MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DRUG-INHIBITION OF DNA GYRASE

DNA gyrase, an enzyme unique to prokaryotes, has been implicated in al most all processes that involve DNA. Although efficient inhibitors of this protein have been known for more than 20 years, none of them have enjoyed prolonged pharmaceutical success. It is only recently that th e mechanisms of inhibition for some of these classes of drugs have bee n established unequivocally by X-ray crystallography. It is hoped that this detailed structural information will assist the design of novel, effective inhibitors of DNA gyrase.