How bacteria can inactivate certain classes of antibiotics...

July 27, 2018

Macrolides are a class of antibiotic used to treat respiratory tract, skin, and soft tissue infections especially in patients sensitive to β-lactam antibiotics. But, bacteria can inactivate them with macrolide phosphotransferase enzymes. In this structure, azithromycin is bound near the active site of macrolide 2’-phosphotransferase type I, with guanosine. The large antibiotic binding pocket accommodates a variety of macrolides, explaining the broad-spectrum resistance conferred by these enzymes. PDB ID 5IGI.