Figure 5.

1 binds to undecaprenyl pyrophosphate‐containing cell wall precursors. a) 1 interferes with membrane‐associated steps of PGN and WTA synthesis in vitro. The antibiotic was added in molar ratios from 0.5 to 10 with respect to the amount of the lipid substrate C₅₅P, C₅₅PP, lipid II, or lipid III_WTA used in the individual test system. The amount of reaction product synthesized in the absence of 1 was taken as 100 %. Mean values from three independent experiments are shown. Error bars represent standard deviation. b) 1 forms extraction‐stable complexes with C₅₅PP‐containing purified cell wall precursors including the PGN precursors lipid I and lipid II, the WTA intermediate lipid III_WTA and C₅₅PP. Cell wall intermediates are fully locked in a complex at a twofold molar excess of 1. No complex formation was observed with C₅₅P. Binding of 1 is indicated by a reduction of the amount of free lipid intermediates visible on the TLC. The chromatograms are representative of two independent experiments.