Scientists show that Resistance to Aminoglycoside Antibiotics is Due in Part to Target Mimicry

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious public health problem. The emergence of “superbugs” — pathogenic bacteria that can survive the effects of most commonly used antibiotics – significantly compromises existing treatments against infectious diseases. The predominant mechanism of resistance to aminoglycosides, a class of bactericidal antibiotics that are widely used in hospitals, is enzyme-catalyzed chemical modification of the drug. One of the enzymes that catalyze antibiotic detoxification is aminoglycoside kinase (3’) type IIIa [APH(3’)-IIIa]. Researchers from McGill University have obtained three-dimensional structures of this enzyme with two structurally diverse aminoglycoside antibiotics bound in the active site. These structures provide insight into how the enzyme is able to detoxify many different aminoglycosides, and suggest novel treatments. Scientists show that Resistance to Aminoglycoside Antibiotics is Due in Part to Target Mimicry