Ligand-induced dissociation of the asymmetric homodimer of ristocetin A monitored by 19F NMR spectroscopy

In this paper we demonstrate the use of ¹⁹F-labelled ligands in the study of the therapeutically important vancomycin group of antibiotics. The substantial simplification of spectra that occurs when such labelled ligands are employed is used to study the anticooperativity between ligand binding and dimerisation of ristocetin A. The general utility of ¹⁹F-labelled ligands is demonstrated, with the caveat that the positioning of the label has to be carefully considered. With the growing therapeutic importance of the vancomycin group of glycopeptide antibiotics, such a tool may prove valuable in the detailed study of their mode of action.