Collecting variable-concentration isothermal titration calorimetry datasets in order to determine binding mechanisms

SEDPHAT--a platform for global ITC analysis and global multi-method analysis of molecular interactions

Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments can provide significantly more detailed information about molecular interactions when combined in global analysis. For example, global analysis can improve the precision of binding affinity and enthalpy, and of possible linkage parameters, even for simple bimolecular interactions, and greatly facilitate the study of multi-site and multi-component systems with competition or cooperativity. A pre-requisite for global analysis is the departure from the traditional binding model, including an 'n'-value describing unphysical, non-integral numbers of sites. Instead, concentration correction factors can be introduced to account for either errors in the concentration determination or for the presence of inactive fractions of material. SEDPHAT is a computer program that embeds these ideas and provides a graphical user interface for the seamless combination of biophysical experiments to be globally modeled with a large number of different binding models. It offers statistical tools for the rigorous determination of parameter errors, correlations, as well as advanced statistical functions for global ITC (gITC) and global multi-method analysis (GMMA). SEDPHAT will also take full advantage of error bars of individual titration data points determined with the unbiased integration software NITPIC. The present communication reviews principles and strategies of global analysis for ITC and its extension to GMMA in SEDPHAT. We will also introduce a new graphical tool for aiding experimental design by surveying the concentration space and generating simulated data sets, which can be subsequently statistically examined for their information content. This procedure can replace the 'c'-value as an experimental design parameter, which ceases to be helpful for multi-site systems and in the context of gITC.

Understanding and overcoming aminoglycoside resistance caused by N-6'-acetyltransferase

Aminoglycosides occupy a special niche amongst antibiotics in part because of their broad spectrum of action. Bacterial resistance is however menacing to render these drugs obsolete. A significant amount of work has been devoted to understand and overcome aminoglycoside resistance. This mini-review will discuss aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs), with a special emphasis on the efforts to comprehend and block resistance caused by aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase (AAC(6')).