Riboswitches: discovery of drugs that target bacterial gene-regulatory RNAs.

ABSTRACT: Riboswitches are messenger RNA (mRNA) domains that regulate gene function in response to the intracellular concentration of a variety of metabolites and second messengers. They control essential genes in many pathogenic bacteria, thus representing an inviting new class of biomolecular target for the development of antibiotics and chemical-biological tools. In this Account, we briefly review the discovery of riboswitches in the first years of the 21st century and their ensuing characterization over the past decade. We then discuss the progress achieved so far in using riboswitches as a focus for drug discovery, considering both the value of past serendipity and the particular challenges that confront current researchers. Five mechanisms of gene regulation have been determined for riboswitc

SUBMITTER: Deigan KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3193592 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature