β-Lactam compounds act on penicillin-recognizing enzymes via acylation of the hydroxyl group of an active site serine. When the resulting acyl enzyme is kinetically stable, as in the case of a penicillin-binding protein (PBP), the biosynthesis of a bacterial cell wall is inhibited, and death of the organism results. The de novo design of an antibacterial agent targeted to a PBP might be possible if the three-dimensional structural requirements of the equilibrium (i.e, fit) and catalytic (i.e. reactivity) steps of the aforementioned enzymatic process could be determined. For a model of the active site of a PBP from Streptomyces R61, the use of molecular mechanics calculations to treat "fit," and ab initio molecular orbital calculations to treat "reactivity," leads to the idea that the carboxyl group (G1) and the amide N-H (G2) of the antibiotic are hydrogen bonded to a lysine amino group and a valine carbonyl group in the enzyme–substrate complex. These two hydrogen bonds place the serine hydroxyl group on the convex face of the antibiotic, in position for attack on the β-lactam ring by a neutral reaction, catalyzed by water, that involves a direct proton transfer to the β-lactam nitrogen. Molecular orbital calculations of structure–reactivity relations associated with this mechanism suggest that C=N is bioisosteric to the β-lactam N-C(=O), comparable to a β-lactam in its reactivity with an alcohol, and that the product RO(C-N)H is formed essentially irreversibly (−ΔE > 10 kcal/mol). Accordingly, structures containing a G1 and a G2 separated by a C=N, and positioned in different ways with respect to this functional group, have been synthesized computationally and examined for their ability to fit to the PBP model. This strategy identified a 2H-5,6-dihydro-1,4-thiazine substituted by hydroxyl and carboxyl groups as a target for chemical synthesis. However, exploratory experiments suggested that the C=N of this compound equilibrates with endocyclic and exocyclic enamine tautomers. This required that the C2 position be substituted, and that the hydroxyl group not be attached to the carbon atom adjacent to the C=N. These conditions are met in a 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-hydroxypropyl)-1,4-thiazine, which also exhibits the necessary fit to the PBP model. Two epimers of this compound have been synthesized, from D- and L-serine. The compound derived from L-serine is not active. The compound derived from D-serine exhibits antibacterial activity, but is unstable, and binding studies with PBP's have not been performed. It is hoped that these studies can be carried out if modification of the lead structure leads to compounds with improved chemical stability.
Crystallographic and molecular-orbital studies on the geometry of antifolate drugs