PolC is the polymerase responsible for genome duplication in many Gram-positive bacteria and represents an attractive target for antibacterial development. We have determined the 2.4-Å resolution crystal structure of Geobacillus kaustophilus PolC in a ternary complex with DNA and dGTP. The structure reveals nascent base pair interactions that lead to highly accurate nucleotide incorporation. A unique ␤-strand motif in the PolC thumb domain contacts the minor groove, allowing replication errors to be sensed up to 8 nt upstream of the active site. PolC exhibits the potential for large-scale conformational flexibility, which could encompass the catalytic residues. The structure suggests a mechanism by which the active site can communicate with the rest of the replisome to trigger proofreading after nucleotide misincorporation, leading to an integrated model for controlling the dynamic switch between replicative and repair polymerases. This ternary complex of a cellular replicative polymerase affords insights into polymerase fidelity, evolution, and structural diversity.DNA polymerase III ͉ DNA replication ͉ Gram-positive polymerase ͉ polymerase and histidinol phosphatase (PHP) ͉ ternary complex D NA polymerases are the enzymes responsible for DNA synthesis. Cellular organisms typically use multiple DNA polymerase types. The ''replicative'' polymerase performs the bulk of genome duplication, whereas various specialty polymerases repair damaged DNA and resolve Okazaki fragments. Across every kingdom of life, replicative polymerases exhibit certain hallmarks such as high fidelity, speed, and processivity (1). Polymerase holoenzyme accessory proteins play an integral role in achieving the extraordinary efficiency and accuracy of the replicative polymerase complex. These include a ''sliding clamp'' that encircles the DNA and increases processivity (2).Bacterial replicative polymerases comprise the C family of DNA polymerases (3) and differ significantly from the replicative polymerases of eukaryotes, bacteriophage, and archaea, which belong to the B family. The major C family replicative polymerases are DnaE (PolIII), found primarily in Gram-negative bacteria, and PolC (PolIIIC), found primarily in Gram-positive bacteria (4). Apoenzyme crystal structures of DnaE have revealed surprising structural differences in the catalytic center of the enzyme compared with B family polymerases, suggesting a separate evolutionary origin for the C family (5, 6).As the core component of the replicative polymerase complex in Gram-positive pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, PolC has received considerable attention as a potential target for antibacterial drug discovery (7,8). No currently marketed antibiotics target the central replication apparatus, making PolC a novel target for antibacterial development. Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria are separated by Ͼ1 billion years of evolution, and PolC and DnaE share Ͻ20% sequence identity; PolC is further differentiated from DnaE by domain rearrangements and by the presence of an ...

REP3123 demonstrated a favourable microbiological profile and was found to target C. difficile with high specificity and selectivity.

No abstract

REP8839 is a novel methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetS) inhibitor with potent antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and other clinically important gram-positive bacteria but little activity against gram-negative bacteria. All isolates of S. aureus, including strains resistant to methicillin, mupirocin, vancomycin, and linezolid were susceptible to REP8839 at concentrations of <0.5 g/ml. REP8839 was also active against Staphylococcus epidermidis, including multiply resistant strains (MIC, <0.25 g/ml). All S. pyogenes isolates were susceptible to REP8839 at concentrations of <0.25 g/ml, suggesting that MetS2, a second enzyme previously identified in Streptococcus pneumoniae, was not present in this organism. REP8839 was highly bound to the protein of human serum, and activity was not greatly influenced by inoculum size but was affected by pH, exhibiting optimal antibacterial activity in a neutral medium rather than a weak acidic medium. Like mupirocin, REP8839 exhibited bacteriostatic activity against key pathogens. The emergence of mupirocin resistance in S. aureus highlights the need for a new topical antibiotic with the ability to inhibit high-level mupirocin-resistant strains and other emerging phenotypes, such as vancomycinresistant and community-acquired methicillin-resistant isolates.

Bacterial protein synthesis is the target for numerous natural and synthetic antibacterial agents. We have developed a poly(U) mRNA-directed aminoacylation/translation protein synthesis system composed of phenyltRNA synthetases, ribosomes, and ribosomal factors from Escherichia coli. This system, utilizing purified components, has been used for high-throughput screening of a small-molecule chemical library. We have identified a series of compounds that inhibit protein synthesis with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 s) ranging from 3 to 14 M. This series of compounds all contained the same central scaffold composed of tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ol (e.g., 4H-pyridopyrimidine). All analogs contained an ortho pyridine ring attached to the central scaffold in the 2 position and either a five-or a six-member ring tethered to the 6-methylene nitrogen atom of the central scaffold. These compounds inhibited the growth of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis, with MICs ranging from 0.25 to 32 g/ml. Macromolecular synthesis (MMS) assays with E. coli and S. aureus confirmed that antibacterial activity resulted from specific inhibition of protein synthesis. Assays were developed for the steps performed by each component of the system in order to ascertain the target of the compounds, and the ribosome was found to be the site of inhibition.