Inhibition studies on salicylate synthase

Synthesis of Transition-State Inhibitors of Chorismate Utilizing Enzymes from Bromobenzene cis-1,2-Dihydrodiol

In order to survive in a mammalian host, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) produces aryl-capped siderophores known as the mycobactins for iron acquisition. Salicylic acid is a key building block of the mycobactin core and is synthesized by the bifunctional enzyme MbtI, which converts chorismate into isochorismate via a S_N2″ reaction followed by further transformation into salicylate through a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. MbtI belongs to a family of chorismate-utilizing enzymes (CUEs) that have conserved topology and active site residues. The transition-state inhibitor 1 described by Bartlett, Kozlowski, and co-workers is the most potent reported inhibitor to date of CUEs. Herein, we disclose a concise asymmetric synthesis and the accompanying biochemical characterization of 1 along with three closely related analogues beginning from bromobenzene cis-1S,2S-dihydrodiol produced through microbial oxidation that features a series of regio- and stereoselective transformations for introduction of the C-4 hydroxy and C-6 amino substituents. The flexible synthesis enables late-stage introduction of the carboxy group and other bioisosteres at the C-1 position as well as installation of the enol-pyruvate side chain at the C-5 position.

An Open and Shut Case: The Interaction of Magnesium with MST Enzymes

The shikimate pathway of bacteria, fungi, and plants generates chorismate, which is drawn into biosynthetic pathways that form aromatic amino acids and other important metabolites, including folates, menaquinone, and siderophores. Many of the pathways initiated at this branch point transform chorismate using an MST enzyme. The MST enzymes (menaquinone, siderophore, and tryptophan biosynthetic enzymes) are structurally homologous and magnesium-dependent, and all perform similar chemical permutations to chorismate by nucleophilic addition (hydroxyl or amine) at the 2-position of the ring, inducing displacement of the 4-hydroxyl. The isomerase enzymes release isochorismate or aminodeoxychorismate as the product, while the synthase enzymes also have lyase activity that displaces pyruvate to form either salicylate or anthranilate. This has led to the hypothesis that the isomerase and lyase activities performed by the MST enzymes are functionally conserved. Here we have developed tailored pre-steady-state approaches to establish the kinetic mechanisms of the isochorismate and salicylate synthase enzymes of siderophore biosynthesis. Our data are centered on the role of magnesium ions, which inhibit the isochorismate synthase enzymes but not the salicylate synthase enzymes. Prior structural data have suggested that binding of the metal ion occludes access or egress of substrates. Our kinetic data indicate that for the production of isochorismate, a high magnesium ion concentration suppresses the rate of release of product, accounting for the observed inhibition and establishing the basis of the ordered-addition kinetic mechanism. Moreover, we show that isochorismate is channeled through the synthase reaction as an intermediate that is retained in the active site by the magnesium ion. Indeed, the lyase-active enzyme has 3 orders of magnitude higher affinity for the isochorismate complex relative to the chorismate complex. Apparent negative-feedback inhibition by ferrous ions is documented at nanomolar concentrations, which is a potentially physiologically relevant mode of regulation for siderophore biosynthesis in vivo.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of a Potential Transition-State Inhibitor of the Salicylate Synthase MbtI from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobactins are small-molecule iron chelators (siderophores) produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) for iron mobilization. The bifunctional salicylate synthase MbtI catalyzes the first step of mycobactin biosynthesis through the conversion of the primary metabolite chorismate into salicylic acid via isochorismate. We report the design, synthesis, and biochemical evaluation of an inhibitor based on the putative transition state (TS) for the isochorismatase partial reaction of MbtI. The inhibitor mimics the hypothesized charge buildup at C-4 of chorismate in the TS as well as C-O bond formation at C-6. Another important design element of the inhibitor is replacement of the labile pyruvate side chain in chorismate with a stable C-linked propionate isostere. We developed a stereocontrolled synthesis of the highly functionalized cyclohexene inhibitor that features an asymmetric aldol reaction using a titanium enolate, diastereoselective Grignard addition to a tert-butanesulfinyl aldimine, and ring closing olefin metathesis as key steps.

Breaking a pathogen's iron will: Inhibiting siderophore production as an antimicrobial strategy

The rise of antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis. Novel antimicrobials are sought, preferably developing nontraditional chemical scaffolds that do not inhibit standard targets such as cell wall synthesis or the ribosome. Iron scavenging has been proposed as a viable target, because bacterial and fungal pathogens must overcome the nutritional immunity of the host to be virulent. This review highlights the recent work toward exploiting the biosynthetic enzymes of siderophore production for the design of next generation antimicrobials.

A new salicylate synthase AmS is identified for siderophores biosynthesis in Amycolatopsis methanolica 239(T)

Siderophores are important for the growth of bacteria or the applications in treatment of iron overload-associated diseases due to the iron-chelating property. Salicylate synthase played a key role in the biosynthesis of some NRPS-derived siderophores by the providing of an iron coordination moiety as the initial building block. A new salicylate synthase, namely AmS, was identified in the biosynthesis pathway of siderophore amychelin in Amycolatopsis methanolica 239(T), since it shunt chorismate, an integrant precursor, from primary to secondary metabolite flow. The amino acid sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that AmS grouped into a new cluster. In vitro assays of AmS revealed its wide temperature tolerance ranged from 0 to 40 °C and narrow pH tolerant ranged from 7.0 to 9.0. AmS was resistant to organic solvents and non-ionic detergents. Moreover, AmS converted chorismate to salicylate with K m of 129.05 μM, k cat of 2.20 min(-1) at optimal conditions, indicating its low substrate specificity and comparable velocity to reported counterparts (Irp9 and MbtI). These properties of AmS may improve the iron-seizing ability of A. methanolica to compete with its neighbors growing in natural environments. Most importantly, serine and cysteine residues were found to be important for the catalytic activity of AmS. This study presented AmS as a new cluster of salicylate synthase and the reaction mechanism and potential applications of salicylate synthase were highlighted as well.

Expanding the results of a high throughput screen against an isochorismate-pyruvate lyase to enzymes of a similar scaffold or mechanism

Antibiotic resistance is a growing health concern, and new avenues of antimicrobial drug design are being actively sought. One suggested pathway to be targeted for inhibitor design is that of iron scavenging through siderophores. Here we present a high throughput screen to the isochorismate-pyruvate lyase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an enzyme required for the production of the siderophore pyochelin. Compounds identified in the screen are high nanomolar to low micromolar inhibitors of the enzyme and produce growth inhibition in PAO1 P. aeruginosa in the millimolar range under iron-limiting conditions. The identified compounds were also tested for enzymatic inhibition of Escherichia coli chorismate mutase, a protein of similar fold and similar chemistry, and of Yersinia enterocolitica salicylate synthase, a protein of differing fold but catalyzing the same lyase reaction. In both cases, subsets of the inhibitors from the screen were found to be inhibitory to enzymatic activity (mutase or synthase) in the micromolar range and capable of growth inhibition in their respective organisms (E. coli or Y. enterocolitica).

Inhibitors of the salicylate synthase (MbtI) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis discovered by high-throughput screening

A simple steady-state kinetic high-throughput assay was developed for the salicylate synthase MbtI from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which catalyzes the first committed step of mycobactin biosynthesis. The mycobactins are small-molecule iron chelators produced by M. tuberculosis, and their biosynthesis has been identified as a promising target for the development of new antitubercular agents. The assay was miniaturized to a 384-well plate format and high-throughput screening was performed at the National Screening Laboratory for the Regional Centers of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (NSRB). Three classes of compounds were identified comprising the benzisothiazolones (class I), diarylsulfones (class II), and benzimidazole-2-thiones (class III). Each of these compound series was further pursued to investigate their biochemical mechanism and structure-activity relationships. Benzimidazole-2-thione 4 emerged as the most promising inhibitor owing to its potent reversible inhibition.

Inhibition studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis salicylate synthase (MbtI)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis salicylate synthase (MbtI), a member of the chorismate-utilizing enzyme family, catalyses the first committed step in the biosynthesis of the siderophore mycobactin T. This complex secondary metabolite is essential for both virulence and survival of M. tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB). It is therefore anticipated that inhibitors of this enzyme may serve as TB therapies with a novel mode of action. Herein we describe the first inhibition study of M. tuberculosis MbtI using a library of functionalized benzoate-based inhibitors designed to mimic the substrate (chorismate) and intermediate (isochorismate) of the MbtI-catalyzed reaction. The most potent inhibitors prepared were those designed to mimic the enzyme intermediate, isochorismate. These compounds, based on a 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate scaffold, proved to be low-micromolar inhibitors of MbtI. The most potent inhibitors in this series possessed hydrophobic enol ether side chains at C3 in place of the enol-pyruvyl side chain found in chorismate and isochorismate.

Targeting multiple chorismate-utilizing enzymes with a single inhibitor: validation of a three-stage design

Chorismate-utilizing enzymes are attractive antimicrobial drug targets due to their absence in humans and their central role in bacterial survival and virulence. The structural and mechanistic homology of a group of these inspired the goal of discovering inhibitors that target multiple enzymes. Previously, we discovered seven inhibitors of 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase (ADCS) in an on-bead, fluorescent-based screen of a 2304-member one-bead-one-compound combinatorial library. The inhibitors comprise PAYLOAD and COMBI stages, which interact with active site and surface residues, respectively, and are linked by a SPACER stage. These seven compounds, and six derivatives thereof, also inhibit two other enzymes in this family, isochorismate synthase (IS) and anthranilate synthase (AS). The best binding compound inhibits ADCS, IS, and AS with K(i) values of 720, 56, and 80 microM, respectively. Inhibitors with varying SPACER lengths show the original choice of lysine to be optimal. Lastly, inhibition data confirm the PAYLOAD stage directs the inhibitors to the ADCS active site.

Inhibition of chorismate-utilising enzymes by 2-amino-4-carboxypyridine and 4-carboxypyridone and 5-carboxypyridone analogues

Several 2-amino-4-carboxypyridine, 4- and 5-carboxypyridone-based compounds were prepared and tested against three members of the chorismate-utilising enzyme family, anthranilate synthase, isochorismate synthase and salicylate synthase. Most compounds exhibited low micromolar inhibition of these three enzymes. The most potent inhibitor was a 4-carboxypyridone analogue bearing a lactate side chain on the pyridyl nitrogen which exhibited inhibition constants of 5, 91 and 54 muM against anthranilate synthase, isochorismate synthase and salicylate synthase respectively.

Small molecule inhibition of microbial natural product biosynthesis-an emerging antibiotic strategy

A variety of natural products modulate critical biological processes in the microorganisms that produce them. Thus, inhibition of the corresponding natural product biosynthesis pathways represents a promising avenue to develop novel antibiotics. In this tutorial review, we describe several recent examples of designed small molecule inhibitors of microbial natural product biosynthesis and their use in evaluating this emerging antibiotic strategy.

Siderophore-based iron acquisition and pathogen control

High-affinity iron acquisition is mediated by siderophore-dependent pathways in the majority of pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria and fungi. Considerable progress has been made in characterizing and understanding mechanisms of siderophore synthesis, secretion, iron scavenging, and siderophore-delivered iron uptake and its release. The regulation of siderophore pathways reveals multilayer networks at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Due to the key role of many siderophores during virulence, coevolution led to sophisticated strategies of siderophore neutralization by mammals and (re)utilization by bacterial pathogens. Surprisingly, hosts also developed essential siderophore-based iron delivery and cell conversion pathways, which are of interest for diagnostic and therapeutic studies. In the last decades, natural and synthetic compounds have gained attention as potential therapeutics for iron-dependent treatment of infections and further diseases. Promising results for pathogen inhibition were obtained with various siderophore-antibiotic conjugates acting as "Trojan horse" toxins and siderophore pathway inhibitors. In this article, general aspects of siderophore-mediated iron acquisition, recent findings regarding iron-related pathogen-host interactions, and current strategies for iron-dependent pathogen control will be reviewed. Further concepts including the inhibition of novel siderophore pathway targets are discussed.

Arabidopsis Isochorismate Synthase Functional in Pathogen-induced Salicylate Biosynthesis Exhibits Properties Consistent with a Role in Diverse Stress Responses

Salicylic acid (SA) is a phytohormone best known for its role in plant defense. It is synthesized in response to diverse pathogens and responsible for the large scale transcriptional induction of defense-related genes and the establishment of systemic acquired resistance. Surprisingly, given its importance in plant defense, an understanding of the underlying enzymology is lacking. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the pathogen-induced accumulation of SA requires isochorismate synthase (AtICS1). Here, we show that AtICS1 is a plastid-localized, stromal protein using chloroplast import assays and immunolocalization. AtICS1 acts as a monofunctional isochorismate synthase (ICS), catalyzing the conversion of chorismate to isochorismate (IC) in a reaction that operates near equilibrium (K(eq) = 0.89). It does not convert chorismate directly to SA (via an IC intermediate) as does Yersinia enterocolitica Irp9. Using an irreversible coupled spectrophotometric assay, we found that AtICS1 exhibits an apparent K(m) of 41.5 mum and k(cat) = 38.7 min(-1) for chorismate. This affinity for chorismate would allow it to successfully compete with other pathogen-induced, chorismate-utilizing enzymes. Furthermore, the biochemical properties of AtICS1 indicate its activity is not regulated by light-dependent changes in stromal pH, Mg(2+), or redox and that it is remarkably active at 4 degrees C consistent with a role for SA in cold-tolerant growth. Finally, our analyses support plastidic synthesis of stress-induced SA with the requirement for one or more additional enzymes responsible for the conversion of IC to SA, because non-enzymatic conversion of IC to SA under physiological conditions was negligible.

Antitubercular nucleosides that inhibit siderophore biosynthesis: SAR of the glycosyl domain

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious disease mortality in the world by a bacterial pathogen. We previously demonstrated that a bisubstrate inhibitor of the adenylation enzyme MbtA, which is responsible for the second step of mycobactin biosynthesis, exhibited potent antitubercular activity. Here we systematically investigate the structure-activity relationships of the bisubstrate inhibitor glycosyl domain resulting in the identification of a carbocyclic analogue that possesses a KIapp value of 2.3 nM and MIC99 values of 1.56 microM against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The SAR data suggest the intriguing possibility that the bisubstrate inhibitors utilize a transporter for entry across the mycobacterial cell envelope. Additionally, we report improved conditions for the expression of MbtA and biochemical analysis, demonstrating that MbtA follows a random sequential enzyme mechanism for the adenylation half-reaction.

The structure of MbtI from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of the siderophore mycobactin, reveals it to be a salicylate synthase

The ability to acquire iron from the extracellular environment is a key determinant of pathogenicity in mycobacteria. Mycobacterium tuberculosis acquires iron exclusively via the siderophore mycobactin T, the biosynthesis of which depends on the production of salicylate from chorismate. Salicylate production in other bacteria is either a two-step process involving an isochorismate synthase (chorismate isomerase) and a pyruvate lyase, as observed for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or a single-step conversion catalyzed by a salicylate synthase, as with Yersinia enterocolitica. Here we present the structure of the enzyme MbtI (Rv2386c) from M. tuberculosis, solved by multiwavelength anomalous diffraction at a resolution of 1.8 A, and biochemical evidence that it is the salicylate synthase necessary for mycobactin biosynthesis. The enzyme is critically dependent on Mg2+ for activity and produces salicylate via an isochorismate intermediate. MbtI is structurally similar to salicylate synthase (Irp9) from Y. enterocolitica and the large subunit of anthranilate synthase (TrpE) and shares the overall architecture of other chorismate-utilizing enzymes, such as the related aminodeoxychorismate synthase PabB. Like Irp9, but unlike TrpE or PabB, MbtI is neither regulated by nor structurally stabilized by bound tryptophan. The structure of MbtI is the starting point for the design of inhibitors of siderophore biosynthesis, which may make useful lead compounds for the production of new antituberculosis drugs, given the strong dependence of pathogenesis on iron acquisition in M. tuberculosis.

Two crystal structures of the isochorismate pyruvate lyase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Enzymatic systems that exploit pericyclic reaction mechanisms are rare. A recent addition to this class is the enzyme PchB, an 11.4-kDa isochorismate pyruvate lyase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The apo and pyruvate-bound structures of PchB reveal that the enzyme is a structural homologue of chorismate mutases in the AroQalpha class despite low sequence identity (20%). The enzyme is an intertwined dimer of three helices with connecting loops, and amino acids from each monomer participate in each of two active sites. The apo structure (2.35 A resolution) has one dimer per asymmetric unit with nitrate bound in an open active site. The loop between the first and second helices is disordered, providing a gateway for substrate entry and product exit. The pyruvate-bound structure (1.95 A resolution) has two dimers per asymmetric unit. One has two open active sites like the apo structure, and the other has two closed active sites with the loop between the first and second helices ordered for catalysis. Determining the structure of PchB is part of a larger effort to elucidate protein structures involved in siderophore biosynthesis, as these enzymes are crucial for bacterial iron uptake and virulence and have been identified as antimicrobial drug targets.

Structure of the EntB multidomain nonribosomal peptide synthetase and functional analysis of its interaction with the EntE adenylation domain

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases are modular proteins that operate in an assembly line fashion to bind, modify, and link amino acids. In the E. coli enterobactin NRPS system, the EntE adenylation domain catalyzes the transfer of a molecule of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid to the pantetheine cofactor of EntB. We present here the crystal structure of the EntB protein that contains an N-terminal isochorismate lyase domain that functions in the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate and a C-terminal carrier protein domain. Functional analysis showed that the EntB-EntE interaction was surprisingly tolerant of a number of point mutations on the surface of EntB and EntE. Mutational studies on EntE support our previous hypothesis that members of the adenylate-forming family of enzymes adopt two distinct conformations to catalyze the two-step reactions.

Crystal structures of Yersinia enterocolitica salicylate synthase and its complex with the reaction products salicylate and pyruvate

The salicylate synthase, Irp9, from Yersinia enterocolitica is involved in the biosynthesis of the siderophore yersiniabactin. It is a bifunctional enzyme that forms salicylate and pyruvate from chorismate and water via the intermediate isochorismate. Here we report the first crystal structure of Irp9 and also of its complex with the reaction products salicylate and pyruvate at 1.85 A and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. Like other members of the chorismate-utilizing enzyme family, e.g. the TrpE subunit of anthranilate synthase and the PabB subunit of 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase, Irp9 has a complex alpha/beta fold. The crystal structure of Irp9 contains one molecule each of phosphate and acetate derived from the crystallization buffer. The Irp9-products complex structure was obtained by soaking chorismate into Irp9, demonstrating that the enzyme is still catalytically active in the crystal. Both structures contain Mg(2+) in the active site. There is no evidence of the allosteric tryptophan binding site found in TrpE and PabB. Mutagenesis of Glu240, His321 and Tyr372 provided some insight into the mechanism of the two transformations catalyzed by Irp9. Knowledge of the structure of Irp9 will guide the search for potent inhibitors of salicylate formation, and hence of bacterial iron uptake, which is directly related to the virulence of Yersinia.

Mechanistic and inhibition studies of chorismate-utilizing enzymes

The shikimate biosynthetic pathway is utilized in algae, higher plants, bacteria, fungi and apicomplexan parasites; it involves seven enzymatic steps in which phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate are converted into chorismate. In Escherichia coli, five chorismate-utilizing enzymes catalyse the synthesis of aromatic compounds such as L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, folate, ubiquinone and siderophores such as yersiniabactin and enterobactin. As mammals do not possess such a biosynthetic system, the enzymes involved in the pathway have aroused considerable interest as potential targets for the development of antimicrobial drugs and herbicides. As an initiative to investigate the mechanism of some of these enzymes, we showed that the antimicrobial effect of (6S)-6-fluoroshikimate is the result of irreversible inhibition of 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase by 2-fluorochorismate. Based on this study, a catalytic mechanism for this enzyme was proposed, in which the residue Lys-274 is involved in the formation of a covalent intermediate. In another study, Yersinia enterocolitica Irp9, which is involved in the biosynthesis of the siderophore yersiniabactin, was for the first time biochemically characterized and shown to catalyse the formation of salicylate from chorismate via isochorismate as a reaction intermediate. A three-dimensional model for this enzyme was constructed that will guide the search for potent inhibitors of salicylate formation, and hence of bacterial iron uptake.

Mechanistic insights into the isochorismate pyruvate lyase activity of the catalytically promiscuous PchB from combinatorial mutagenesis and selection

PchB from Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses isochorismate pyruvate lyase (IPL) and weak chorismate mutase (CM) activity. Homology modeling based on a structurally characterized CM, coupled with randomization of presumed key active site residues (Arg54, Glu90, Gln91) and in vivo selection for CM activity, was used to derive mechanistic insights into the IPL activity of PchB. Mutation of Arg54 was incompatible with viability, and the CM and IPL activities of an engineered R54K variant were reduced 1,000-fold each. The observation that position 90 was tolerant to substitution but position 91 was essentially confined to Gln or Glu in functional variants rules out involvement of Glu90 in general base catalysis. Counter to the generally accepted mechanistic hypothesis for pyruvate lyases, we propose for PchB a rare [1,5]-sigmatropic reaction mechanism that invokes electrostatic catalysis in analogy to the [3,3]-pericyclic rearrangement of chorismate in CMs. A common catalytic principle for both PchB functions is also supported by the covariance of the catalytic parameters for the CM and IPL activities and the shared functional requirement for a protonated Glu91 in Q91E variants. The experiments demonstrate that focusing directed evolution strategies on the readily accessible surrogate activity of an enzyme can provide valuable insights into the mechanism of the primary reaction.