Researchers discovered manikomycin, a soil-derived peptide that attacks bacteria in a unique way to bypass existing antibiotic resistance.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Unique Ribosomal Targeting: Manikomycin binds to a site on the bacterial ribosome that has never been targeted by other molecules, allowing it to halt protein synthesis entirely.
- Overcoming Drug Resistance: By attacking the ribosome in a new way and using multiple transport pathways to enter cells, the antibiotic makes it more difficult for pathogens to develop resistance.
- Future Clinical Development: While the chemical structure and binding mechanism are understood, researchers must improve the antibiotic’s stability in the bloodstream before it can be used in humans.
Scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) discovered a new antibiotic that could help fight drug-resistant superbugs, according to research published in Nature.
The study introduces an antibiotic called manikomycin, which is naturally produced by Streptomyces rimosus, a bacterium found in soil. Manikomycin acts by binding to the bacterial ribosome, the molecular machine that makes all the proteins of a cell.
While the ribosome is the target of approximately one-third of currently prescribed antibiotics, manikomycin targets a site of the ribosome that has never been targeted by any other molecule before, said Dmitrii Travin, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Retzky College of Pharmacy.
By attacking the ribosome in this unique way, manikomycin can evade the existing mechanisms pathogens have developed to resist antibiotics. This means bacteria must undergo significant changes to find resistance, said Alexander Mankin, distinguished professor in the Retzky College of Pharmacy.
Researchers at McMaster University in Canada used screening methods to identify the compound, which is produced in small amounts and was previously overshadowed by more abundant antibiotics like oxytetracycline. When manikomycin binds to the ribosome, it interferes with protein production and blocks a specific molecule from exiting the machine, halting protein synthesis.
The researchers also determined how manikomycin enters bacterial cells, finding that it utilizes multiple transport pathways. This characteristic may make it harder for resistance to develop in the future. Additionally, the team examined how the bacteria that produce manikomycin protect themselves from its effects to better understand how to overcome similar resistance strategies in pathogens.
Despite the discovery, manikomycin is not yet ready for clinical use in healthcare settings. The antibiotic does not remain in the bloodstream long enough to efficiently kill bacteria in animals or humans, and several aspects of the molecule must be improved before it can become a medicine, said Mankin.
