Cell-division inhibitors: new insights for future antibiotics.
The growing problem of antibiotic resistance has been exacerbated by the use of new drugs that are merely variants of older overused antibiotics. While it is naive to expect to restrain the spread of resistance without controlling antibacterial usage, the desperate need for drugs with novel targets has been recognized by health organizations, industry and academia alike. The wealth of knowledge available about the bacterial cell-division pathway has aided target-driven approaches to identify novel inhibitors. Here, we discuss the therapeutic potential of inhibiting bacterial cell division, and review the progress made in this exciting new area of antibacterial discovery.
Lock
Rowena L
RL
Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases, University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
Harry
Elizabeth J
EJ
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D015195:Drug Design; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins