Methods of screening for anti-microbial agents and for inhibiting microbial growth

摘要

A method for determining the anti-microbial activity of a putative anti-microbial agent includes combining a microbially required nucleotide phosphatase, a nucleoside phosphate and the substance to be tested, and assessing the extent of degradation of the nucleoside phosphate in the presence and absence of the substance. The method thus allows the determination of the extent of inhibition of the nucleotide phosphatase by the substance. Preferably the method determines the degree of inhibition of an RNA helicase such as DbpA, which acts selectively on prokaryotic ribosomal RNA. Suitable DbpA inhibitors as well as genetic material encoding for an active form of DbpA are used.