The filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ) protein is generally recognized as a promising antimicrobial drug target. In the present study, a small organic molecule (tiplaxtinin) was identified for the first time as an excellent cell division inhibitor by using a cell-based screening approach from a library with 250 compounds. Tiplaxtinin possesses potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive pathogens. Both and results reveal that the compound is able to disrupt dynamic assembly of FtsZ and Z-ring formation effectively through the mechanism of stimulating FtsZ polymerization and impairing GTPase activity.

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