Binding inhibitors of the bacterial sliding clamp by design.

The bacterial replisome is a target for the development of new antibiotics to combat drug resistant strains. The β(2) sliding clamp is an essential component of the replicative machinery, providing a platform for recruitment and function of other replisomal components and ensuring polymerase processivity during DNA replication and repair. A single binding region of the clamp is utilized by its binding partners, which all contain conserved binding motifs.