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Ostroumova OS, Efimova SS. Lipid-Centric Approaches in Combating Infectious Diseases: Antibacterials, Antifungals and Antivirals with Lipid-Associated Mechanisms of Action. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1716. [PMID: 38136750 PMCID: PMC10741038 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12121716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the global challenges of the 21st century is the increase in mortality from infectious diseases against the backdrop of the spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microorganisms. In this regard, it is worth targeting antibacterials towards the membranes of pathogens that are quite conservative and not amenable to elimination. This review is an attempt to critically analyze the possibilities of targeting antimicrobial agents towards enzymes involved in pathogen lipid biosynthesis or towards bacterial, fungal, and viral lipid membranes, to increase the permeability via pore formation and to modulate the membranes' properties in a manner that makes them incompatible with the pathogen's life cycle. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each approach in the search for highly effective but nontoxic antimicrobial agents. Examples of compounds with a proven molecular mechanism of action are presented, and the types of the most promising pharmacophores for further research and the improvement of the characteristics of antibiotics are discussed. The strategies that pathogens use for survival in terms of modulating the lipid composition and physical properties of the membrane, achieving a balance between resistance to antibiotics and the ability to facilitate all necessary transport and signaling processes, are also considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga S. Ostroumova
- Laboratory of Membrane and Ion Channel Modeling, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Ave. 4, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia;
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Sacco MD, Defrees K, Zhang X, Lawless W, Nwanochie E, Balsizer A, Darch SE, Renslo AR, Chen Y. Structure-Based Ligand Design Targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa LpxA in Lipid A Biosynthesis. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1231-1240. [PMID: 35653508 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes involved in lipid A biosynthesis are promising antibacterial drug targets in Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we use a structure-based design approach to develop a series of novel tetrazole ligands with low μM affinity for LpxA, the first enzyme in the lipid A pathway. Aided by previous structural data, X-ray crystallography, and surface plasmon resonance bioanalysis, we identify 17 hit compounds. Two of these hits were subsequently modified to optimize interactions with three regions of the LpxA active site. This strategy ultimately led to the discovery of ligand L13, which had a KD of 3.0 μM. The results reveal new chemical scaffolds as potential LpxA inhibitors, important binding features for ligand optimization, and protein conformational changes in response to ligand binding. Specifically, they show that a tetrazole ring is well-accommodated in a small cleft formed between Met169, the "hydrophobic-ruler" and His156, both of which demonstrate significant conformational flexibility. Furthermore, we find that the acyl-chain binding pocket is the most tractable region of the active site for realizing affinity gains and, along with a neighboring patch of hydrophobic residues, preferentially binds aliphatic and aromatic groups. The results presented herein provide valuable chemical and structural information for future inhibitor discovery against this important antibacterial drug target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D. Sacco
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Kyle Defrees
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Xiujun Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - William Lawless
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Emeka Nwanochie
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Amelia Balsizer
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Sophie E. Darch
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Adam R. Renslo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
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Troudi A, Pagès JM, Brunel JM. Chemical Highlights Supporting the Role of Lipid A in Efficient Biological Adaptation of Gram-Negative Bacteria to External Stresses. J Med Chem 2021; 64:1816-1834. [PMID: 33538159 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria provides an efficient barrier against external noxious compounds such as antimicrobial agents. Associated with drug target modification, it contributes to the overall failure of chemotherapy. In the complex OM architecture, Lipid A plays an essential role by anchoring the lipopolysaccharide in the membrane and ensuring the spatial organization between lipids, proteins, and sugars. Currently, the targets of almost all antibiotics are intracellularly located and require translocation across membranes. We report herein an integrated view of Lipid A synthesis, membrane assembly, a structure comparison at the molecular structure level of numerous Gram-negative bacterial species, as well as its recent use as a target for original antibacterial molecules. This review paves the way for a new vision of a key membrane component that acts during bacterial adaptation to environmental stresses and for the development of new weapons against microbial resistance to usual antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azza Troudi
- UMR-MD1, U1261, Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, SSA, MCT, 13385 Marseille, France.,Laboratory of Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1008, Tunisia
| | - Jean Marie Pagès
- UMR-MD1, U1261, Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, SSA, MCT, 13385 Marseille, France
| | - Jean Michel Brunel
- UMR-MD1, U1261, Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, SSA, MCT, 13385 Marseille, France
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Han W, Ma X, Balibar CJ, Baxter Rath CM, Benton B, Bermingham A, Casey F, Chie-Leon B, Cho MK, Frank AO, Frommlet A, Ho CM, Lee PS, Li M, Lingel A, Ma S, Merritt H, Ornelas E, De Pascale G, Prathapam R, Prosen KR, Rasper D, Ruzin A, Sawyer WS, Shaul J, Shen X, Shia S, Steffek M, Subramanian S, Vo J, Wang F, Wartchow C, Uehara T. Two Distinct Mechanisms of Inhibition of LpxA Acyltransferase Essential for Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:4445-4455. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b13530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wooseok Han
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Xiaolei Ma
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Carl J. Balibar
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | | | - Bret Benton
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Alun Bermingham
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Fergal Casey
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Barbara Chie-Leon
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Min-Kyu Cho
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Andreas O. Frank
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Alexandra Frommlet
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Chi-Min Ho
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Patrick S. Lee
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Min Li
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Andreas Lingel
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Sylvia Ma
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Hanne Merritt
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Elizabeth Ornelas
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Gianfranco De Pascale
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Ramadevi Prathapam
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Katherine R. Prosen
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Dita Rasper
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Alexey Ruzin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - William S. Sawyer
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Jacob Shaul
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Xiaoyu Shen
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Steven Shia
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Micah Steffek
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Sharadha Subramanian
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Jason Vo
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Feng Wang
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Charles Wartchow
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Tsuyoshi Uehara
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
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MacNair CR, Tsai CN, Brown ED. Creative targeting of the Gram-negative outer membrane in antibiotic discovery. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1459:69-85. [PMID: 31762048 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The rising threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is exacerbated by the scarcity of new antibiotics in the development pipeline. Permeability through the outer membrane remains one of the leading hurdles in discovery efforts. However, the essentiality of a robust outer membrane makes itself an intriguing antimicrobial target. Herein, we review drug discovery efforts targeting the outer membrane and the prospective antimicrobial leads identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R MacNair
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Caressa N Tsai
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric D Brown
- Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Kroeck KG, Sacco MD, Smith EW, Zhang X, Shoun D, Akhtar A, Darch SE, Cohen F, Andrews LD, Knox JE, Chen Y. Discovery of dual-activity small-molecule ligands of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LpxA and LpxD using SPR and X-ray crystallography. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15450. [PMID: 31664082 PMCID: PMC6820557 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51844-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The lipid A biosynthesis pathway is essential in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. LpxA and LpxD are the first and third enzymes in this pathway respectively, and are regarded as promising antibiotic targets. The unique structural similarities between these two enzymes make them suitable targets for dual-binding inhibitors, a characteristic that would decrease the likelihood of mutational resistance and increase cell-based activity. We report the discovery of multiple small molecule ligands that bind to P. aeruginosa LpxA and LpxD, including dual-binding ligands. Binding poses were determined for select compounds by X-ray crystallography. The new structures reveal a previously uncharacterized magnesium ion residing at the core of the LpxD trimer. In addition, ligand binding in the LpxD active site resulted in conformational changes in the distal C-terminal helix-bundle, which forms extensive contacts with acyl carrier protein (ACP) during catalysis. These ligand-dependent conformational changes suggest a potential allosteric influence of reaction intermediates on ACP binding, and vice versa. Taken together, the novel small molecule ligands and their crystal structures provide new chemical scaffolds for ligand discovery targeting lipid A biosynthesis, while revealing structural features of interest for future investigation of LpxD function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle G Kroeck
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Michael D Sacco
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Emmanuel W Smith
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Xiujun Zhang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Daniel Shoun
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Afroza Akhtar
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Sophie E Darch
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States
| | - Frederick Cohen
- Former employees of ACHAOGEN Inc., 1 Tower Place, Suite 400, South San Francisco, California, 94080, United States
| | - Logan D Andrews
- Former employees of ACHAOGEN Inc., 1 Tower Place, Suite 400, South San Francisco, California, 94080, United States
| | - John E Knox
- Former employees of ACHAOGEN Inc., 1 Tower Place, Suite 400, South San Francisco, California, 94080, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, Florida, 33612, United States.
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Brown DG. Drug discovery strategies to outer membrane targets in Gram-negative pathogens. Bioorg Med Chem 2016; 24:6320-6331. [PMID: 27178386 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This review will cover selected recent examples of drug discovery strategies which target the outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria either by disruption of outer membrane function or by inhibition of essential gene products necessary for outer membrane assembly. Significant advances in pathway elucidation, structural biology and molecular inhibitor designs have created new opportunities for drug discovery within this target-class space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean G Brown
- AstraZeneca Neurosciences, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Unit, 141 Portland St., 10th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Lai KK, Davis-Richardson AG, Dias R, Triplett EW. Identification of the Genes Required for the Culture of Liberibacter crescens, the Closest Cultured Relative of the Liberibacter Plant Pathogens. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:547. [PMID: 27148230 PMCID: PMC4837290 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Here Tn5 random transposon mutagenesis was used to identify the essential elements for culturing Liberibacter crescens BT-1 that can serve as antimicrobial targets for the closely related pathogens of citrus, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) and tomato and potato, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso). In order to gain insight on the virulence, metabolism, and culturability of the pathogens within the genus Liberibacter, a mini-Tn5 transposon derivative system consisting of a gene specifying resistance to kanamycin, flanked by a 19-base-pair terminal repeat sequence of Tn5, was used for the genome-wide mutagenesis of L. crescens BT-1 and created an insertion mutant library. By analyzing the location of insertions using Sanger and Illumina Mi-Seq sequencing, 314 genes are proposed as essential for the culture of L. crescens BT-1 on BM-7 medium. Of those genes, 76 are not present in the uncultured Liberibacter pathogens and, as a result, suggest molecules necessary for the culturing these pathogens. Those molecules include the aromatic amino acids, several vitamins, histidine, cysteine, lipopolysaccharides, and fatty acids. In addition, the 238 essential genes of L. crescens in common with L. asiaticus are potential targets for the development of therapeutics against the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kin-Kwan Lai
- Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Austin G Davis-Richardson
- Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Raquel Dias
- Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Eric W Triplett
- Microbiology and Cell Science Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville, FL, USA
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