Department of Microbiology & Immunology Seminar: “Recent Advances in Bacterial Cell Wall Biochemistry and New Strategies for Antibiotic Discovery”
Title: “Recent Advances in Bacterial Cell Wall Biochemistry and New Strategies for Antibiotic Discovery”
Speaker:
Atsushi Taguchi, PhD
Assistant Professor
The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
Abstract:
The peptidoglycan cell wall is essential for the survival and morphogenesis of bacteria. Many clinically successful antibiotics, such as beta-lactams and vancomycin, have targeted the peptidoglycan synthesis pathway. However, the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens has become a major public health threat, making the identification of new antibiotic targets a high priority. In this lecture, I am going to provide an overview of peptidoglycan synthesis and discuss the recent discovery of cell wall enzymes that play critical roles in this process. I will highlight biochemical and structural studies that have provided insights into their catalytic mechanisms. These studies provide a basis for antibiotic development that targets these enzymes, and I will talk about screening strategies that enable the identification of small molecules capable of inhibiting their essential function.