A key bacterial cytoskeletal cell division protein FtsZ as a novel therapeutic antibacterial drug target

Authors

  • Mujeeb ur Rahman Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8748-8066
  • Ping Wang Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
  • Na Wang Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
  • Yaodong Chen Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3751-0923

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2020.4597

Keywords:

FtsZ, multidrug resistance, cell division, antimicrobial, inhibitors, natural antimicrobial compounds

Abstract

Nowadays, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains initiates the urgent need for the elucidation of the new drug targets for the discovery of antimicrobial drugs. Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ), a eukaryotic tubulin homolog, is a GTP-dependent prokaryotic cytoskeletal protein and is conserved among most bacterial strains. In vitro studies revealed that FtsZ self-assembles into dynamic protofilaments or bundles and forms a dynamic Z-ring at the center of the cell in vivo, leading to septation and consequent cell division. Speculations on the ability of FtsZ in the blockage of cell division make FtsZ a highly attractive target for developing novel antibiotics. Researchers have been working on synthetic molecules and natural products as inhibitors of FtsZ. Accumulating data suggest that FtsZ may provide the platform for the development of novel antibiotics. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the properties of FtsZ protein and bacterial cell division, as well as in the development of FtsZ inhibitors.

The key bacterial cell division protein FtsZ as a novel antibacterial drug target

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Published

03-08-2020

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Reviews

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How to Cite

1.
A key bacterial cytoskeletal cell division protein FtsZ as a novel therapeutic antibacterial drug target. Biomol Biomed [Internet]. 2020 Aug. 3 [cited 2024 Mar. 29];20(3):310-8. Available from: https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/4597

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