New targets for antibiotics: self assembling ribonucleoprotein complexes

核糖体是一种分子机器，它执行必要的生物 任务：它们合成蛋白质。因此，细菌核糖体是 抗生素。然而，耐药细菌的出现(和生长) 对人类健康构成重大威胁。抵抗进攻的新策略 必须培育出菌株。最近，突破性的结构研究 核糖体实现了一种全新的干扰核糖体的方法： 阻止了它的自我组装。在此，我们建议开发和应用一种新的 测量与实际相伴的结构变化的实验方法 核糖体或其亚基的时间自组装。如果成功，这种方法 将能够识别折叠路径或部分折叠状态 易受攻击的

Ribosomes are molecular machines that carry out an essential biological task: they synthesize proteins. Thus, bacterial ribosomes are logical targets for antibiotics. However, the emergence (and growth of) drug resistant bacteria poses a major threat to human health. New strategies for attacking resistant strains must be developed. Recent, breakthrough structural studies of the ribosome enable an entirely new approach to interfering with the ribosome: preventing its self assembly. Here, we propose to develop and apply a new experimental method for measuring structural changes accompanying the real time self-assembly of the ribosome or its subunits. If successful, this approach will enable identification of folding pathways or partially folded states that may be amenable to attack.