Other

Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft

Novacta Biosystems Limited

Bruker Daltonik Gmbh

Gabriele Bierbaum

Klaus-Peter Koller

Michael John Dawson

Jesus Cortes Bargallo

Steven Boakes

Antony Nicholas Appleyard

Christiane Szekat

Nahed Alsabti

Michaele Josten

Marion Reif

Brian Arthur Michael Rudd

Anja Hoffmann

Stephanie Schmitz

Hans Georg Sahl

The invention provides a method for identifying methicillin resistant(MRSA) in a bacterial sample comprising the steps: classifying bacteria in the sample as(SA) and determining the presence or absence of the phenol soluble modulin peptide or a variant thereof wherein the presence of the PSM-mec peptide or variant thereof indicates methicillin resistant. The variant is preferably the formylated version of the PSM-mec peptide having a mass to charge ratio of 2415 in a singly protonated state.

Identification of methicillin resistant(MRSA)

The present invention relates to methods and products for improved production of the lantibiotic mersacidin. There is provided a method of producing a mersacidin variant which comprises introducing into a cell which is a &#x394;MrsA host cell an expression vector encoding said variant, and recovering said variant from the cell culture. Preferred variants include the novel variants of Table 1, e.g. mersacidin F3W, said mersacidin F3W optionally having a further one or more variations, e.g. mersacidin F3W G8A. Also provided is acell which is a SigH deficient strain ofsp. HIL Y-85,54728 (NCIMB Accession Number NCIMB 41211); this cell may also be used in the production of mersacidin and its variants. Further aspects of the invention include a DNA cassette which comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding the mersacidin mrsA propeptide, and a method to transform aHIL host cell with plasmid, which method includes the step of electroporation.

F3W variants of the lantibiotic mersacidin and its use

The present invention refers in particular to the structural gene sequence of the peptide antibiotic mersacidin. Sequencing revealed that premersacidin consists of an unusually long 48 amino acid leader sequence and a 20 amino acid propeptide part (Seq. ID No:1) which is modified during biosynthesis to the mature lantibiotic.

Recombinant mersacidin and a method for production

Growing community of inventors

Bonn, Germany

Gabriele Bierbaum