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Science 9 March 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5817, p. 1333
DOI: 10.1126/science.315.5817.1333g
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Figure 1 The bacterial cell wall is built by glycosyltransferase (GT) and transpeptidase (TP) enzymes. Penicillin and related antibiotics act on TP enzymes, but bacterial resistance is developing against these antibiotics. GT enzymes are an attractive target for new drugs because they are essential and are membrane bound and thus accessible. Lovering et al. (p. 1402; see the Perspective by Wright) have determined the crystal structure of penicillin-binding protein 2, a bifunctional enzyme from Staphylococcus aureus that contains both a GT and a TP domain. Structures with and without the inhibitor moenomycin bound in the GT domain provide insight into the mechanism of cell-wall biosynthesis and provide a starting point for structure-based design of antibacterials.

CREDIT: LOVERING ET AL.




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