A novel membrane protein, VanJ, conferring resistance to teicoplanin.

Bacterial resistance to the glycopeptide antibiotic teicoplanin shows some important differences from the closely related compound vancomycin. They are currently poorly understood but may reflect significant differences in the mode of action of each antibiotic. Streptomyces coelicolor possesses a vanRSJKHAX gene cluster that when expressed confers resistance to both vancomycin and teicoplanin. The resistance to vancomycin is mediated by the enzymes encoded by vanKHAX, but not by vanJ. vanHAX effect a reprogramming of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, which is considered to be generic, conferring resistance to all glycopeptide antibiotics. Here, we show that vanKHAX are not in fact required for teicoplanin resistance in S. coelicolor, which instead is mediated solely by vanJ. vanJ is shown to encode a membrane protein oriented with its C-terminal active site exposed to the extracytoplasmic space. VanJ also confers resistance to the teicoplanin-like antibiotics ristocetin and A47934 and to a broad range of semisynthetic teicoplanin derivatives, but not generally to antibiotics or semisynthetic derivatives with vancomycin-like structures. vanJ homologues are found ubiquitously in streptomycetes and include staP from the Streptomyces toyocaensis A47934 biosynthetic gene cluster. While overexpression of staP also conferred resistance to teicoplanin, similar expression of other vanJ homologues (SCO2255, SCO7017, and SAV5946) did not. The vanJ and staP orthologues, therefore, appear to represent a subset of a larger protein family whose members have acquired specialist roles in antibiotic resistance. Future characterization of the divergent enzymatic activity within this new family will contribute to defining the molecular mechanisms important for teicoplanin activity and resistance.