[S11-3] Cryo-EM analyses of new antibiotics-bound ribosomes for measures to prevent multidrug resistance
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the serious problem since it overrides therapeutic antibiotics which are commonly used in healthcare. The number of the case is dramatically increasing recent years and it is estimated to overtake the death from cancer in 2050. Therefore, measures of the multidrug resistant bacterial infections are urgently needed. The one of major targets of antibiotics in pathogen is the ribosome, which is the platform of the translational machineries in cells. Thus, in terms of the prevention to infectious diseases by drug development, it is essential to understand how antibiotics bind to the ribosome, inhibiting the protein synthesis in the cell. Single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is the powerful technique to determine the structure of antibiotic-bound bacterial ribosomes. In this technique, the ribosome is embedded in vitrified ice layer and observed directly is the transmission electron microscope. Subsequent image analysis allows us to observe antibiotic bindings on ribosomes. Provided structural insights is valuable for the new antibiotic developments, overcoming antimicrobial bacterial infection. In this presentation, I overview how we determine structures of antibiotic-bound ribosomes by cryo-EM. Some examples of our trials of new antibiotic developments will be presented.