recycling of bacterial peptidoglycan by degrading the polysaccharide backbone. Genetic
deletions of autolysins can impair cell division and growth, suggesting an opportunity for
using small molecule autolysin inhibitors both as tools for studying the chemical biology of
autolysins and also as antibacterial agents. We report here the synthesis and evaluation of a
panel of diamides that inhibit the growth of Bacillus subtilis. Two compounds, fgkc (21) and …