Discovery of anti-TB agents that target the cell-division protein FtsZ

作者：Kumar Kunal; Awasthi Divya; Berger William T; Tonge Peter J; Slayden Richard A; Ojima Iwao^*

来源：Future Medicinal Chemistry, 2010, 2(8): 1305-1323.

DOI：10.4155/FMC.10.220

The emergence of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains has made many of the currently available anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs ineffective. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to identify new drug targets. Filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ), a bacterial tubulin homologue, is an essential cell-division protein that polymerizes in a GTP-dependent manner, forming a highly dynamic cytokinetic ring, designated as the Z ring, at the septum site. Other cell-division proteins are recruited to the Z ring and, upon resolution of the septum, two daughter cells are produced. Since inactivation of FtsZ or alteration of FtsZ assembly results in the inhibition of Z-ring and septum formation, FtsZ is a very promising target for novel antimicrobial drug development. This review describes the function and dynamic behaviors of FtsZ and the recent development of FtsZ inhibitors as potential anti-TB agents.

• 出版日期2010-8