Examining Inhibition Activity and Binding Sites of Piericidins against Vibrio cholerae

Piericidins are large group of structurally related compounds produced by the gram-positive bacteria actinomycetes, mainly from the genus Streptomyces known to produce lots of different antibiotics. Marine and terrestrial streptomyces species are found in symbiosis with creatures which produce different mixtures of antibiotics giving these creatures antifungal antibiotic properties to fight off pathogenic microorganisms. Piericidins are known to display a wide array of antimicrobial activities and inhibit the respiratory chain in several bacteria. The natural product has many derivatives and are particularly potent against a wide array of pathogenic bacteria; however, the potency of piericidin and its derivatives have not been tested thoroughly against Vibrio cholerae. Moreover, while the bioactivities of piericidin compounds against a variety of bacteria have been studied, the binding sites for piericidins in the respiratory enzyme of Vibrio cholerae have not yet been explored, which is an area aim 2 intends to further explore in order to understand piericidin interaction with amino acid residues that could potentially lead to the development of a potent drug used to combat antibiotic resistant pathogens