Description: Teixobactin, a naturally occuring antibiotic discovered in a screen of uncultured bacteria, is a novel peptide-like secondary metabolite of some species of bacteria, that kills some gram-positive bacteria, and has the the potential to overcome drug resistance. It appears to belong to a new class of antibiotics, and harms bacteria by binding to lipid II and lipid III, important precursor molecules for forming the cell wall. Teixobactin is an inhibitor of cell wall synthesis. It acts primarily by binding to lipid II, a precursor to peptidoglycan. Lipid II is also targeted by the antibiotic vancomycin. Binding of teixobactin to lipid precursors inhibits production of the peptidoglycan layer, leading to lysis of vulnerable bacteria. Teixobactin was discovered using a new method of culturing bacteria in soil, which allowed researchers to grow a previously unculturable bacterium now named Eleftheria terrae, which produces the antibiotic. Teixobactin was shown to kill Staphylococcus aureus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.