Bacterial cell division proteins as antibiotic targets

den Blaauwen, T; Andreu, JM; Monasterio O.

Abstract

Proteins involved in bacterial cell division often do not have a counterpart in eukaryotic cells and they are essential for the survival of the bacteria. The genetic accessibility of many bacterial species in combination with the Green Fluorescence Protein revolution to study localization of proteins and the availability of crystal structures has increased our knowledge on bacterial cell division considerably in this century. Consequently, bacterial cell division proteins are more and more recognized as potential new antibiotic targets. An international effort to find small molecules that inhibit the cell division initiating protein FtsZ has yielded many compounds of which some are promising as leads for preclinical use. The essential transglycosylase activity of peptidoglycan synthases has recently become accessible to inhibitor screening. Enzymatic assays for and structural information on essential integral membrane proteins such as MraY and FtsW involved in lipid II (the peptidoglycan building block precursor) biosynthesis have put these proteins on the list of potential new targets. This review summarises and discusses the results and approaches to the development of lead compounds that inhibit bacterial cell division. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Más información

Título según WOS: Bacterial cell division proteins as antibiotic targets
Título según SCOPUS: Bacterial cell division proteins as antibiotic targets
Título de la Revista: BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Volumen: 55
Editorial: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
Fecha de publicación: 2014
Página de inicio: 27
Página final: 38
Idioma: English
DOI:

10.1016/j.bioorg.2014.03.007

Notas: ISI, SCOPUS