How does inhibting bacterial protein synthesis inhibit bacterial division?

[sameeralord]

Hello everyone,

Quick question. I can understand proteins are needed to make everything in the cell, so if you inhibit bacterial protein synthesis, cell division can not occur. However my question is does the DNA replicate and divide, and then the cell can not make other things they want so cell division stops, or it stops before this? For DNA replication you need DNA polymerase, so is this not synthesized if you inhibit bacterial synthesis. Basically just tell me plainly why inhibition of protein biosynthesis in bacteria inhibit bacterial cell divison? Thank you :smile:

[bobze]

Well its complicated because different drugs inhibit synthesis at different stages.

For instance, some drugs or analogs can inhibit transcription, which stops the RNA from being copied from DNA and thus stops protein synthesis.

Other drugs can inhibit translation, (RNA to protein) and directly stop synthesis.

Others still interfere with or destroy specific molecules required for protein synthesis.