THE commonest form of antibiotic resistance can be defeated by a small change
to the drug molecule, according to Shahriar Mobashery, a chemist at Wayne State
University in Detroit.
Bacteria commonly become resistant to antibiotics by generating enzymes that
attach a phosphate group to the antibiotic molecule in place of a hydroxyl
group. The phosphate group prevents the antibiotic binding to the bacteria,
disarming the drug.
In a paper to be published in the Journal of the American Chemical
Society, Mobashery reports that attaching a second hydroxyl group to the
antibiotic kanamycin A foils this strategy by destabilising the phosphate bond.
鈥淭he enzyme puts the phosphate on, but it can鈥檛 stay put and so it falls off鈥�
says Mobashery. In general, the extra hydroxyl should not alter the
effectiveness of antibiotics.
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