Molecular Basis of Rhodomyrtone Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus
Li Huang, Miki Matsuo, Carlos Calderón, Sook‐Ha Fan, Aparna Viswanathan Ammanath, Xiaoqing Fu, Ningna Li, Arif Luqman, M. Ullrich, Florian Herrmann, Martin E. Maier, Anchun Cheng, Fajun Zhang, Filipp Oesterhelt, Michael Lämmerhofer, Friedrich Götz
Abstract
regulator gene, causing overexpression of FarE, which most likely acts as a phospholipid (PG) efflux pump, as large amounts of PG were found in the supernatant and the pellet fraction. We show that PG can bind to Rom, thereby abrogating its antimicrobial activity. The direct interaction of Rom with PG suggests that Rom's actual target is the cytoplasmic membrane. Antibiotics that interact with PG are rare. Since Rom can be chemically synthesized, it serves as a lead compound for synthesis of improved variants.