Fatty Acid Biosynthesis: An Updated Review on KAS Inhibitors

Since the early twentieth century, with the isolation of penicillin and streptomycin in the 1940s, the modern era of anti-infective drug development has gained momentum. Due to the enormous success of early drug discovery, many infectious diseases were successfully prevented and eradicated. However, this initial hope was wrongheaded, and pathogens evolved as a significant threat to human health. Drug resistance develops as a result of natural selection's relentless pressure, necessitating the identification of new drug targets and the creation of chemotherapeutics that bypass existing drug resistance mechanisms. Fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS) is a crucial metabolic mechanism for bacteria during their growth and development. Several crucial enzymes involved in this biosynthetic pathway have been identified as potential targets for new antibacterial agents. In Escherichia coli (E. coli), this pathway has been extensively investigated. The present review focuses on progress in the development of Kas A, Kas B, and Fab H inhibitors as mono-therapeutic antibiotics.

An Experimental Toolbox for Structure-Based Hit Discovery for P. aeruginosa FabF, a Promising Target for Antibiotics

FabF (3-oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] synthase 2), which catalyses the rate limiting condensation reaction in the fatty acid synthesis II pathway, is an attractive target for new antibiotics. Here, we focus on FabF from P. aeruginosa (PaFabF) as antibiotics against this pathogen are urgently needed. To facilitate exploration of this target we have set up an experimental toolbox consisting of binding assays using bio-layer interferometry (BLI) as well as saturation transfer difference (STD) and WaterLOGSY NMR in addition to robust conditions for structure determination. The suitability of the toolbox to support structure-based design of FabF inhibitors was demonstrated through the validation of hits obtained from virtual screening. Screening a library of almost 5 million compounds resulted in 6 compounds for which binding into the malonyl-binding site of FabF was shown. For one of the hits, the crystal structure in complex with PaFabF was determined. Based on the obtained binding mode, analogues were designed and synthesised, but affinity could not be improved. This work has laid the foundation for structure-based exploration of PaFabF.

Short and Efficient Synthesis of Alkyl- and Aryl-Ortho-Hydroxy-Anilides and their Antibiotic Activity

Ortho-hydroxy-anilides are part of natural products like the new antibiotics platencin (A) and platensimycin (B). An important step in the total synthesis of these antibiotics or their derivatives is the preparation of the o-hydroxy-anilide partial structure. The presented method allows the preparation of o-hydroxy-anilides and o-dihydroxy-anilides from 2-nitrophenol esters in a one-step synthesis without protecting the hydroxy group. Aryl- and alkyl-anilides were prepared following this method as simple analogues of platensimycin (A). The resulting compounds were tested in an agar diffusion assay for their antibiotic potency.

Bioactive prenylated phenyl derivatives derived from marine natural products: novel scaffolds for the design of BACE inhibitors

Bioassay guided-fractionation of active extracts from the sponge Sarcotragus sp. led to the isolation biochemical characterization and development of a chemistry program of bioactive prenylated phenyl derivatives.

Proteomic signature of fatty acid biosynthesis inhibition available for in vivo mechanism-of-action studies

Fatty acid biosynthesis is a promising novel antibiotic target. Two inhibitors of fatty acid biosynthesis, platencin and platensimycin, were recently discovered and their molecular targets identified. Numerous structure-activity relationship studies for both platencin and platensimycin are currently being undertaken. We established a proteomic signature for fatty acid biosynthesis inhibition in Bacillus subtilis using platencin, platensimycin, cerulenin, and triclosan. The induced proteins, FabHA, FabHB, FabF, FabI, PlsX, and PanB, are enzymes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and thus linked directly to the target pathway. The proteomic signature can now be used to assess the in vivo mechanisms of action of compounds derived from structure-activity relationship programs, as demonstrated for the platensimycin-inspired chromium bioorganometallic PM47. It will further serve as a reference signature for structurally novel natural and synthetic antimicrobial compounds with unknown mechanisms of action. In summary, we described a proteomic signature in B. subtilis consisting of six upregulated proteins that is diagnostic of fatty acid biosynthesis inhibition and thus can be applied to advance antibacterial drug discovery programs.

7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin: more potent analogs of platensimycin

Carbonyl ylide cycloaddition strategy was employed in the synthesis of platensimycin analogs. 7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin are more potent analogs of platensimycin.

Isoplatensimycin: Synthesis and biological evaluation

Isoplatensimycin, a novel analog of platensimycin, was synthesized via intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition of a carbonyl ylide. Isoplatensimycin showed little activities against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, but exhibited activities against some vancomycin-resistant enteroccoci.