The non-mevalonate pathway constitutes a source of novel drug targets. This biosynthetic route is essential for pathogens but is absent in humans. Our systematic evaluation of the druggability of all enzymes provides a convenient way of selecting targets that should be most easily inhibited by small-molecule drugs. We found that not every target is equally druggable and we identified novel, druggable, potentially allosteric sites. These results should accelerate the development of anti-infective drugs with a novel mode of action, which are needed ever more urgently in light of the rapid emergence of drug-resistant strains.
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