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RNase P as a Drug Target

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Ribonuclease P

Part of the book series: Protein Reviews ((PRON,volume 10))

Abstract

The indispensability of RNase P for cell survival and its distinct architecture in Bacteria and Eukarya qualify this ribonucleoprotein enzyme as a potential drug target, although natural inhibitors of bacterial RNase P have not yet been identified. We report on the various attempts pursued so far to explore RNase P as a drug target. After an introduction into the topic and a brief historic synopsis, we will discuss antisense-based strategies, will detail recent advancements with respect to aminoglycoside-arginine conjugates, and will describe in silico-based high-throughput screening procedures that target the bacterial RNase P protein. The reader will be further updated on low molecular weight compounds that inhibit the activity of RNase P from the slime mold Dictyostelium, an amoebic eukaryote that might serve as a model system for some human pathogens. The chapter will finally be closed by mentioning ligands that bind to tRNA substrates as well as the macrolides which were reported to activate bacterial RNase P.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6, D-35037, Marburg, Germany

    Dagmar K. Willkomm, Patrick Pfeffer, Klaus Reuter, Gerhard Klebe & Roland K. Hartmann

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  1. Dagmar K. Willkomm
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  2. Patrick Pfeffer
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  3. Klaus Reuter
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  4. Gerhard Klebe
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  5. Roland K. Hartmann
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Correspondence to Roland K. Hartmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Warren Hall 140, Berkeley, 94720, U.S.A.

    Fenyong Liu

  2. Dept. Molecular, Cellular &, Yale University, Whitney Avenue 266, New Haven, 06520-8104, U.S.A.

    Sidney Altman

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Willkomm, D.K., Pfeffer, P., Reuter, K., Klebe, G., Hartmann, R.K. (2010). RNase P as a Drug Target. In: Liu, F., Altman, S. (eds) Ribonuclease P. Protein Reviews, vol 10. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1142-1_13

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