Question

What are Penicillin binding proteins? What is their normal function in the cell?

What are the targets of antibiotics?

(could this be written as simply as possible and in paragraph form please?)

Answer 1

Penicillin binding proteins (PBP's) are proteins has affinity towards penicillin and they bind to penicillin. PBP's are member of transpeptidase enzyme.

Functions of PBP's-

PBP's functions in final stage of peptidoglyacan synthesis I.e.crosslinking of peptidoglycans. Peptidoglyacan is important for bacterial cell growth, division and to maintaining cell's structure. When penicillin binds to this proteins, protein will get inhibited and results in cell wall irregularity such as elongation, lesion, loss of selective permeability and eventual death of cell .

Targets of antibiotics-

There are generally three main targets of antibiotics-

1)cell wall or plasma membrane synthesis

2)DNA or RNA synthesis machinery

3)protein synthesis machinery (ribosome and associated proteins )