrowthofunculturedbacteriain penicillin1,2andstreptomycin3,transformedmedicine,providingeffec- theirnaturalenvironment.Thegrowthrecoverybythismethodap- tivecuresforthemostprevalentdiseasesofthetime.Resistancedevelop- proaches50%,ascomparedto1%ofcellsfromsoilthatwillgrowona mentlimitstheusefullifespanofantibioticsandresultsintherequirement nutrientPetridish10.Onceacolonyisproduced,asubstantialnumber foraconstantintroductionofnewcompounds4,5.However,antimicro- ofunculturedisolatesareabletogrowinvitro14.Extractsfrom10,000 bialdrugdiscoveryisuniquelydifficult6,primarilyduetopoorpenetra- isolatesobtainedbygrowthiniChipswerescreenedforantimicrobial tionofcompoundsintobacterialcells.Naturalproductsevolvedtobreach activityonplatesoverlaidwithS.aureus.Anextractfromanewspecies thepenetrationbarriersoftargetbacteria,andmostantibioticsintro- ofb-proteobacteriaprovisionallynamedEleftheriaterraeshowedgood ducedintotheclinicwerediscoveredbyscreeningcultivablesoilmicro- activity.ThegenomeofE.terraewassequenced(SupplementaryDis- organisms.Overminingofthislimitedresourcebythe1960sbrought cussion).Basedon16SrDNAandinsilicoDNA/DNAhybridization, anendtotheinitialeraofantibioticdiscovery7.Syntheticapproaches thisorganismbelongstoanewgenusrelatedtoAquabacteria(Extended wereunabletoreplacenaturalproducts6. DataFig.2,SupplementaryDiscussion).ThisgroupofGram-negative Approximately99%ofallspeciesinexternalenvironmentsareun- organismsisnotknowntoproduceantibiotics.Apartiallypurifiedac- cultured(donotgrowunderlaboratoryconditions),andareaprom- tivefractioncontainedacompoundwithamolecularmassof1,242Da isingsourceofnewantibiotics8.Wedevelopedseveralmethodstogrow determinedbymassspectrometry,whichwasnotreportedinavailable unculturedorganismsbycultivationintheirnaturalenvironment9,10, databases.Thecompoundwasisolatedandacompletestereochemical orbyusingspecificgrowthfactorssuchasiron-chelatingsiderophores11. assignmenthasbeenmadebasedonNMRandadvancedMarfey’sanal- Unculturedorganismshaverecentlybeenreportedtoproduceinterest- ysis(Fig.1,ExtendedDataFigs3and4andSupplementaryDiscussion). ingcompoundswithnewstructures/modesofaction—lassomycin,an Thismolecule,whichwenamedteixobactin,isanunusualdepsipep- inhibitoroftheessentialmycobacterialproteaseClpP1P2C1(ref.12); tide which contains enduracididine, methylphenylalanine, and four anddiversesecondarymetabolitespresentinamarinespongeTheonella D-aminoacids.Thebiosyntheticgenecluster(GenBankaccessionnum- swinhoeiwhichareactuallymadebyanunculturedsymbioticEntothe- berKP006601)wasidentifiedusingahomologysearch(Supplementary onellasp.13. Discussion).Itconsistsoftwolargenon-ribosomalpeptidesynthetase Herewereportthediscoveryofanewcellwallinhibitor,teixobactin, (NRPS)-coding genes, which we named txo1 and txo2, respectively fromascreenofunculturedbacteriagrownindiffusionchambersinsitu. (Fig.1).Inaccordancewiththeco-linearityrule,11modulesareencoded. Theinsilicopredictedadenylationdomainspecificityperfectlymatches Identificationofteixobactin theaminoacidorderofteixobactin(Fig.1),andallowedustopredict Amultichanneldevice,theiChip10,wasusedtosimultaneouslyisolate thebiosyntheticpathway(ExtendedDataFig.5). andgrowunculturedbacteria.Asampleofsoilisdilutedsothatapprox- imatelyonebacterialcellisdeliveredtoagivenchannel,afterwhich Resistanceandmechanismofaction thedeviceiscoveredwithtwosemi-permeablemembranesandplaced TeixobactinhadexcellentactivityagainstGram-positivepathogens, backinthesoil(ExtendedDataFig.1).Diffusionofnutrientsandgrowth includingdrug-resistantstrains(Table1andExtendedDataTable1). 1NovoBioticPharmaceuticals,Cambridge,Massachusetts02138,USA.2InstituteofMedicalMicrobiology,ImmunologyandParasitology—PharmaceuticalMicrobiologySection,UniversityofBonn,Bonn 53115,Germany.3GermanCentreforInfectionResearch(DZIF),PartnerSiteBonn-Cologne,53115Bonn,Germany.4AntimicrobialDiscoveryCenter,NortheasternUniversity,DepartmentofBiology, Boston,Massachusetts02115,USA.5InstituteforPharmaceuticalBiology,UniversityofBonn,Bonn53115,Germany.6DepartmentofBiology,NortheasternUniversity,Boston,Massachusetts02115,USA. 7Selcia,Ongar,EssexCM50GS,UK. *Theseauthorscontributedequallytothiswork. 00 MONTH 2015 | VOL 000 | NATURE | 1 ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved RESEARCH ARTICLE a txo1 txo2 Figure1|Thestructureofteixobactinandthe Genes predictedbiosyntheticgenecluster. a,Thetwo NRPSgenes,thecatalyticdomainstheyencode, Domains A MT T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C A T C TE TE andtheaminoacidsincorporatedbythe Amino acids NmPhe Ile Ser Gln Ile Ile Ser Thr Ala End Ile respectivemodules.Domains:A,adenylation; b C,condensation;MT,methylation(of NmPhe Ile Ser Gln Ile Ile Ser Thr Ala End Ile phenylalanine);T,thiolation(carrier);andTE, c O NH2 thioesterase(Ile-Thrringclosure).NmPhe, H O H O H OH N-methylatedphenylalanine.b,Schematic HN N N N N N structureofteixobactin.TheN-methylationof OO OHH O H OHN O thefirstphenylalanineiscatalysedbythe HN O methyltransferasedomaininmodule1.Thering NH O O closurebetweenthelastisoleucineandthreonineis O NHHN catalysedbythethioesterasedomainsduring moleculeoff-loading,resultinginteixobactin. O c,Teixobactinstructure. HN NH HN Potencyagainstmostspecies,includingdifficult-to-treatenterococci RNAandprotein(Fig.3a).Thissuggestedthatteixobactinisanew andM.tuberculosiswasbelow1mgml21.Teixobactinwasexception- peptidoglycansynthesisinhibitor. allyactiveagainstClostridiumdifficileandBacillusanthracis(minimal Resistancehasnotdevelopedtothiscompound,suggestingthatthe inhibitoryconcentration(MIC)of5and20ngml21,respectively).Tei- targetisnotaprotein.Theessentiallackofresistancedevelopment xobactinhadexcellentbactericidalactivityagainstS.aureus(Fig.2a), throughmutationshasbeendescribedforvancomycinwhichbinds wassuperiortovancomycininkillinglateexponentialphasepopula- lipidII,theprecursorofpeptidoglycan.Wereasonedthatteixobactin tions(Fig.2b),andretainedbactericidalactivityagainstintermediate couldbeactingagainstthesametarget.Treatmentofwholecellsof resistanceS.aureus(VISA)(ExtendedDataFig.6a).Notethatfrequent S.aureuswithteixobactin(1–53MIC)resultedinsignificantaccumu- clinicalfailureinpatientswithS.aureusMRSAtreatedwithvancomycin lationofthesolublecellwallprecursorundecaprenyl-N-acetylmuramic hasbeenlinkedtothepoorbactericidalactivityofthiscompound15,16. acid-pentapeptide (UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide), similar to the TeixobactinwasineffectiveagainstmostGram-negativebacteria,but vancomycin-treated control cells (Fig. 3b), showing that one of the showedgoodactivityagainstastrainofE.coliasmB1withadefective membrane-associatedstepsofpeptidoglycanbiosynthesisisblocked. outermembranepermeabilitybarrier(Table1). Teixobactininhibitedpeptidoglycanbiosynthesisreactionsinvitroin WewereunabletoobtainmutantsofS.aureusorM.tuberculosis adose-dependentmannerwitheitherlipidI,lipidIIorundecaprenyl- resistanttoteixobactinevenwhenplatingonmediawithalowdose pyrophosphate (Fig. 3c) as a substrate. Quantitative analysis of the (43MIC)ofthecompound.SerialpassageofS.aureusinthepresence ofsub-MIClevelsofteixobactinoveraperiodof27daysfailedtopro- a b duce resistant mutants as well(Fig. 2d, Supplementary Discussion). 10 10 Thisusuallypointstoanon-specificmodeofaction,withaccompany- 9 9 iNcoewnofrafIgdmeHyectsprot/3oooxtTounifc3nSdtithd.aeyenta.serduHhrarmoHtoeewuwieonespefe.dGvlTasen2pbreo,eecixtcleheoiilfnliabisxcceaoaiomcttbryt1aopino0cloyt0fritsaanimtctcrgihtooaimanoncdtnglii2lnvnyoit1otfoiy(ntttteohhahixnxeeiibodhmcibiittdgaeayijhdcdoaterisgsnnybta,onidiwonttoshsbesyteeiennmstxtidehsaasmemDtotefiidNmcnp)peA.aedaTlp.itahtihItinnes-- Log(c.f.u. per ml)1045678 COVTeaoxinanxccotroibollmialncytcinin Log(c.f.u. per ml)1045678 COoxanctriolliln doglycan,buthadvirtuallynoeffectonlabelincorporationintoDNA, 3 3 Vancomycin Teixobactin 2 2 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 Time (h) Time (h) c d Table1|Activityofteixobactinagainstpathogenicmicroorganisms Con Ox Van Teix 256 Organismandgenotype TeixobactinMIC(mgml21) 128 Teixobactin S.aureus(MSSA) 0.25 C 64 Ofloxacin S.aureus110%serum 0.25 n MI 32 S.aureus(MRSA) 0.25 e i 16 g EEnntteerrooccooccccuussffaaeeccaiulims((VVRREE)) 00..55 chan 8 Streptococcuspneumoniae(penicillinR) #0.03 old 4 Streptococcuspyogenes 0.06 F 2 Streptococcusagalactiae 0.12 1 Viridansgroupstreptococci 0.12 0.5 B.anthracis #0.06 0 5 10 15 20 25 Clostridiumdifficile 0.005 Time (days) Propionibacteriumacnes 0.08 Figure2|Time-dependentkillingofpathogensbyteixobactin.a,b,S.aureus M.tuberculosisH37Rv 0.125 weregrowntoearly(a),andlate(b)exponentialphaseandchallengedwith Haemophilusinfluenzae 4 antibiotics.Dataarerepresentativeof3independentexperiments6s.d. Moraxellacatarrhalis 2 c,Teixobactintreatmentresultedinlysis.Thefigureisrepresentativeof Escherichiacoli 25 Escherichiacoli(asmB1) 2.5 3independentexperiments.d,Resistanceacquisitionduringserialpassaging Pseudomonasaeruginosa .32 inthepresenceofsub-MIClevelsofantimicrobials.Theyaxisisthehighest Klebsiellapneumoniae .32 concentrationthecellsgrewinduringpassaging.Forofloxacin,2563MIC wasthehighestconcentrationtested.Thefigureisrepresentativeof3 TheMICwasdeterminedbybrothmicrodilution.MSSA,methicillin-sensitiveS.aureus;VRE, vancomycin-resistantenterococci. independentexperiments. 2 | NATURE | VOL 000 | 00 MONTH 2015 ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved ARTICLE RESEARCH a b 1,149.675 d Figure3|Teixobactinbindstocellwall 6,000 110200 00..68 Intens. (a.u.) 12345,,,,,000000000000000 -PP-PCC5555 upmInrraciedcocirurnopremoso(roRarltseNi.coAunal),ao,Irf3mHb3Hpi-oals-ectyuthncoytimhfneteiesd(iexipsnorieobnta(eDScit.nNian),uA(ar)Tne,uEd3sHI.3XH-)-on Percentage incorporation 468000 Ciprofloxacin Rifampicin Vancomycin Erythromycin A260 00..24 UDP-M10u,0rN00Acm-p/eznt1a,p2e5p0tide Lipid II(Lipid IILipid I-Lac)D gcb(e(e4werxlauylpr3hlctssehio)trtM.resirmoCaebImmaiCeaptnryei)rnsd,cto)seivf.nw6la(Dopni(xta2secha.tpod3cattmi.einadbMiyrxo,(eco8IgIiCmbnnl3yat)ec(rc2awaMatnicn3eneIs)rClealoMwu)tfu,la1Ias4rsCrei3fdid)aanecmaMdatcneseuprIdpcCmmieconiinu(nndgtlaerreodteniylotsinn c 200 DNA RNPAeptidoglycan Protein 0U0TEnItXre (a2t.e5d× M1IC0) VANT i(m1T0Ee2×I 0X( mM (5iInC×) )MIC)30TEIXe (1× M40IC) MTEoIXlaLipid III:rl ipraidtio 0:1 T 2:1 1:1 UmttoperfeeiDanxtashoPttsaeeb-pdsMacpece(eput1lciltr0ntiNwdr.3oeaUAmlaMlcnfe-ptttpIrerrCeereyanc)ttaurtceaesredpasilotlneasmrpdnwtUeidicndeaDvrteteaePowndu-fcaMsSbose.ymduiadrtyauhNecsrneiAecntupiocfse(-inVeawtdkrAiotbNhlsy.)- CM atm/z1,149.675.Theexperimentisrepresentative TEIX:substrate 0.25:1 0.5:1 1:1 CW 100 molar ratio 2:1 5:1 10:1 OM ooff3teiixnodbeapcetnindeonntpexrepceurirmsoernctos.ncs,uTmhiengefrfeecatctions. 90 Experimentswereperformedin3biological 80 replicatesanddataarepresentedasmean6s.d. med (%) 6700 T dpu,Crifoimedpcleelxlwfoarlmlparteiocunrosofrtse.ixBoinbdacintignowfittehixobactin Product for 345000 WTA ilcishpirindodmiincatatetoregmdraebmdyi)aa.terTeshd(euvicfsitgiiboulnreeooifnstrtheheperatemhseionnu-tlnaattyivoeerfof 20 PG twoindependentexperiments.e,Amodelof 10 CW teixobactintargetingandresistance.The MurG FemX PBP2 YbjG teixobactinproducerisaGram-negativebacterium Substrate Lipid I Lipid II Lipid II C55PP CM protectedfromthiscompoundbyexporting Product Lipid II Lipid II-Gly C55PP C55P itacrosstheoutermembranepermeability barrier(upperpanel).IntargetGram-positive organismslackinganoutermembrane,the targetsarereadilyaccessibleontheoutside whereteixobactinbindsprecursorsof peptidoglycan(PG)andWTA.CM,cytoplasmic membrane;CW,cellwall;OM,outermembrane; T,teixobactin. MurG-,FemX-,andPBP2-catalysedreactionsusingradiolabelledsub- contributingtotheexcellentlyticandkillingactivityofthisantibiotic. strates,showedanalmostcompleteinhibitionatatwofoldmolarexcess Teixobactinwasalsoabletobindundecaprenyl-pyrophosphate,but ofteixobactinwithrespecttothelipidsubstrate(Fig.3c).Theaddition not undecaprenyl-phosphate (Fig. 3d and Extended Data Table 2). of purified lipid II prevented teixobactinfrom inhibitinggrowth of AlthoughteixobactinefficientlybindslipidIinvitro,thisisprobably S.aureus(ExtendedDataTable2).Theseexperimentsshowedthat lesssignificantforantimicrobialactivity,asthisistheintracellularform teixobactinspecificallyinteractswiththepeptidoglycanprecursor,rather oftheprecursor,unlikesurface-exposedlipidIIandtheundecaprenyl- thaninterferingwiththeactivityofoneoftheenzymes.Inorderto PP-GlcNAcWTAprecursors(Fig.3eandExtendedDataFig.7).Bind- evaluatetheminimalmotifrequiredforhighaffinitybindingofteix- ingtothetargetprimarilyreliesontheinteractionoftheantibioticwith obactin,thedirectinteractionwithseveralundecaprenyl-coupledcell thepyrophosphatemoiety,andthefirstsugarmoietyattachedtothelipid envelopeprecursorswasinvestigated.Purifiedprecursorswereincu- carrier,ashigherconcentrationsofteixobactinwererequiredtocomple- batedwithteixobactinatdifferentmolarratios,followedbyextraction telyinhibittheYbjG-catalysedmonophosphorylationofundecaprenyl- andsubsequentthin-layerchromatographyanalysis(Fig.3d).Inagree- pyrophosphate,involvedintherecyclingprocessoftheessentiallipid mentwiththeresultsobtainedfromtheinvitroexperiments,lipidIand carrier(Fig.3candExtendedDataFig.7).Corroboratingthisresult,a lipidIIwerefullytrappedinastablecomplexthatpreventedextraction tenfoldhigherconcentrationofundecaprenyl-pyrophosphatewasre- ofthelipidfromthereactionmixtureinthepresenceofatwofoldmolar quiredtoantagonizetheantimicrobialactivityofteixobactincompared excessoftheantibiotic,leadingtotheformationofa2:1stoichiometric tolipidII(ExtendedDataTable2).Theexactnatureofthisfirstsugar complex.Teixobactinwasactiveagainstvancomycin-resistantenter- isthereforenotimportant,explainingwhyteixobactinisactiveagainst ococcithathavemodifiedlipidII(lipidII-D-Ala-D-LacorlipidII-D- M.tuberculosis,whereitprobablybindstodecaprenyl-coupledlipid Ala-D-SerinsteadoflipidII-D-Ala-D-Ala)17–19.Thissuggestedthat,unlike intermediatesofpeptidoglycanandarabinogalactan.Teixobactinisalso vancomycin,teixobactinisabletobindtothesemodifiedformsoflipid likelytobindtoprenyl-PP-sugarintermediatesofcapsularpolysacchar- II.Indeed,teixobactinboundtolipidII-D-Ala-D-LacandlipidII-D-Ala- idebiosynthesiswhichisimportantforvirulenceinstaphylococci22and D-Ser(ExtendedDataFig.6b).Moreover,teixobactinefficientlybound whoseinhibitionofbiosynthesisislethalinstreptococci23. tothewallteichoicacid(WTA)precursorundecaprenyl-PP-GlcNAc (lipid III). Although WTA is not essential per se, inhibition of late Invivoefficacy membrane-boundWTAbiosynthesisstepsislethalduetoaccumulation Giventheattractivemodeofactionofthiscompound,weinvestigated oftoxicintermediates20.Furthermore,teichoicacidsanchorautolysins, itspotentialasatherapeutic.Thecompoundretaineditspotencyin preventinguncontrolledhydrolysisofpeptidoglycan21.Inhibitionof thepresenceofserum,wasstable,andhadgoodmicrosomalstability teichoicacidsynthesisbyteixobactinwouldhelpliberateautolysins, andlowtoxicity(SupplementaryDiscussion).Thepharmacokinetic 00 MONTH 2015 | VOL 000 | NATURE | 3 ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved RESEARCH ARTICLE a 100 *** *** *** *** andshowedgoodefficacyaswell(Fig.4b).Teixobactinwasalsohighly efficaciousinmiceinfectedwithStreptococcuspneumoniae,causinga al 80 6log10reductionofc.f.u.inlungs(Fig.4c). e surviv 60 * Discussion ag Thisstudy,aswellaspreviouswork12,13,24suggeststhatneworganisms nt 40 ce suchasunculturedbacteriaarelikelytoharbournewantimicrobials25. er P Thisisconsistentwithresistancemechanismsinsoilbacteriabeingstrat- 20 ifiedbyphylogeny,withhorizontaltransmissionlimited26(ascompared 0 topathogens)andthepatternofantibioticproductioncorrelatingwith Infecctioonntrol Va0n.5comy5cin 0.1 0.25Teixo0.5bacti1n 5 rpelsaitsftoarnmceo.Efnxpaltouirtainlgpruondcuuclttudrreudgbdacistecroivaeirsyli7k.eTleyitxoorbeavcivtienthiseaWpraoxmmiasn- (mg per kg) (mg per kg) ingtherapeuticcandidate;itiseffectiveagainstdrug-resistantpatho- b 10 gensinanumberofanimalmodelsofinfection.Bindingofteixobactin 9 toWTAprecursorcontributestoefficientlysisandkilling,duetodiges- h) 8 tionofthecellwallbyliberatedautolysins.Thisisakintotheactionof hig anothernaturalproductwithexcellentkillingability,acyldepsipeptide, er t 7 whichconvertstheClpPproteaseintoanon-specifichydrolasethat p u. 6 digeststhecell27.Theseexamplesshowthatnaturalproductsevolved g(c.f.10 5 toexploittheinherentweaknessesofbacteria28,andadditionalcom- Lo 4 poundsthatsubvertimportantenzymesintokillingdevicesarelikely tobediscovered.Teixobactinbindstomultipletargets,noneofwhich 3 isaprotein(Fig.3eandExtendedDataFig.7).Polyprenyl-coupledcell Icnfoentcrtiolo n2 hcIonfnterctoil o2n6 h 0.5 V(ma1n.g0c poemr2. yk5cgin) 5.0 0.5 T(m1.e0igx opbe2.ar5 cktgin)5.0 esointdivceeaoltoftpGacerkap2mr8.e-Tcpuhoressitotairvrsge,esbtuaoccfhteteraiisxaloaipbniaddcrtIeiInp,,raterhseeernpetyaardnoilp‘yAhacochscpilehlseasstihbe-eleseulo’gnfaortrhmaenootiiuebttiy-- c 10 ofthesemolecules,ishighlyconservedamongeubacteria.Theproducer isaGram-negativebacterium,anditsoutermembranewillprotectit 9 fromre-entryofthecompound(Fig.3eandExtendedDataFig.7). g) 8 un Thissuggeststhattheproducerdoesnotemployanalternativepath- er l 7 wayforcellwallsynthesisthatwouldprotectitfromteixobactin,and p g(c.f.u. 10 56 wfrohmichhootrhiezrobnatacltetrriaancsomuildssbioonrroofwa.Rreessiissttaanncceecmouecldhaenveisnmtuafrlloymemsoemrgee Lo 4 soilbacterium,andgiventhehighlyconservedteixobactinbindingmotif, thiswouldlikelytaketheformofanantibioticmodifyingenzyme.How- 3 ever,althoughdeterminantscodingforenzymesattackingfrequently Icnfoentcrtiolo n2 h1A0 momxgi ciplleirn kg 0.5 Teixo1bacti2n.5 (mg pe5r kg) 10 fttoheiuexynodbaraaecntutininbkiisonteoivcwesnnsulfecoshrsatchsoembr-malarocetnavmtahnsacnoormvaaymncciionnm.oTgylhcyiecnor.seAicdefetnestralyirtesdciinsoctmorovmderuoecnd-, Figure4|Teixobactinisefficaciousinthreemousemodelsofinfection. tionintotheclinic,ittook30yearsforvancomycinresistancetoappear29. a,Singledosetreatment(i.v.,1hpost-infection,6micepergroup)with ThelipidIImodificationpathwayresultinginvancomycinresistance teixobactinandvancomycininsepticemiaprotectionmodelusingMRSA. probably originated in the producer of vancomycin, Amycolatopsis Survivalisdepicted48hafterinfection.b,Singledose(i.v.,2hpost-infection, orientalis19. It will probably take even longer for resistance to the 4micepergroup)treatmentwithteixobactinandvancomycininneutropenic better-protectedteixobactintoemerge.Teixobactinisthefirstmem- mousethighinfectionmodelusingMRSA.Fordrug-treatedanimals,thigh berofanewclassoflipidIIbindingantibiotics,structurallydistinct colony-formingunits(c.f.u.)weredeterminedat26hpost-infection.For fromglycopeptides,lantibiotics30,31,anddefensins32.Thepropertiesof controls,c.f.u.inthighsweredeterminedat2hand26hpost-infection.c,Two teixobactinsuggestthatitevolvedtominimizeresistancedevelopment dosetreatment,5micepergroup,withteixobactin(i.v.,24hand36hpost- bytargetmicroorganisms.Itislikelythatadditionalnaturalcompounds infection)andsingledosetreatmentwithamoxicillin(subcutaneous,24hpost- infection)inimmunocompetentlunginfectionmodelusingS.pneumoniae. withsimilarlylowsusceptibilitytoresistancearepresentinnatureand Lungc.f.u.weredeterminedat48hpost-infection.Thec.f.u.fromeach arewaitingtobediscovered. mouseareplottedasindividualpointsanderrorbarsrepresentthedeviation withinanexperimentalgroup.*P,0.05,***P,0.001(determinedby OnlineContentMethods,alongwithanyadditionalExtendedDatadisplayitems andSourceData,areavailableintheonlineversionofthepaper;referencesunique non-parametriclog-ranktest). tothesesectionsappearonlyintheonlinepaper. parametersdeterminedafteri.v.injectionofasingle20mgperkgdose Received29July;accepted19November2014. inmicewerefavourable,asthelevelofcompoundinserumwasmain- Publishedonline7January2015. tainedabovetheMICfor4h(ExtendedDataFig.8).Ananimalefficacy 1. 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Sakoulas,G.etal.RelationshipofMICandbactericidalactivitytoefficacyof vancomycinfortreatmentofmethicillin-resistantStaphylococcusaureus AcknowledgementsThisworkwassupportedbyNIHgrantT-RO1AI085585toK.L.,by bacteremia.J.Clin.Microbiol.42,2398–2402(2004). NIHgrantAI085612toA.L.S.,bytheCharlesA.KingTrusttoB.P.C.,andbytheGerman 16. Kollef,M.H.Limitationsofvancomycininthemanagementofresistant ResearchFoundation(DFG;SCHN1284/1-2)andtheGermanCenterforInfection staphylococcalinfections.Clin.Infect.Dis.45(Suppl3),S191–S195(2007). Research(DZIF)toT.S.andI.E.TheNRSstrainswereprovidedbytheNetworkon 17. Arthur,M.,Depardieu,F.,Reynolds,P.&Courvalin,P.Quantitativeanalysisofthe AntimicrobialResistanceinStaphylococcusaureusfordistributionbyBEIResources, metabolismofsolublecytoplasmicpeptidoglycanprecursorsofglycopeptide- NIAID,NIH.PreclinicalServicesofferedbyNIAIDaregratefullyacknowledged.Wethank resistantenterococci.Mol.Microbiol.21,33–44(1996). H.G.Sahlforreadingthemanuscriptandmakingcomments,A.Makriyannisfor 18. Bugg,T.D.etal.MolecularbasisforvancomycinresistanceinEnterococcus suggestions,P.Muller,B.BerdyandS.Kaluziakfortaxonomyanalysis,andM.Jostenfor faeciumBM4147:biosynthesisofadepsipeptidepeptidoglycanprecursorby performingmassspectrometryanalysis. vancomycinresistanceproteinsVanHandVanA.Biochemistry30,10408–10415 AuthorContributionsK.L.andT.S.designedthestudy,analysedresults,andwrotethe (1991). paper.L.L.L.designedthestudyandanalysedresults.A.J.P.designedthestudy, 19. Marshall,C.G.,Broadhead,G.,Leskiw,B.K.&Wright,G.D.D-Ala-D-Alaligasesfrom performedcompoundisolationandstructuredeterminationandanalyseddata.B.P.C. glycopeptideantibiotic-producingorganismsarehighlyhomologoustothe designedthestudy,performedsusceptibilityexperimentsandwrotethepaper.D.E.H. enterococcalvancomycin-resistanceligasesVanAandVanB.Proc.NatlAcad.Sci. oversawpreclinicalworkincludingdesigningstudiesandanalysingdata.S.E.designed USA94,6480–6483(1997). cultivationexperimentsandanalyseddata.M.J.,L.L.andV.A.S.designedand 20. D’Elia,M.A.etal.LesionsinteichoicacidbiosynthesisinStaphylococcusaureus performedexperimentsonstructuredeterminationandanalyseddata.I.E.andA.M. leadtoalethalgainoffunctionintheotherwisedispensablepathway.J.Bacteriol. designedandperformedexperimentsonmechanismofaction.A.L.S.,D.R.C.,C.R.F., 188,4183–4189(2006). K.A.F.,W.P.M.,A.G.N.,A.M.Z.andC.C.performedexperimentsoncompoundproduction, 21. Bierbaum,G.&Sahl,H.G.Inductionofautolysisofstaphylococcibythebasic isolation,susceptibilitytestinganddataanalysis.T.F.S.identifiedthebiosynthetic peptideantibioticsPep5andnisinandtheirinfluenceontheactivityofautolytic cluster. enzymes.Arch.Microbiol.141,249–254(1985). 22. O’Riordan,K.&Lee,J.C.Staphylococcusaureuscapsularpolysaccharides.Clin. AuthorInformationThebiosyntheticgeneclusterforteixobactinhasbeendeposited Microbiol.Rev.17,218–234(2004). withGenBankunderaccessionnumberKP006601.Reprintsandpermissions 23. Xayarath,B.&Yother,J.Mutationsblockingsidechainassembly,polymerization, informationisavailableatwww.nature.com/reprints.Theauthorsdeclarecompeting ortransportofaWzy-dependentStreptococcuspneumoniaecapsulearelethalin financialinterests:detailsareavailableintheonlineversionofthepaper.Readersare theabsenceofsuppressormutationsandcanaffectpolymertransfertothecell welcometocommentontheonlineversionofthepaper.Correspondenceand wall.J.Bacteriol.189,3369–3381(2007). requestsformaterialsshouldbeaddressedtoK.L.([email protected]). 00 MONTH 2015 | VOL 000 | NATURE | 5 ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved RESEARCH ARTICLE METHODS andthesolutionwasallowedtoeluteslowly.Thissolutionwasthenpouredovera fresh 10 g Dowex (1x4 Cl- form) column and the resulting solution filtered Isolationandcultivationofproducingstrains.Asampleof1gofsoilsample throughaPall3KMolecularWeightCentrifugalfilter.Theclearsolutionwasthen collectedfromagrassyfieldinMainewasagitatedvigorouslyin10mlofdeionized lyophilizedtoleaveawhitepowder. HOfor10min.Afterlettingthesoilparticulatessettlefor10min,thesupernatant 2 wasdilutedinmoltenSMSmedia(0.125gcasein,0.1gpotatostarch,1gcasamino Minimuminhibitoryconcentration(MIC).MICwasdeterminedbybrothmicro- acids,20gbacto-agarin1litreofwater)toachieveanaverageconcentrationofone dilutionaccordingtoCLSIguidelines.Thetestmediumformostspecieswascation- cellper20mlofmedium.Then20mlaliquotswerethendispensedintothewellsof adjustedMueller-Hintonbroth(MHB).Thesametestmediumwassupplemented aniChip.TheiChipwasplacedindirectcontactwiththesoil.Afteronemonthof with3%lysedhorseblood(ClevelandScientific,Bath,OH)forgrowingStrepto- incubation,theiChipsweredisassembledandindividualcolonieswerestreaked cocci.HaemophilusTestMediumwasusedforH.influenzae(Teknova,Hollister, ontoSMSagartotestfortheabilitytopropagateoutsidetheiChipandforcolony CA), Middlebrook 7H9 broth (Difco) was used for mycobacteria, Schaedler- purification. anaerobebroth(Oxoid)wasusedforC.difficile,andfetalbovineserum(ATCC) Extractpreparationandscreeningforactivity.Isolatesthatgrewwelloutside wasaddedtoMHB(1:10)totesttheeffectofserum.Alltestmediaweresupple- theiChipwereculturedinseedbroth(15gglucose,10gmaltextract,10gsoluble mentedwith0.002%polysorbate80topreventdrugbindingtoplasticsurfaces39, starch,2.5gyeastextract,5gcasaminoacids,and0.2gCaCl N2HOper1litreof andcellconcentrationwasadjustedtoapproximately53105cellsperml.After 2 2 deionizedHO,pH7.0)toincreasebiomass,followedby1:20dilutioninto4dif- 20hofincubationat37uC(2daysforM.smegmatis,and7daysforM.tuberculosis), 2 ferentfermentationbroths.After11daysofagitationat29uC,thefermentations theMICwasdefinedasthelowestconcentrationofantibioticwithnovisiblegrowth. weredriedandresuspendedinanequalvolumeof100%DMSO.Then5mlofex- ExpandedpanelantibacterialspectrumofteixobactinwastestedatMicromyx,Kal- tractswerespottedontoalawnofgrowingS.aureusNCTC8325-4cellsinMueller- amazoo,MI,inbrothassays.Experimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. Hintonagar(MHA)plates.After20hofincubationat37uC,visibleclearingzones Minimumbactericidalconcentration(MBC).S.aureusNCTC8325-4cellsfrom indicatedantibacterialactivity.Theextractfromthisisolate,whichwasprovision- thewellsfromanMICmicrobrothplatethathadbeenincubatedfor20hat37uC allynamedEleftheriaterraesp.,producedalargeclearingzone.AlthoughE.terrae werepelleted.AnaliquotoftheinitialinoculumfortheMICplatewassimilarly sp.producedantibacterialactivityunderseveralgrowthconditions,thebestactivity processed.Thecellswereresuspendedinfreshmedia,platedontoMHA,andthe (thatis,largestclearingzone)wasseenwithR4fermentationbroth(10gglucose, coloniesenumeratedafterincubatingfor24hat37uC.TheMBCisdefinedasthe 1gyeastextract,0.1gcasaminoacids,3gproline,10gMgCl-6HO,4gCaCl- firstdrugdilutionwhichresultedina99.9%decreasefromtheinitialbacterialtitre 2 2 2 2HO,0.2gKSO,5.6gTESfreeacid(2-[[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl) ofthestartinginoculum,andwasdeterminedtobe23MICforteixobactin.Ex- 2 2 4 propan-2-yl]amino]ethanesulfonicacid)per1litreofdeionizedHO,pH7). perimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. 2 Sequencingofthestrain.GenomicDNAofE.terraewasisolated.Sequencing Time-dependentkilling.Anovernightcultureofcells(S.aureusHG003;vanco- wasperformedattheTuftsUniversityCoreFacility(Boston,MA).Apaired-end mycinintermediateS.aureusSA1287)wasdiluted1:10,000inMHBandincubated librarywithaninsertsizeofapproximately800baseswasgeneratedandsequenced at37uCwithaerationat225r.p.m.for2h(earlyexponential)or5h(lateexponen- usingIlluminatechnology.Thereadlengthwas251basesperread. tial).Bacteriawerethenchallengedwithantibioticsat103MIC(adesirablecon- Strainidentification.Asuspensionofcellswasdisruptedbyvigorousagitation centrationatthesiteofinfection),oxacillin(1.5mgml21),vancomycin(10mgml21) withglassbeads(106nmorsmaller)andthesupernatantusedastemplatetoam- orteixobactin(3mgml21)inculturetubesat37uCand225r.p.m.Atintervals, plifythe16SrRNAgene,usingGoTaqGreenMasterMix(PromegaM7122),and 100mlaliquotswereremoved,centrifugedat10,000gfor1minandresuspendedin theuniversalprimersE8FandU1510R33.Thethermocyclerparametersincluded 100mlofsterilephosphatebufferedsaline(PBS).Tenfoldseriallydilutedsuspen- 30cyclesof95uCfor30s,45uCfor30sand72uCfor105s.TheamplifiedDNA sionswereplatedonMHAplatesandincubatedat37uCovernight.Colonieswere fragmentwassequencedbyMacrogenUSA(Cambridge,MA),andthesequence countedandc.f.u.permlwascalculated.Foranalysisoflysis,12.5mlofcultureat comparedbyBLASTtoculturedisolatesintheRibosomalDatabaseProject. A600nm(OD600)of1.0wastreatedwith103MICofantibioticsfor24h,afterwhich, TheassembledgenomeforE.terraewassubmittedtotheRASTgenomeanno- 2mlofeachculturewasaddedtoglasstesttubesandphotographed.Experiments tationserverat(http://rast.nmpdr.org/)34whichproducedalistofclosestrelatives wereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. withpublishedgenomes.TheseareAlicycliphilusdenitrificans,Leptothrixcholodnii, Resistancestudies.Forsinglestepresistance,S.aureusNCTC8325-4at1010c.f.u. Methylibiumpetroleiphilum,andRubrivivaxgelatinosus,andtheirgenomeswere wereplatedontoMHAcontaining23,43,and103MICofteixobactin40.After downloadedfromtheNCBIftpsite(ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_ 48hofincubationat37uC,noresistantcoloniesweredetected,givingthecalcu- BACTERIA/).DNA–DNAhybridization(DDH)valuesofthesegenomestoE.terrae latedfrequencyofresistancetoteixobactinof,10210.ForM.tuberculosis,cells werethenpredictedbytheGenome-to-GenomeDistancecalculator2.0,formula2, wereculturedin7H9mediumandplatedat109cellspermlon10platesandin- (http://ggdc.dsmz.de/)35–37.NotethatM.petroleiphilumandR.gelatinosusarepres- cubatedfor3weeksat37uCforcolonycounts.Nocoloniesweredetected. entonthephylogenytreeofE.terrae(ExtendedDataFig.2). Forresistancedevelopmentbysequentialpassaging40,41,S.aureusATCC29213 Biosyntheticgeneclusteridentification.ByscreeningthedraftgenomeofE.terrae, cellsatexponentialphaseweredilutedtoanA600nm(OD600)of0.01in1mlof obtainedbyIlluminasequencing,manygenefragmentsputativelybelongingto MHBsupplementedwith0.002%polysorbate80containingteixobactinoroflox- NRPScodinggeneswereidentified.Theassemblywasmanuallyeditedandgap acin.Cellswereincubatedat37uCwithagitation,andpassagedat24hintervalsin closurePCRswereperformed.Sangersequencingoftheresultingfragmentsallowed thepresenceofteixobactinorofloxacinatsubinhibitoryconcentration(seeSup- theclosureofthegenelocuscorrespondingtotheteixobactinbiosyntheticgene plementaryDiscussionfordetails).TheMICwasdeterminedbybrothmicrodi- cluster.Thespecificityoftheadenylationdomainswasdeterminedusingtheon- lution.Experimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. linetoolNRPSpredictor2(ref.38). Mammaliancytotoxicity.TheCellTiter96AQueousOneSolutionCellProlif- Strainfermentationandpurificationofteixobactin.Homogenizedcolonies erationAssay(Promega)wasusedtodeterminethecytotoxicityofteixobactin.Ex- werefirstgrownwithagitationinseedbroth.After4daysat28uC,theculturewas ponentiallygrowingNIH/3T3mouseembryonicfibroblast(ATCCCRL-1658,in diluted5%(v/v)intotheR4fermentationmedia,andproductionmonitoredwith Dulbecco’sModifiedEagle’smediumsupplementedwith10%bovinecalfserum), analyticalHPLC.Forscale-upisolationandpurificationofteixobactin,40litresof andHepG2cells(ATCCHB-8065,inDulbecco’sModifiedEagle’smediumsup- cellsweregrowninaSartoriusBiostatCultibagSTR50/200Bioreactorforabout plementedwith10%fetalcalfserum)wereseededintoa96-wellflatbottomplate, 7days.Theculturewascentrifugedandthepelletextractedwith10litresof50% andincubatedat37uC.After24h,themediumwasreplacedwithfreshmedium aqueousacetonitrileandthesuspensionagaincentrifugedfor30min.Theacet- containingtestcompounds(0.5mlofatwofoldserialdilutioninDMSOto99.5ml onitrilewasremovedfromthesupernatantbyrotaryevaporationunderreduced ofmedia).After48hofincubationat37uC,reportersolutionwasaddedtothecells pressureuntilonlywaterremained.Themixturewasthenextractedtwicewith5 andafter2h,theA490nm(OD490)wasmeasuredusingaSpectramaxPlusSpectro- litresofn-BuOH.Theorganiclayerwastransferredtoaroundbottomflaskand photometer.Experimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. then-BuOHremovedbyrotaryevaporationunderreducedpressure.Theresult- Haemolyticactivity.FreshhumanredbloodcellswerewashedwithPBSuntilthe ingyellowsolidwasdissolvedinDMSOandsubjectedtopreparatoryHPLC(SP: upperphasewasclearaftercentrifugation.ThepelletwasresuspendedtoanA600nm C18,MP:H2O/MeCN/0.1%TFA).Thefractionscontainingteixobactinwerethen (OD600)of24inPBS,andaddedtothewellsofa96-wellU-bottomplate.Tei- pooledandtheacetonitrileremovedbyrotaryevaporationunderreducedpres- xobactinwasseriallydilutedtwofoldinwaterandaddedtothewellsresultingina sure.Theremainingaqueousmixturewasthenlyophilizedtoleaveawhitepow- finalconcentrationrangingfrom0.003to200mgml21.Afteronehourat37uC, der(trifluoroacetatesalt).Teixobactinwasthenconvertedtoahydrochloridesalt, cellswerecentrifugedat1,000g.ThesupernatantwasdilutedandA450nm(OD450) andendotoxinremovedasfollows.100mgofteixobactin(TFAsalt)wasdissolved measuredusingaSpectramaxPlusSpectrophotometer.Experimentswereper- in100mlofHOand5gofDowex(134Cl2form)wasaddedandthemixture formedwithbiologicalreplicates. 2 incubatedfor20minwithoccasionalshaking.A10gDowex(134Cl2form)col- Macromolecularsynthesis.S.aureusNCTC8325-4cellswereculturedinminimal umnwaspreparedandthemixturewasthenpouredontothepreparedcolumn medium(0.02MHEPES,0.002MMgSO,0.0001MCaCl,0.4%succinicacid, 4 2 ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved ARTICLE RESEARCH 0.043MNaCl,0.5%(NH) SO)supplementedwith5%trypticsoybroth(TSB). Synthesisandpurificationoflipidintermediates.Largescalesynthesisandpu- 2 42 4 Cellswerepelletedandresuspendedintofreshminimalmediumsupplemented rificationofthepeptidoglycanprecursorslipidIandIIwasperformed45.Radio- with5%TSBcontainingtestcompoundsandradioactiveprecursorstoadensityof labelledlipidIIwassynthesizedusing[14C]-UDP-GlcNAc(9.25GBqmmol21; 108cellsperml.Theradioactiveprecursorswereglucosaminehydrochloride, ARC)assubstrate.ForsynthesisofthelipidIIvariantwithaterminalD-Lacres- D-[6-3H(N)](1mCiml21),leucine,L-[3,4,5-3H(N)](1mCiml21),uridine,[5-3H] idue,UDP-MurNAc-depsipeptide(Ala-Glu-Lys-Ala-Lac)waspurifiedfromLac- (1mCiml21),orthymidine,[methyl-3H](0.25mCiml21)tomeasurecellwall, tobacilluscaseiATCC393.Briefly,L.caseiwasgrowninMRSbrothtoanA 600nm protein,RNA,andDNAsynthesis,respectively.After20minofincubationat37uC, (OD600)of0.6andincubatedwith65mgml21ofchloramphenicolfor15min.In- aliquotswereremoved,addedtoicecold25%trichloroaceticacid(TCA),andfil- tracellularaccumulationwasachievedbyincubationwithBacitracin(103MIC, teredusingMultiscreenFilterplates(MilliporeCat.MSDVN6B50).Thefilterswere 40mgml21)inthepresenceof1.25mMzincforanother60min.Forsynthesisof washedtwicewithicecold25%TCA,twicewithice-coldwater,driedandcounted lipidIIendingD-Ala-D-SertheUDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide(Ala-Glu-Lys-Ala-Ser) withscintillationfluidusingPerkinElmerMicroBetaTriLuxMicroplateScintil- wasused.ThewallteichoicacidprecursorlipidIII(undecaprenyl-PP-GlcNAc) lationandLuminescencecounter.Experimentswereperformedwithbiological waspreparedusingpurifiedTarOenzyme44.Inshort,purifiedrecombinantTarO replicates. proteinwasincubatedinthepresenceof250nmolC -P,2.5mmolofUDP-GlcNAc 55 IntracellularaccumulationofUDP-N-acetyl-muramicacidpentapeptide.Ana- in83mMTris-HCl(pH8.0),6.7mMMgCl2,8.3%(v/v)dimethylsulfoxide,and lysisofthecytoplasmicpeptidoglycannucleotideprecursorpoolwasexamined 10mMN-lauroylsarcosine.Thereactionwasinitiatedbytheadditionof150mgof usingS.aureusATCC29213grownin25mlMHB.CellsweregrowntoanA600nm TarO-His6andincubatedfor3hat30uC.Lipidintermediateswereextractedfrom (OD )of0.6andincubatedwith130mgml21ofchloramphenicolfor15min. thereactionmixtureswithn-butanol/pyridineacetate(pH4.2)(2:1;vol/vol),ana- 600 Teixobactinwasaddedat1,2.5and53MICandincubatedforanother60min. lysedbyTLCandpurified.C55-PandC55-PPwerepurchasedfromLarodanFine Vancomycin(VAN;103MIC),knowntoformacomplexwithlipidII,wasused Chemicals,Sweden.[14C]-C55-PPwassynthesizedusingpurifiedS.aureusUppS aspositivecontrol.Cellswerecollectedandextractedwithboilingwater.Thecell enzymebasedonaprotocolelaboratedforE.coliundecaprenylpyrophosphate extractwasthencentrifugedandthesupernatantlyophilized42.UDP-linkedcellwall synthase47.Synthesiswasperformedusing0.5nmol[14C]-farnesylpyrophosphate precursorswereanalysedbyRP18-HPLC43andconfirmedbyMALDI-ToF44mass (ARC;2.035GBqmmol21),5nmolisopentenylpyrophosphate(Sigma–Aldrich) spectrometry.Experimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. and5mgUppSenzymein100mMHEPES,pH7.6,50mMKCl,5mMMgCl2,and Cloning,overexpressionandpurificationofS.aureusUppSandYbjGasHis6- 0.1%TritonX-100.After3hofincubationat30uCradiolabelledC55-PPwasex- tagfusions.S.aureusN315uppS(SA1103)andybjB(SA0415)wereamplified tractedfromthereactionmixturewithBuOHanddriedundervacuum.Product usingforwardandreverseprimersuppS_FW-59-TCGGAGGAAAGCATATGT identitywasconfirmedbyTLCanalysis.Experimentswereperformedwithbio- TTAAAAAGC-39,uppS_RV-59-ATACTCTCGAGCTCCTCACTC-39,SA0415_ logicalreplicates. FW-59-GCGCGGGATCCATGATAGATAAAAAATTAACATCAC-39andSA0415_ Antagonizationassays.Antagonizationoftheantibioticactivityofteixobactin RV-59-GCGCGCTCGAGAACGCGTTGTCGTCGATGAT-39,respectivelyand bypotentialtargetmoleculeswasperformedbyanMIC-basedsetupinmicrotitre clonedintoamodifiedpET20vector44usingrestrictionenzymesNdeI(uppS)or plates.Teixobactin(83MIC)wasmixedwithpotentialHPLC-purifiedantagonists BamHI(ybjG)andXhoI,togenerateC-terminalHis6-fusionproteins.Recombi- (C55-P,farnesyl-PP[C15-PP;SigmaAldrich],C55-PP,UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide, nantUppS-His enzymewasoverexpressedandpurifiedasdescribedforMurG32. UDP-GlcNAc[SigmaAldrich],lipidI,lipidII,andlipidIII)atafixedmolarratio 6 ForoverexpressionandpurificationofYbjG-His E.coliBL21(DE3)C43cellstrans- (fivefoldmolarexcess)oratincreasingconcentrationswithrespecttotheantibiotic, 6 formedwiththeappropriaterecombinantplasmidweregrownin2YT-medium andthelowestratioleadingtocompleteantagonizationofteixobactinactivitywas (50mgml21ampicillin)at25uC.AtanA600nm(OD600)of0.6,IPTGwasaddedata determined.S.aureusATCC29213(53105c.f.u.perml)wereaddedandsamples concentrationof1mMtoinduceexpressionoftherecombinantproteins.After16h, wereexaminedforvisiblebacterialgrowthafterovernightincubation.Vancomycin cellswereharvestedandresuspendedinbufferA(25mMTris/HCl,pH7.5,150mM (83MIC)wasusedasacontrol.Experimentswereperformedwithbiological NaCl,2mMb-mercaptoethanol,30%glycerol,and1mMMgCl).2mgml21lyso- replicates. 2 zyme,75mgml21DNaseand75mgml21RNasewereadded;cellswereincubated Complexformationofteixobactin.BindingofteixobactintoC -P,C -PP, 55 55 for1honice,sonicatedandtheresultingsuspensionwascentrifuged(20,000g, lipidI,lipidII,lipidII-D-Ala-D-Ser,lipidII-D-Ala-D-LacandlipidIIIwasanal- 30min,4uC).Pelletedbacterialmembraneswerewashedthreetimestoremove ysedbyincubating2nmolofeachpurifiedprecursorwith2to4nmolesofteixo- remainingcytoplasmiccontent.Membraneproteinsweresolubilizedintwosuc- bactinin50mMTris/HCl,pH7.5,for30minatroomtemperature.Complex cessivestepswithbufferAcontaining17.6mMn-dodecyl-b-D-maltoside(DDM). formationwasanalysedbyextractingunboundprecursorsfromthereactionmix- Solubilizedproteinswereseparatedfromcelldebrisbycentrifugation(20,000g, turewithn-butanol/pyridineacetate(pH4.2)(2:1;vol/vol)followedbyTLCana- 30min,4uC)andthesupernatantcontainingrecombinantproteinswasmixedwith lysisusingchloroform/methanol/water/ammonia(88:48:10:1,v/v/v/v)asthesolvent Talon-agarose(Clontech)andpurificationwasperformed42.Puritywascontrolled anddetectionoflipid-containingprecursorsbyphosphomolybdicacidstaining48. bySDS–PAGEandproteinconcentrationwasdeterminedusingBradfordprotein Experimentswereperformedwithbiologicalreplicates. assay(Biorad). hERGinhibitiontesting.TeixobactinwastestedforinhibitionofhERGactivity Invitropeptidoglycansynthesisreactions.Invitropeptidoglycanbiosynthesis usinganIonWorksTMHTinstrument(MolecularDevicesCorporation),which reactionswereperformedasdescribedusingpurifiedenzymesandsubstrates32,45. performselectrophysiologymeasurementsina384-wellplate(PatchPlate).Chinese TheMurGactivityassaywasperformedinafinalvolumeof30mlcontaining hamsterovary(CHO)cellsstablytransfectedwithhERG(cell-lineobtainedfrom 2.5nmolpurifedlipidI,25nmolUDP-N-acetylglucosamine(UDP-GlcNAc)in Cytomyx,UK)werepreparedasasingle-cellsuspensioninextracellularsolution 200mMTris-HCl,5.7mMMgCl,pH7.5,and0.8%TritonX-100inthepresence (Dulbecco’sphosphatebufferedsalinewithcalciumandmagnesiumpH7),and 2 of0.45mgofpurified,recombinantMurG-His enzyme.Reactionmixtureswere aliquotsaddedtoeachwelloftheplate.Thecellswerepositionedoverasmallhole 6 incubatedfor60minat30uC.Forquantitativeanalysis0.5nmolof[14C]-UDP- atthebottomofeachwellbyapplyingavacuumbeneaththeplatetoformanelec- GlcNAc(9.25GBqmmol21;ARC)wasaddedtothereactionmixtures.Theassay tricalseal.Theresistanceofeachsealwasmeasuredviaacommonground-electrode forsynthesisoflipidII–Gly catalysedbyFemXwasperformedasdescribedpre- intheintracellularcompartmentandindividualelectrodesplacedintoeachofthe 1 viouslywithoutanymodifications32,45.EnzymaticactivityofS.aureusPBP2was upperwells.Experimentswereperformedwiththreebiologicalreplicates. determinedbyincubating2nmol[14C]-lipidIIin100mMMES,10mMMgCl, CytochromeP450inhibition.Teixobactinandcontrolcompoundswereincu- 2 pH5.5inatotalvolumeof50ml.Thereactionwasinitiatedbytheadditionof5mg batedwithhumanlivermicrosomesat37uCtodeterminetheireffectonfivemajor PBP2–His6andincubatedfor2.5hat30uC.MonophosphorylationofC55-PPwas humancytochromesP450s(CYP).Theassayincludedprobesubstrates(midazolam carriedoutusingpurifiedS.aureusYbjG–His enzymeasdescribedpreviouslyfor forCyp3A4,testosteroneforCyp3A4,tolbutamideforCyp2C9,dextro-methorphan 6 E.colipyrophosphatase46,withmodifications.0.5nmol[14C]-C -PP(1.017kBq) forCyp2D6,S-mephenytoinforCyp2C19,andphenacetinforCyp1A2,2mM 55 wasincubatedwith0.6mgYbjG-His6in20mMTris/HCl,pH7.5,60mMNaCl, NADPH,3mMMgCl in50mMpotassiumphosphatebuffer,pH7.4.Thefinal 2 0.8%TritonX-100for10minat30uC. microsomalconcentrationwas0.5mgml21.NADPHwasaddedlasttostartthe Inallinvitroassaysteixobactinwasaddedinmolarratiosrangingfrom0.25to assay.Aftertenminutesofincubation,theamountofprobemetaboliteinthesuper- 8withrespecttotheamountof[14C]-C -PP,lipidIorlipidIIand[14C]-lipidII, natantwasdeterminedbyLC/MS/MSusinganAgilent6410massspectrometer 55 respectively.Synthesizedlipidintermediateswereextractedfromthereactionmix- coupledwithanAgilent1200HPLCandaCTCPALchilledautosampler,allcon- tureswithn-butanol/pyridineacetate,pH4.2(2:1;vol/vol)aftersupplementingthe trolledbyMassHuntersoftware(Agilent).Experimentswereperformedwiththree reaction mixture with 1M NaCl and analysed by thin-layer chromatography biologicalreplicates. (TLC).Quantificationwascarriedoutusingphosphoimaging(Stormimagingsys- Invitrogenotoxicity.Teixobactinwastestedinaninvitromicronucleustestthat tem,GEHealthcare)asdescribed32,45.Experimentswereperformedwithbiological employsfluorescentcellimagingtoassesscytotoxicityandquantifymicronuclei. replicates. TheassaywasperformedwithCHO-K1cellsinthepresenceorabsenceofAroclor ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved RESEARCH ARTICLE (toinduceCYPactivity)-treatedratliverS9fraction(containsphaseIandphaseII neutropenicbycyclophosphamide(twoconsecutivedosesof150and100mgper metabolizingenzymes)todetermineifanygenotoxicmetabolitesareproduced. kgdeliveredon4and1daysbeforeinfection).Bacteriawereresuspendedinsterile Noevidenceofgenotoxicitywasobservedwithteixobactinupto125mgml21(the saline,adjustedtoanA (OD )of0.1,anda0.1mlinoculum(2.83105c.f.u. 625nm 625 highestconcentrationtested)undereithercondition.Experimentswereperformed permouse)injectedintotherightthighsofmice.At2hpost-infection,micere- withthreebiologicalreplicates. ceivedtreatmentwithteixobactinat1,2.5,5,10or20mgperkgadministeredina DNAbinding.Compoundswereseriallydilutedandmixedwithshearedsalmon singledose,intravenousinjection(fourmicepergroup).Onegroupofinfectedmice spermDNA(6.6mgml21finalconcentration).Analiquotwasspottedontoa waseuthanizedandthighsprocessedforc.f.u.toserveasthetimeoftreatment lawnofgrowingS.aureusNCTC8325-4cells,andthezonesofgrowthinhibition controls.At26hpost-infectionmicewereeuthanizedbyCO inhalation.Theright 2 measuredafter20hofgrowthat37uC.Areductionintheinhibitionzonesizein thighswereasepticallyremoved,weighed,homogenized,seriallydiluted,andpla- thepresenceofDNAwouldindicatelossofantibacterialactivityduetobindingto tedontrypticasesoyagarforc.f.u.titres. theDNA.Experimentswereperformedwiththreebiologicalreplicates. Mouselunginfectionmodel.TeixobactinwastestedagainstStreptococcuspneu- Plasmaproteinbinding.Proteinbindingofteixobactininratplasmawasdeter- moniaeATCC6301(UNT012-2)inanimmunocompetentmousepneumonia minedusingaRapidEquilibriumDialysis(RED)kit(Pierce)withLC–MS/MSana- modeltodeterminethecompound’spotentialtotreatacuterespiratoryinfections. lysis.Teixobactin(10mgml21)andratplasmain5%dextrosecontaining0.005% CD-1micewereinfectedintranasally(1.53106c.f.u.permouse).Thecompound polysorbate80wereaddedtoonesideofthesingle-useREDplatedialysischamber wasdeliveredintravenouslyat24and36hpost-infection,whereasamoxicillinwas havingan8kDMWcutoffmembrane.Followingfourhoursofdialysisthesamples deliveredsubcutaneouslyatasingleconcentrationtoserveaspositivecontrol.Teix- frombothsideswereprocessedandanalysedbyLC/MS/MS.Theteixobactincon- obactinwasdeliveredatdosesrangingfrom0.5to10mgperkgperdose(5miceper centrationwasdetermined,andthepercentageofcompoundboundtoproteinwas dose).At48hpost-infection,treatedmicewereeuthanized,lungsasepticallyre- calculated.Teixobactinexhibited84%plasmaproteinbinding.Experimentswere movedandprocessedforc.f.u.counts. performedwiththreebiologicalreplicates. Microsomalstability.Themetabolicstabilityofteixobactinwasmeasuredinrat 33. Baker,G.C.,Smith,J.J.&Cowan,D.A.Reviewandre-analysisofdomain-specific 16Sprimers.J.Microbiol.Methods55,541–555(2003). livermicrosomes(Invitrogen/LifeTechnologies,CA)usingNADPHRegeneration 34. Aziz,R.K.etal.TheRASTServer:rapidannotationsusingsubsystemstechnology. System(Promega)bymonitoringthedisappearanceofthecompoundoveran BMCGenomics9,75(2008). incubationperiodoftwohours.Teixobactin(60mgml21)orverapamil(5mM) 35. Auch,A.F.,Klenk,H.P.&Goker,M.Standardoperatingprocedureforcalculating servingaspositivecontrolwereaddedto1mgml21microsomesat37uC.Aliquots genome-to-genomedistancesbasedonhigh-scoringsegmentpairs.Stand. wereremovedat0h,0.5h,1hand2h,andthereactionsstoppedbyadditionof3 GenomicSci.2,142–148(2010). 36. Auch,A.F.,vonJan,M.,Klenk,H.P.&Goker,M.DigitalDNA–DNAhybridizationfor volumesofice-coldacetonitrile.SampleswereanalysedbyLC/MS/MS.Experi- microbialspeciesdelineationbymeansofgenome-to-genomesequence mentswereperformedwiththreebiologicalreplicates. comparison.Stand.GenomicSci.2,117–134(2010). Animalstudies.AllanimalstudieswerecarriedoutatVivisourceLaboratories, 37. Meier-Kolthoff,J.P.,Auch,A.F.,Klenk,H.P.&Goker,M.Genomesequence-based (Waltham,MA),andUniversityofNorthTexasHealthScienceCenter(Houston, speciesdelimitationwithconfidenceintervalsandimproveddistancefunctions. TX),andconformedtoinstitutionalanimalcareandusepolicies.Neitherrandom- BMCBioinformatics14,60(2013). izationnorblindingwasdeemednecessaryfortheanimalinfectionmodels,andall 38. Ro¨ttig,M.etal.NRPSpredictor2–awebserverforpredictingNRPSadenylation domainspecificity.NucleicAcidsRes.39,W362–W367(2011). animalswereused.AllanimalstudieswereperformedwithfemaleCD-1mice, 39. Arhin,F.F.etal.Effectofpolysorbate80onoritavancinbindingtoplasticsurfaces: 6–8-weeksold. implicationsforsusceptibilitytesting.Antimicrob.AgentsChemother.52, Pharmacokineticanalysis.CD-1femalemicewereinjectedintravenouslywitha 1597–1603(2008). singledoseof20mgperkginwaterandshowednoadverseeffects.Plasmasam- 40. Bogdanovich,T.,Ednie,L.M.,Shapiro,S.&Appelbaum,P.C.Antistaphylococcal plesweretakenfrom3micepertimepoint(5,15,30min;1,2,4,8and24hpost- activityofceftobiprole,anewbroad-spectrumcephalosporin.Antimicrob.Agents Chemother.49,4210–4219(2005). dose).Analiquotofplasmasampleorcalibrationsamplewasmixedwiththree 41. Metzler,K.,Drlica,K.&Blondeau,J.M.Minimalinhibitoryandmutantprevention volumesofmethanolcontaininginternalstandard,incubatedonicefor5min,and concentrationsofazithromycin,clarithromycinanderythromycinforclinical centrifuged.Theprotein-freesupernatantwasanalysedbyLC/MS/MSusingan isolatesofStreptococcuspneumoniae.J.Antimicrob.Chemother.68,631–635 Agilent6410massspectrometercoupledwithanAgilent1200HPLCandaCTC (2013). PALchilledautosampler,allcontrolledbyMassHuntersoftware(Agilent).After 42. Schneider,T.etal.ThelipopeptideantibioticFriulimicinBinhibitscellwall separationonaC18reversephaseHPLCcolumn(Agilent)usinganacetonitrile- biosynthesisthroughcomplexformationwithbactoprenolphosphate.Antimicrob. AgentsChemother.53,1610–1618(2009). watergradientsystem,peakswereanalysedbymassspectrometryusingESIion- 43. Bro¨tz,H.,Bierbaum,G.,Reynolds,P.E.&Sahl,H.G.Thelantibioticmersacidin izationinMRMmode.Theproductm/zanalysedwas134.1D,whichprovideda inhibitspeptidoglycanbiosynthesisattheleveloftransglycosylation.Eur.J. lowlimitofquantificationof1ngml21.Themeanplasmaconcentrationandthe Biochem.246,193–199(1997). standarddeviationfromall3animalswithineachtimepointwerecalculated.PK 44. Mu¨ller,A.,Ulm,H.,Reder-Christ,K.,Sahl,H.G.&Schneider,T.InteractionoftypeA parametersoftestagentwerecalculatedwithanon-compartmentalanalysismodel lantibioticswithundecaprenol-boundcellenvelopeprecursors.Microb.Drug Resist.18,261–270(2012). basedonWinNonlin.Themeanplasmaconcentrationsfromall3miceateachtime 45. Schneider,T.etal.Invitroassemblyofacomplete,pentaglycineinterpeptide pointwereusedinthecalculation. bridgecontainingcellwallprecursor(lipidII-Gly5)ofStaphylococcusaureus.Mol. Mousesepsisprotectionmodel.Teixobactinwastestedagainstclinicalisolate Microbiol.53,675–685(2004). S.aureusMRSAATCC33591inamousesepticemiaprotectionassaytoassessits 46. ElGhachi,M.,Derbise,A.,Bouhss,A.&Mengin–Lecreulx,D.Identificationof invivobioavailabilityandPD (protectivedoseresultingin50%survivalofin- multiplegenesencodingmembraneproteinswithundecaprenylpyrophosphate 50 fectedmiceafter48h).CD-1femalemicewereinfectedwith0.5mlofbacterial phosphatase(UppP)activityinEscherichiacoli.J.Biol.Chem.280,18689–18695 suspension(3.283107c.f.u.permouse)viaintraperitonealinjection,aconcentra- (2005). 47. ElGhachi,M.,Bouhss,A.,Blanot,D.&Mengin–Lecreulx,D.ThebacAgeneof tionthatachievesatleast90%mortalitywithin48hafterinfection.Atonehour Escherichiacoliencodesanundecaprenylpyrophosphatephosphataseactivity. post-infection,mice(6pergroup)weretreatedwithteixobactinatsingleintraven- J.Biol.Chem.279,30106–30113(2004). ousdosesof20,10,5,2.5,and1mgperkg.Infectioncontrolmiceweredosedwith 48. Sham,L.T.etal.Bacterialcellwall.MurJistheflippaseoflipid-linkedprecursorsfor vehicleorvancomycin.Survivalisobserved48hafterinfectionandtheprobability peptidoglycanbiogenesis.Science345,220–222(2014). 49. Mohammadi,T.etal.IdentificationofFtsWasatransporteroflipid-linkedcellwall determinedbynon-parametriclog-ranktest.ToobtainthePD theexperiment 50, precursorsacrossthemembrane.EMBOJ.30,1425–1432(2011). wasrepeatedatlowerdoses5,1,0.5,0.25,and0.1mgperkg. 50. Lazarevic,V.&Karamata,D.ThetagGHoperonofBacillussubtilis168encodesa Mousethighinfectionmodel.TeixobactinwastestedagainstMRSAATCC33591 two-componentABCtransporterinvolvedinthemetabolismoftwowallteichoic inaneutropenicmousethighinfectionmodel.FemaleCD-1micewererendered acids.Mol.Microbiol.16,345–355(1995). ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved ARTICLE RESEARCH ExtendedDataFigure1|TheiChip. a–c,TheiChip(a)consistsofacentral suspensionofcellsinmoltenagar,thethrough-holescapturesmallvolumesof plate(b)whichhousesgrowingmicroorganisms,semi-permeablemembranes thissuspension,whichsolidifyintheformofsmallagarplugs.Alternatively, oneachsideoftheplate,whichseparatetheplatefromtheenvironment, moltenagarcanbedispensedintothechambers.Themembranesare andtwosupportingsidepanels(c).Thecentralplateandsidepanelshave attachedandtheiChipisthenplacedinsoilfromwhichthesampleoriginated. multiplematchingthrough-holes.Whenthecentralplateisdippedinto ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved RESEARCH ARTICLE ExtendedDataFigure2|16SrRNAgenephylogenyofEleftheriaterrae. theNeighbour-Joining(NJ)clusteringalgorithm,aswellasoptimizedgap a,ThephylogeneticpositionofE.terraewithintheclassb-proteobacteria.The penalties.Resultingalignmentsweremanuallycuratedandphylogenetictrees 16SrRNAgenesequencesweredownloadedfromEntrezatNCBIusing wereconstructedleveragingPhyML3.0withaTN93substitutionmodel accessionnumbersretrievedfrompeer-reviewedpublications.b,The and500Bootstrapiterationsofbranchsupport.Topologysearchoptimization phylogeneticpositionofE.terraeamongitsclosestknownrelatives.The wasconductedusingtheSubtree–Pruning–Regrafting(SPR)algorithmwith sequencesweredownloadedfromNCBIusingaccessionnumbersretrieved anestimatedTransition–Transversionratioandgammadistribution fromtheRDPClassifierDatabase.Forbothtrees,multiplesequencealignments parametersaswellasfixedproportionsofinvariablesites. (MSA)wereconstructedusingClustalW2,implementingadefaultCostMatrix, ©2015Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved