top of page
< Back

Cycloserine


Mechanism of action:

Cycloserine is an amino acid analog antibiotic. Cycloserine inhibits the activity of D-alanine racemase, preventing L-alanine from being converted into D-alanine, which is one of the components of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan. Cycloserine also inhibits D-alanine-D-alanine ligase, preventing the formation of D-alanine-D-alanine and thereby blocking peptidoglycan synthesis as well.

Reference(s):

1. Belanger AE et al. (2000). Genetic analysis of peptidoglycan biosynthesis in mycobacteria: characterization of a ddlA mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis. J Bacteriol. 


2. Noda M et al. (2004). Self-protection mechanism in D-cycloserine-producing Streptomyces lavendulae: gene cloning, characterization, and kinetics of its alanine racemase and D-alanyl-D-alanine ligase, which are target enzymes of D-cycloserine. J Biol Chem.

bottom of page