RecA: A universal drug target in pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

The spread of bacterial infectious diseases due to the development of resistance to antibiotic drugs in pathogenic bacteria is an emerging global concern. Therefore, the efficacious management and prevention of bacterial infections are major public health challenges. RecA is a pleiotropic recombinase protein that has been demonstrated to be implicated strongly in the bacterial drug resistance, survival and pathogenicity. In this minireview, RecA’s role in the development of antibiotic resistance and its potential as an antimicrobial drug target are discussed. are also referred to as “superbugs” (e.g., Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains H041) (6), as they demonstrate multidrug resistance. As a result, the evolution of antibiotic resistance constitutes a serious problem in the treatment of bacterial infections with financial impacts, since pharmaceutical companies spend millions for the discovery of novel antibacterial drugs (7). Therefore, the development of bactericidal drugs efficacious for the treatment of bacterial infections is of primary concern (8). Herein, the role of the bacterial recombinase RecA as a potential and effective drug target is discussed. © 2018 Frontiers in Bioscience. All Rights Reserved.