Antibiotic-induced accumulation of lipid II sensitizes bacteria to antimicrobial fatty acids

Antibiotic tolerance and antibiotic resistance are the two major obstacles to the efficient and reliable treatment of bacterial infections. Identifying antibiotic adjuvants that sensitize resistant and tolerant bacteria to antibiotic killing may lead to the development of superior treatments with improved outcomes. Vancomycin, a lipid II inhibitor, is of major clinical importance for the treatment of Gram-positive bacterial infections. Here we show that unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and vancomycin act synergistically to rapidly kill S. aureus, including vancomycin tolerant and resistant populations. Our results suggest that antibiotic-mediated accumulation of lipid II at the septum facilitates membrane invasion by antimicrobial UFAs. UFA-vancomycin dual treatment generates large fluid patches of flexible lipids in the membrane leading to protein delocalization, aberrant septal formation, and loss of membrane integrity. This mechanism of synergy may be exploited for the development of new antibiotic therapies that target lipid II to combat both antibiotic tolerance and resistance.