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Abstract

The protein synthetic machinery is a highly complex apparatus that offers many potential sites for functional interference and represents a major target in the cell for antibiotics. The knowledge of ribosomal structure and function has progressed enormously in recent years, which has, in turn, accelerated our understanding of the mechanism of drug action. Conversely, drugs have been used as tools to probe the translation cycle, thus providing a means to further dissect the multitude of steps involved in protein synthesis. In an era where bacteria are showing an ever-increasing resistance to many clinically relevant antibiotics, the importance of understanding their mechanism of inhibition is essential to the development of novel and more effective replacements.