ABSTRACT
A chemical derivative of the thiopeptide GE2270A, designated NAI003, was found to possess a substantially reduced antibacterial spectrum in comparison to the parent compound, being active against just a few Gram-positive bacteria. In particular, NAI003 retained low MICs against all tested isolates of
Propionibacterium acnes
and, to a lesser extent, against
Enterococcus faecalis
. Furthermore, NAI003 showed a time- and dose-dependent killing of both a clindamycin-resistant and a clindamycin-sensitive
P. acnes
isolate. Gel shift experiments indicated that, like the parent compound, NAI003 retained the ability to bind to elongation factors Tu (EF-Tus) derived from
Escherichia coli
,
E. faecalis
, or
P. acnes
, albeit with reduced efficiency. In contrast, EF-Tus derived from the NAI003-insensitive
Staphylococcus aureus
or
Streptococcus pyogenes
did not bind this compound. These results were confirmed by
in vitro
studies using a hybrid translation system, which indicated that NAI003 can inhibit most efficiently protein synthesis driven by the
P. acnes
EF-Tu.
P. acnes
mutants resistant to NAI003 were isolated by direct plating. With one exception, all analyzed strains carried mutations in the
tuf
gene, encoding EF-Tu. Because of its selective effect on
P. acnes
in comparison to resident skin flora, NAI003 represents a promising candidate for the topical treatment of acne, which has already completed a phase 1 clinical study.