A Con Artist: Phenylphenoxybenzamide is not a Glycosyltransferase Inhibitor

To combat bacterial resistance against antibiotics, glycosyltransferase inhibiting molecules, which block the synthesis of the pre-cursor of the bacterial cell wall, need to be discovered and developed. In this study, we demonstrate that phenylphenoxybenzamide, a salicylanilide, is not a glycosyltransferase inhibiting molecule, despite claims in literature to the contrary, and through our work show that glycosyltransferase construct choice and detergent choice are crucial parameters to consider when designing glycosyltransferase assays that aim to discover and develop molecules that inhibit these types of enzymes.