Crystal structures of lactivicin with the penicillin-binding protein (PBP) reveal how this unusual antibiotic interacts with its target. Lactivicin is the only known naturally occurring PBP inhibitor that doesn't contain a β-lactam (a four-membered cyclic amide). The new structures may provide a starting point for more effective antibiotics against bacteria resistant to β-lactam drugs such as penicillin.
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