Antibody-catalyzed cleavage of the D-Ala-D-Lac depsipeptide: an immunological approach to the problem of vancomycin resistance

Synthetic strategies of phosphonodepsipeptides

Phosphonodepsipeptides are phosphorus analogues of depsipeptides and phosphonate-linked analogues of naturally occurring peptides. They are more stable than phosphonopeptides and have been widely applied as enzyme inhibitors, haptens for the production of antibodies, biological agents, and prodrugs. The synthetic strategies towards phosphonodepsipeptides are reviewed, including the phosphonylation of hydroxy esters with phosphonochloridates, the condensation of phosphonic monoesters and hydroxy esters, the alkylation of phosphonic monoesters with 1-(alkoxycarbonyl)alkyl halides or sulfonates, multicomponent condensation of amides, aldehydes, and dichlorophosphites followed by alcoholysis with hydroxy esters, the phosphinylation of hydroxy esters with phosphonochloridites followed by oxidation, and the carbene insertion of N-protected amino acids with 1-diazoalkylphosphonates. This review includes the synthesis of α-, β-, and γ-phosphonodepsipeptides and phosphonodepsipeptides with C-1-hydroxyalkylphosphonic acids.

Discovery of Peptide Antibiotics Composed of d-Amino Acids

A paucity of viable programs and pipelines for the discovery of new antibiotics poses a significant public health threat. The emergence of resistant strains against vancomycin is particularly dangerous in hospital settings. Here, we report the design of enantiomeric targets based on bacterial cell wall biosynthesis precursors that allow for selection and identification of short linear, cyclic and bicyclic peptides that are composed of d-amino acids. These compounds are active against Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci that possess moderately high antibacterial activity and furthermore display no toxicity to both human red blood cells and mammalian cells at these concentrations. This 'mirror image phage display' approach yielded templates that can serve as scaffolds for further improvements in activity-based structural modifications. This strategy has the potential to provide a new class of antimicrobials that are metabolically stable and have the promise for oral delivery. The use of this platform combined with traditional medicinal chemistry approaches could rapidly yield large numbers of new therapeutic lead compounds.

Vancomycin resistance: occurrence, mechanisms and strategies to combat it

Vancomycin has long been considered the antibiotic of last resort against serious and multi-drug-resistant infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. However, vancomycin resistance has emerged, first in enterococci and, more recently, in Staphylococcus aureus. Here, the authors attempt to review the prevalence and the mechanisms of such resistance. Furthermore, they focus on strategies that have been developed or are under current investigation to overcome infections caused by vancomycin-resistant strains. Among these are glycopeptide derivatives with higher potency than vancomycin, small molecules that resensitise bacteria to the antibiotic and novel non-glycopeptide antibiotics. These agents are targeted to interfere with protein and/or peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis and integrity or with membrane permeability. Whilst most of these agents are still in clinical or preclinical development, some have entered the clinic and currently represent the only option for treating vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).

Phage-display selection of a human single-chain fv antibody highly specific for melanoma and breast cancer cells using a chemoenzymatically synthesized G(M3)-carbohydrate antigen

Overexpression of the cell-surface glycosphingolipid G(M3) is associated with a number of different cancers, including those of the skin, colon, breast, and lung. Antibodies against the G(M3) epitope have potential application as therapeutic agents in the treatment of these cancers. We describe the chemoenzymatic synthesis of two G(M3)-derived reagents and their use in the panning of a phage-displayed human single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody library derived from the blood of cancer patients. Three scFv-phage clones, GM3A6, GM3A8, and GM3A15, were selected for recombinant expression and were characterized using BIAcore and flow cytometry. BIAcore measurements using the purified, soluble scFvs yielded dissociation constants (K(d)) ranging from 4.2 x 10(-7) to 2.1 x 10(-5) M. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the ability of each scFv to discriminate between normal human cells (human dermal fibroblast, HDFa), melanoma cells (HMV-1, M21, and C-8161), and breast cancer cells (BCM-1, BCM-2, and BMS). GM3A6 displayed cross-reactivity with normal cells, as well as tumor cells, and GM3A15 possessed little or no binding activity toward any of the cell lines tested. However, GM3A8 bound to five of the six tumor cell lines and showed no measurable reactivity against the HDFa cells. Hence, we have demonstrated that a synthetic G(M3) panning reagent can be used to isolate a fully human scFv that is highly specific for native G(M3) on the surface of tumor cells. The result is a significant step toward effective immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.