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

Future Med Chem. 2010 Aug;2(8):1305-23. doi: 10.4155/fmc.10.220.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antitubercular Agents / chemistry
  • Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacteria / drug effects
  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects*
  • Tuberculosis / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Antitubercular Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • FtsZ protein, Bacteria