Natural Products at Work: Structural Insights into Inhibition of the Bacterial Membrane Protein MraY.

Natural(ly) fit: The X-ray crystal structure of the bacterial membrane protein MraY in complex with its natural product inhibitor muraymycin D2 is discussed. MraY catalyzes one of the membrane-associated steps in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and, therefore, represents a promising target for novel antibiotics. Structural insights derived from the protein-inhibitor complex might now pave the way for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.