Symmetric Bis-benzimidazoles Are Potent Anti-Staphylococcal Agents with Dual Inhibitory Mechanisms against DNA Gyrase

Various bis-benzimidazole derivatives have been reported to possess activity against Gram-positive pathogens. No mechanism of action has been elucidated to fully account for the antibacterial activity of this class of compounds. A group of symmetric bis-benzimidazoles (BBZ) designed as anticancer agents have previously been shown to possess moderate antiproliferative activity. We sought to assess the antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of BBZ compounds against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. Antibacterial activities were assessed by determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), time-kill curves, and scanning electron microscopy. Transcriptional responses to BBZ treatment were determined using whole genome microarrays. Activities against bacterial type II topoisomerases were investigated using in vitro supercoiling, decatenation, DNA binding, and DNA cleavage inhibition assays. MICs for EMRSA-16 were between 0.03 and 0.5 μg/mL. The compounds showed concentration-dependent bactericidal activity and induced cell swelling and lysis. Transcriptional responses to BBZ were consistent with topoisomerase inhibition and DNA damage. A subset of BBZ compounds inhibited <i>S. aureus</i> DNA gyrase supercoiling activity with IC₅₀ values in the range of 5–10 μM. This inhibition was subsequently shown to operate through both inhibition of binding of DNA gyrase to DNA and accumulation of single-stranded DNA breaks. We conclude that BBZ compounds are potent anti-staphylococcal agents and operate at least in part through DNA gyrase inhibition, leading to the accumulation of single-stranded DNA breaks, and by preventing the binding of gyrase to DNA

Superlinear Composition-Dependent Photocurrent in CVD-Grown Monolayer MoS_{2(1–<i>x</i>)}Se_2<i>x</i> Alloy Devices

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a new class of two-dimensional materials that are promising for electronics and photonics. To date, optoelectronic measurements in these materials have shown the conventional behavior expected from photoconductors such as a linear or sublinear dependence of the photocurrent on light intensity. Here, we report the observation of a new regime of operation where the photocurrent depends superlinearly on light intensity. We use spatially resolved photocurrent measurements on devices consisting of CVD-grown monolayers of TMD alloys spanning MoS₂ to MoSe₂ to show the photoconductive nature of the photoresponse, with the photocurrent dominated by recombination and field-induced carrier separation in the channel. Time-dependent photoconductivity measurements show the presence of persistent photoconductivity for the S-rich alloys, while photocurrent measurements at fixed wavelength for devices of different alloy compositions show a systematic decrease of the responsivity with increasing Se content associated with increased linearity of the current–voltage characteristics. A model based on the presence of different types of recombination centers is presented to explain the origin of the superlinear dependence on light intensity, which emerges when the nonequilibrium occupancy of initially empty fast recombination centers becomes comparable to that of slow recombination centers

Postgrowth Tuning of the Bandgap of Single-Layer Molybdenum Disulfide Films by Sulfur/Selenium Exchange

We demonstrate bandgap tuning of a single-layer MoS₂ film on SiO₂/Si <i>via</i> substitution of its sulfur atoms by selenium through a process of gentle sputtering, exposure to a selenium precursor, and annealing. We characterize the substitution process both for S/S and S/Se replacement. Photoluminescence and, in the latter case, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide direct evidence of optical band gap shift and selenium incorporation, respectively. We discuss our experimental observations, including the limit of the achievable bandgap shift, in terms of the role of stress in the film as elucidated by computational studies, based on density functional theory. The resultant films are stable in vacuum, but deteriorate under optical excitation in air