Enols as potent antibacterial agents

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 4-hydroxy-4-(pyridyl)alk-3-en-2-ones

4-Hydroxy-4-(pyridyl)alk-3-en-2-ones were prepared by base-mediated condensation of ketones with pyridinecarboxylates. Several derivatives show weak antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Immobilization of a Novel Antibacterial Agent on Solid Phase and Subsequent Isolation of EF-Tu

Screening of our compound collection identified PNU-92560, a 2-[1,3,4]thiadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carboxamide, as a novel antibacterial agent. Extensive analogue development identified that the 2-position of the thiadiazole could be functionalized with a linker that would allow the compound to be attached to a solid support. The extreme insolubility of the analogues prevented the mechanism of action for these compounds to be determined utilizing traditional methodology. The solid-supported compounds were utilized as affinity columns to identify elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) as a putative target for this class of compounds. The activity of the compounds in a metabolic labeling experiments and in translation assay supports the identity of the target for these compounds to be EF-Tu.