On the road to bacterial cell death.
How do antibiotics actually work? Although the primary cellular targets of many antimicrobial agents have been identified, the downstream events leading to bacterial cell death remain unclear. In this issue, Kohanski et al. (2007) provide evidence that the production of reactive oxygen species is a shared mechanism of cell death initiated by bactericidal antibiotics.
Wright
Gerard D
GD
Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3Z5, Canada. wrightge@mcmaster.ca
D000667:Ampicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002952:Citric Acid Cycle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004249:DNA Damage; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical / Q000378:metabolism*; D007612:Kanamycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects*; D009154:Mutation; D009243:NAD / Q000378:metabolism; D009643:Norfloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011938:Rec A Recombinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors