scholarly journals Crystal Structure of Bacillus anthracis Dihydrofolate Reductase with the Dihydrophthalazine-Based Trimethoprim Derivative RAB1 Provides a Structural Explanation of Potency and Selectivity

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 3065-3073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina R. Bourne ◽  
Richard A. Bunce ◽  
Philip C. Bourne ◽  
K. Darrell Berlin ◽  
Esther W. Barrow ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Bacillus anthracis possesses an innate resistance to the antibiotic trimethoprim due to poor binding to dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR); currently, there are no commercial antibacterials that target this enzyme in B. anthracis. We have previously reported a series of dihydrophthalazine-based trimethoprim derivatives that are inhibitors for this target. In the present work, we have synthesized one compound (RAB1) displaying favorable 50% inhibitory concentration (54 nM) and MIC (≤12.8 μg/ml) values. RAB1 was cocrystallized with the B. anthracis DHFR in the space group P212121, and X-ray diffraction data were collected to a 2.3-Å resolution. Binding of RAB1 causes a conformational change of the side chain of Arg58 and Met37 to accommodate the dihydrophthalazine moiety. Unlike the natural substrate or trimethoprim, the dihydrophthalazine group provides a large hydrophobic anchor that embeds within the DHFR active site and accounts for its selective inhibitory activity against B. anthracis.

1999 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 1914-1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. V. Seixas ◽  
W. F. de Azevedo ◽  
M. F. Colombo

In this work, initial crystallographic studies of human haemoglobin (Hb) crystallized in isoionic and oxygen-free PEG solution are presented. Under these conditions, functional measurements of the O2-linked binding of water molecules and release of protons have evidenced that Hb assumes an unforeseen new allosteric conformation. The determination of the high-resolution structure of the crystal of human deoxy-Hb fully stripped of anions may provide a structural explanation for the role of anions in the allosteric properties of Hb and, particularly, for the influence of chloride on the Bohr effect, the mechanism by which Hb oxygen affinity is regulated by pH. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.87 Å resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. Crystals belong to the space group P21212 and preliminary analysis revealed the presence of one tetramer in the asymmetric unit. The structure is currently being refined using maximum-likelihood protocols.


Author(s):  
Tzu-Ping Ko ◽  
Chi-Hung Huang ◽  
Shu-Jung Lai ◽  
Yeh Chen

Undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (UPP) is an important carrier of the oligosaccharide component in peptidoglycan synthesis. Inhibition of UPP synthase (UPPS) may be an effective strategy in combating the pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, which has evolved to be multidrug-resistant. Here, A. baumannii UPPS (AbUPPS) was cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized, and its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. Each chain of the dimeric protein folds into a central β-sheet with several surrounding α-helices, including one at the C-terminus. In the active site, two molecules of citrate interact with the side chains of the catalytic aspartate and serine. These observations may provide a structural basis for inhibitor design against AbUPPS.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 869-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Mayall Simas ◽  
Joseph Miller ◽  
Petrônio Filgueiras de Athayade Filho

We have evaluated the experimental evidence relevant to the structure and character of mesoionic compounds, accumulated for more than 100 years and including X-ray diffraction studies. We have also evaluated relevant theoretical studies. All these, including our own extensive work, lead us to conclude that mesoionic compounds are not aromatic. According to our recent definition “mesoionic compounds are planar five-membered heterocyclic betaines with at least one side chain whose α-atom is also in the ring plane and with dipole moments of the order of 5 D. Electrons are delocalized over two regions separated by what are essentially single bonds. One region, which includes the a-atom of the side chain is associated with the HOMO and negative π-charge whereas the other is associated with the LUMO and positive π-charge.” Key words: mesoionic compounds, betaines, aromaticity.


Author(s):  
Marie-Rose Van Calsteren ◽  
Ricardo Reyes-Chilpa ◽  
Chistopher K Jankowski ◽  
Fleur Gagnon ◽  
Simón Hernández-Ortega ◽  
...  

The tropical tree Calophyllum brasiliense (Clusiaceae) grows in the rain forests from Brazil to Mexico. Its leaves, as well as those of other Calophyllum species, are rich sources of chromanone acids, such as apetalic acid, isoapetalic acid, and their derivatives. Apetalic acid has shown significant antimycobacterial activity. The biological activity of apetalic acid has been related to the configuration of three asymmetric centers and the stereochemistry of the molecule; however, the C-19 configuration in the acidic side chain has not been fully resolved. For this reason, the unequivocal determination of the absolute configuration by means of X-ray crystallography in a sample of unique homogeneous apetalic acid stereoisomer was the most important point to start this study. We prepared some chiral amides using the carboxyl group. We determined the C-19 stereochemistry of apetalic acid, and its specific chiral derivatives, using NMR, X-ray diffraction methods, and molecular mechanics. Finally, we observed that steric hindrance in the side chain of apetalic acid leads to restriction of rotation around the pivotal link C-10 and C-19 establishing chiral centers at C2(R), C3(S), and C19(R). We were able to separate derivatives of these two high-rotatory-barrier conformers of apetalic acid by forming diastereoisomeric amides with phenylglycine methyl ester having a chiral center at C-2’. Our results allowed the conclusion of the existence of atropisomerism in the apetalic acid molecule.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunshuai Huang ◽  
Chunfang Yang ◽  
Zhuangjie Fang ◽  
Liping Zhang ◽  
Wenjun Zhang ◽  
...  

Diazobenzofluorene-containing atypical angucyclines exhibit promising biological activities. Here we report the inactivation of an amidotransferase-encoding gene flsN3 in Micromonospora rosaria SCSIO N160, a producer of fluostatins. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that FlsN3 was involved in the diazo formation. Chemical investigation of the flsN3-inactivation mutant resulted in the isolation of a variety of angucycline aromatic polyketides, including four racemic aminobenzo[b]fluorenes stealthins D–G (9–12) harboring a stealthin C-like core skeleton with an acetone or butanone-like side chain. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic data and X-ray diffraction analysis. A plausible mechanism for the formation of stealthins D–G (9–12) was proposed. These results suggested a functional role of FlsN3 in the formation/modification of N–N bond-containing fluostatins.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao-Yao Zheng ◽  
Zhao-Yang Liang ◽  
Nan-Xing Shen ◽  
Wen-Long Liu ◽  
Xiao-Jian Zhou ◽  
...  

Three novel monomeric naphtho-γ-pyrones, peninaphones A–C (compounds 1–3), along with two known bis-naphtho-γ-pyrones (compounds 4 and 5) were isolated from mangrove rhizosphere soil-derived fungus Penicillium sp. HK1-22. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were determined by electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, and the structure of compound 3 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 4 and 5 are a pair of hindered rotation isomers. A hypothetical biosynthetic pathway for the isolated monomeric and dimeric naphtho-γ-pyrones is also discussed in this study. Compounds 1–3 showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300, 33591, 29213, and 25923) with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the range of 12.5–50 μg/mL. Compound 3 exhibited significant activity against the rice sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.


1998 ◽  
Vol 333 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio PÁRRAGA ◽  
Isabel GARCÍA-SÁEZ ◽  
Sinead B. WALSH ◽  
Timothy J. MANTLE ◽  
Miquel COLL

The structure of mouse liver glutathione S-transferase P1-1 complexed with its substrate glutathione (GSH) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. No conformational changes in the glutathione moiety or in the protein, other than small adjustments of some side chains, are observed when compared with glutathione adduct complexes. Our structure confirms that the role of Tyr-7 is to stabilize the thiolate by hydrogen bonding and to position it in the right orientation. A comparison of the enzyme–GSH structure reported here with previously described structures reveals rearrangements in a well-defined network of water molecules in the active site. One of these water molecules (W0), identified in the unliganded enzyme (carboxymethylated at Cys-47), is displaced by the binding of GSH, and a further water molecule (W4) is displaced following the binding of the electrophilic substrate and the formation of the glutathione conjugate. The possibility that one of these water molecules participates in the proton abstraction from the glutathione thiol is discussed.


1996 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Antolić ◽  
B. Kojić-Prodić ◽  
S. Tomić ◽  
B. Nigović ◽  
V. Magnus ◽  
...  

As part of the molecular recognition studies on the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) a series of fluorinated IAA's has been examined. The phenyl ring substitution at positions 4, 5, 6 and 7 resulted in four compounds, which were analyzed. Structure–activity correlation includes the analysis of their molecular conformations, based on the X-ray diffraction and computational chemistry results, and bioactivity determinations in the Avena coleoptile and the Pisum sativum stem straight-growth tests, lipophilicity and UV absorbance. The conformations of monofluorinated IAA's and a free hormone are defined by rotations about two bonds: one describes the relative orientation of a side chain towards the indole plane and the second the orientation of the carboxylic group. The results of X-ray structure analysis revealed the folded shape of the molecules in all compounds studied. Molecular mechanics and dynamics located the folded conformation as the local minimum, but failed to detect the planar conformation as one of the local minima, which according to ab initio results on IAA and 4-CI-IAA could also be possible. Crystal data at 295 K for 4-F-IAA and at 297 K for 5-F-IAA, and at 100 K for 6-F-IAA and 7-F-IAA using Mo Kα radiation (λ = 0.71073 Å) and Cu Kα (λ = 1.5418 Å, for 7-F-IAA), are as follows: 4-F-IAA, C10H8NO2F, Mr = 193.18, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 17.294 (5), b = 13.875 (4), c = 7.442 (4) Å, β = 103.88 (6)°, V = 1734 (1) Å3, Z = 8, Dx = 1.480 g cm−3, μ = 1.1 cm−1, F(000) = 800, R = 0.043, wR = 0.044 for 823 symmetry-independent [I ≥ 3σ(I)] reflections; 5-F-IAA, C10H8NO2F, monoclinic, P21/c, a = 19.284 (5), b = 5.083 (4), c = 9.939 (4) Å, β = 117.28 (6)°, V = 865.9 (1) Å3, Z = 4, Dx = 1.482 g cm−3, μ = 1.1  cm−1, F(000) = 400, R = 0.062, wR = 0.057 for 729 symmetry-independent [I ≥ 3σ(I)] reflections; 6-F-IAA, C10H8NO2F, monoclinic, P21/a, a = 9.360 (1), b = 5.167 (4), c = 17.751 (4) Å, β = 93.75 (1)°, V = 856.7 (8) Å3, Z = 4, Dx = 1.498 g cm−3, μ = 1.1 cm−1, F(000) = 400, R = 0.048, wR = 0.048 for 1032 symmetry-independent [I ≥ 2σ(I)] reflections; 7-F-IAA, C10H8NO2F, monoclinic, P21/a, a = 9.935 (5), b = 5.0059 (4), c = 17.610 (1) Å, β = 102.13 (1)°, V = 856.3 (1) Å3, Z = 4, Dx = 1.498 g cm−3, μ = 9.8 cm−1 (Cu Kα, F(000) = 400, R = 0.035, wR = 0.040 for 1504 symmetry-independent [I ≥ 2σ(I)] reflections.


2003 ◽  
Vol 373 (3) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter T. ERSKINE ◽  
Leighton COATES ◽  
Danica BUTLER ◽  
James H. YOUELL ◽  
Amanda A. BRINDLEY ◽  
...  

The X-ray structure of yeast 5-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase, in which the catalytic site of the enzyme is complexed with a putative cyclic intermediate composed of both substrate moieties, has been solved at 0.16 nm (1.6 Å) resolution. The cyclic intermediate is bound covalently to Lys263 with the amino group of the aminomethyl side chain ligated to the active-site zinc ion in a position normally occupied by a catalytic hydroxide ion. The cyclic intermediate is catalytically competent, as shown by its turnover in the presence of added substrate to form porphobilinogen. The findings, combined with those of previous studies, are consistent with a catalytic mechanism in which the C–C bond linking both substrates in the intermediate is formed before the C–N bond.


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