FtsZ, the ancestral homolog of eukaryotic tubulins, is a GTPase that assembles into a cytokinetic ring structure essential for cell division in prokaryotic cells. Similar to tubulin, purified FtsZ polymerizes into dynamic protofilaments in the presence of GTP; polymer assembly is accompanied by GTP hydrolysis. We used a high-throughput protein-based chemical screen to identify small molecules that target assembly-dependent GTPase activity of FtsZ. Here, we report the identification of five structurally diverse compounds, named Zantrins, which inhibit FtsZ GTPase either by destabilizing the FtsZ protofilaments or by inducing filament hyperstability through increased lateral association. These two classes of FtsZ inhibitors are reminiscent of the antitubulin drugs colchicine and Taxol, respectively. We also show that Zantrins perturb FtsZ ring assembly in Escherichia coli cells and cause lethality to a variety of bacteria in broth cultures, indicating that FtsZ antagonists may serve as chemical leads for the development of new broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Our results illustrate the utility of small-molecule chemical probes to study FtsZ polymerization dynamics and the feasibility of FtsZ as a novel therapeutic target

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The most characteristic OCT features in this young population were prominent retinal thinning, retinal pigment epithelium hyperreflectivity, and excavation of varying severity. OCT imaging is helpful in explaining better than expected vision.

Wolfram syndrome should be in the differential diagnosis of genetic syndromes associated with congenital and early childhood cataracts. Here, we report on a mother who is a phenotypically normal carrier of an autosomal recessive Wolfram syndrome gene, and a father who has some of the findings of the syndrome and carries a single mutation that appears to be responsible for his hearing loss and optic atrophy. Their 2 children are compound heterozygotes and manifest the full Wolfram syndrome, in addition to cataracts.