Peptide deformylase (PDF) is an essential bacterial metalloenzyme which deformylates the N-formylmethionine of newly synthesized polypeptides and as such represents a novel target for antibacterial chemotherapy. To identify novel PDF inhibitors, we screened a metalloenzyme inhibitor library and identified an N-formylhydroxylamine derivative, BB-3497, and a related natural hydroxamic acid antibiotic, actinonin, as potent and selective inhibitors of PDF. To elucidate the interactions that contribute to the binding affinity of these inhibitors, we determined the crystal structures of BB-3497 and actinonin bound to Escherichia coli PDF at resolutions of 2.1 and 1.75 Å, respectively. In both complexes, the active-site metal atom was pentacoordinated by the side chains of Cys 90, His 132, and His 136 and the two oxygen atoms of N-formyl-hydroxylamine or hydroxamate. BB-3497 had activity against gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and activity against some gram-negative bacteria. Time-kill analysis showed that the mode of action of BB-3497 was primarily bacteriostatic. The mechanism of resistance was via mutations within the formyltransferase gene, as previously described for actinonin. While actinonin and its derivatives have not been used clinically because of their poor pharmacokinetic properties, BB-3497 was shown to be orally bioavailable. A single oral dose of BB-3497 given 1 h after intraperitoneal injection of S. aureus Smith or methicillin-resistant S. aureus protected mice from infection with median effective doses of 8 and 14 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. These data validate PDF as a novel target for the design of a new generation of antibacterial agents.Ribosome-mediated synthesis of proteins starts with a methionine residue. In prokaryotes, the amino group of the methionyl moiety carried by the initiator tRNA fMet is N formylated by formyltransferase prior to its incorporation into a polypeptide. Consequently, N-formylmethionine is always present at the N terminus of a nascent bacterial polypeptide. However, most mature proteins do not retain the N-formyl group or the terminal methionine residue. Following translation, the formyl group is hydrolyzed by peptide deformylase (PDF), which is necessary for further processing at the N terminus by methionine aminopeptidase (32). Deformylation is therefore a crucial step in bacterial protein biosynthesis, and PDF is essential for bacterial growth (23). The gene encoding PDF (def) is present in all sequenced pathogenic bacterial genomes and has no mammalian counterpart, making it an attractive target for antibacterial chemotherapy. Although the enzyme has been known for 30 years, it has proved difficult to isolate and characterize due to its apparent instability. Recently, two X-ray crystal structures and a solution structure of PDF have been determined (5, 9, 12), identifying PDF as a new class of metalloenzyme related in structure to the metalloproteinase superfamily. ...

Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus and C. fetus subsp. venerealis are currently differentiated by tolerance to glycine and by their epidemiology. Analysis of C. fetus DNA by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, after digestion with the restriction endonucleases S m d and SaA, was used to differentiate between the subspecies. All strains presently identified as C. fetus subsp. fetus had a genomic size of 1.1 Mb, whereas the majority of the C. fetus subsp. venerealis strains had a genomic size of 1.3 Mb. An additional group of strains, which were previously described as C. fetus subsp. venereaZis biovar "intermedius" and were able to tolerate higher concentrations of glycine than the rest of the C. fetus subsp. venerealis strains, had an average genome size of 1.5 Mb. We suggest that pulsed-field gel electrophoresis may be useful as an additional aid in the differentiation of C. fetus strains at the subspecies level.Strains of Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus are associated with abortion in sheep and cattle (23)(24)(25)(26). Human infections, which include bacteremia and other systemic infections, especially in immunocompromised patients, have been reported previously (4). The virulence of C. fetus subsp. fetus has been attributed to the presence of an S layer, composed of a protein with a subunit molecular mass of 97 to 149 kDa (5,18,30). In contrast, strains of C. fetus subsp. venerealis have adapted to the bovine genital tract (bovine vibriosis) (23) and are of major concern to the cattle industry due to their ability to cause infertility of cows inseminated with contaminated bull semen (21). Human infections due to C. fetus subsp. venerealis have not been reported (14). Attempts to differentiate between the two subspecies on the basis of fluorescent-antibody assay (17), fatty acid contents (6), and DNA-DNA homology studies (3) have not been successful. Moreover, the ability of the strains to produce H,S or to grow on media containing sodium selenite has also been examined, but the results were difficult to interpret (29). The degree of tolerance to glycine and the epidemiology of the organisms are the two main methods currently available for differentiation.The aim of this study was to assess the use of genomic sizing with the aid of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to differentiate strains of C. fetus at the subspecies level. MATERIALS AND METHODSCulture method for C. fetus. The sources and characteristics of the C. fetus strains are shown in Table 1. Cultures were stored in 20% glycerol (BDH, Toronto, Canada) in peptone broth (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, United Kingdom) at -70°C. When required, the culture broths were thawed and streaked on plates of brain heart infusion agar (Oxoid Ltd.) containing 5% whole defibrinated horse blood (Gibmar Laboratories, Edmonton, Canada). The plates were incubated under microaerobic conditions (10% CO,, 10% H,, 80% N,) at 37°C for up to 72 h. Although all strains have been identified by their original suppliers, their ability to grow at 25"C, microscopic morphology, and oxid...

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Nacubactam is a novel β-lactamase inhibitor with dual mechanisms of action as an inhibitor of serine β-lactamases (classes A and C and some class D) and an inhibitor of penicillin binding protein 2 in Enterobacteriaceae. The safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of intravenous nacubactam were evaluated in single- and multiple-ascending-dose, placebo-controlled studies. Healthy participants received single ascending doses of nacubactam of 50 to 8,000 mg, multiple ascending doses of nacubactam of 1,000 to 4,000 mg every 8 h (q8h) for up to 7 days, or nacubactam of 2,000 mg plus meropenem of 2,000 mg q8h for 6 days after a 3-day lead-in period. Nacubactam was generally well tolerated, with the most frequently reported adverse events (AEs) being mild to moderate complications associated with intravenous access and headache. There was no apparent relationship between drug dose and the pattern, incidence, or severity of AEs. No clinically relevant dose-related trends were observed in laboratory safety test results. No serious AEs, dose-limiting AEs, or deaths were reported. After single or multiple doses, nacubactam pharmacokinetics appeared linear, and exposure increased in an approximately dose-proportional manner across the dose range investigated. Nacubactam was excreted largely unchanged into urine. Coadministration of nacubactam with meropenem did not significantly alter the pharmacokinetics of either drug. These findings support the continued clinical development of nacubactam and demonstrate the suitability of meropenem as a potential β-lactam partner for nacubactam. (The studies described in this paper have been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT02134834 [single ascending dose study] and NCT02972255 [multiple ascending dose study].)

Campylobacter hyointestinalis was isolated from five members of the same family who had previously consumed raw milk. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNAs from the five strains, after digestion with restriction endonuclease SalI, revealed that three strains had identical genome patterns and therefore appeared to be related, whereas the other two had completely different genome patterns and appeared to be unrelated. We report here for the first time the isolation of C. hyointestinalis from family members who had consumed raw milk. Our study also demonstrates the usefulness of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for epidemiologic studies of this unusual campylobacter.