A bio-informatics approach to identify new drug targets in multidrug-resistant bacteria

F0F1 ATP synthase subunit C is identified as a conserved, essential membrane drug target in 11 multidrug-resistant bacterial species.

• Why it matters: Addressing antibiotic resistance requires new targets that are unique to bacteria and conserved across multiple species to develop broad-spectrum antibiotics.
• What they did: A stepwise subtractive genomics approach was used to screen for membrane proteins that are essential, non-homologous to humans, and present in various bacteria, leading to the identification of F0F1 ATP synthase subunit C.
• The result: This discovery provides a promising candidate for novel antibiotics, potentially enabling the development of drugs effective against multiple resistant bacterial pathogens.