COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say better, more effective antibiotics may be a result of the discovery of how a key component of bacteria behaves, it was reported Friday.
The researchers studied a mechanism of action they call the "magic spot," an important regulator of gene expression, which they discuss in the current issue of the journal Cell.
Researchers know that the magic spot, a molecule called guanosine-tetraphosphate or ppGpp, is involved in how bacteria respond to amino acid starvation.
More recently, researchers discovered that ppGpp is an important part of pathogens that cause illnesses such as cholera and Legionnaires' disease.
"Microbiologists have wondered for a half-century how this small molecule with a relatively simple structure could have such a profound effect on regulating a cell's survival," said Irina Artsmovitch, a study co-author and an assistant professor of microbiology at Ohio State University.
