Hyderabad, July 23 -- A breakthrough study by scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, has uncovered a crucial mechanism in bacteria that could have far-reaching implications for both antibiotic development and human health.
Led by Dr Manjula Reddy, the research team has identified a novel "proofreading" step in bacterial cell wall synthesis. Their findings, published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), highlight how bacteria ensure the structural integrity of their protective cell wall- a feature that has long been targeted by antibiotics.
Bacteria build their cell walls using a unique polymer called peptidoglycan, which consists of sugars and short...