Pairwise testing of Lentzea strains against Mycobacterium smegmatis to search for and identify new anti-tuberculosis compounds

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. Therefore, immediate discovery of new antibiotic compounds is crucial for counteracting the evolving antibiotic resistance in strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related species. Previous studies have shown that a soil bacterium, Lentzea kentuckyensis, can biosynthesize lassomycin, a peptide that has the ability to kill multi-drug resistant M. tuberculosis. Two Lentzea strains were grown and observed to exhibit inhibitory activity against M. smegmatis. The active compounds were extracted and analyzed by mass spectrometry. Structure elucidation of the molecules by NMR spectroscopy is ongoing. Further studies will focus on determining the mechanism of action of the active compounds. Characterizing these metabolites will provide a better understanding of how Lentzea strains both interact with and defend themselves against competing microbes, such as mycobacteria.