This work describes the discovery and characterization of a novel series of tricyclic natural product-derived metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitors. Natural product screening of the Bacillus cereus II enzyme identified an extract from a strain of Chaetomium funicola with inhibitory activity against metallo-beta-lactamases. SB236050, SB238569, and SB236049 were successfully extracted and purified from this extract. The most active of these compounds was SB238569, which possessed K(i) values of 79, 17, and 3.4 microM for the Bacillus cereus II, Pseudomonas aeruginosa IMP-1, and Bacteroides fragilis CfiA metallo-beta-lactamases, respectively, yet none of the compounds exhibited any inhibitory activity against the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia L-1 metallo-beta-lactamase (50% inhibitory concentration > 1,000 microM). The lack of activity against angiotensin-converting enzyme and serine beta-lactamases demonstrated the selective nature of these compounds. The crystal structure of SB236050 complexed in the active site of CfiA has been obtained to a resolution of 2.5 A. SB236050 exhibits key polar interactions with Lys184, Asn193, and His162 and a stacking interaction with the indole ring of Trp49 in the flap, which is in the closed conformation over the active site groove. SB236050 and SB238569 also demonstrate good antibacterial synergy with meropenem. Eight micrograms of SB236050 per ml gave rise to an eightfold drop in the MIC of meropenem for two clinical isolates of B. fragilis producing CfiA, making these strains sensitive to meropenem (MIC < or = 4 microg/ml). Consequently, this series of metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitors exhibit the most promising antibacterial synergy activity so far observed against organisms producing metallo-beta-lactamases.

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The binding of methyl P-lactoside and of all possible monodeoxy derivatives of methyl P-lactoside to the galactose-specific highly cytotoxin lectin ricin, has been investigated. The distribution of low-energy conformers of the disaccharide structures has been first determined using molecular-mechanics calculations and high-resolution NMR spectroscopy. The nuclear Overhauser enhancements and specific deshieldings observed are in agreement with a similar distribution of low-energy conformers for all studied compounds which may be described by a major conformer defined by cp (H1'-C1'-01'-C4) and w (Cl'-Ol'-C4-H4) torsion angles of 49" and 5", respectively, with contribution of conformers with angles cp/w 24"/ -59", 22"/ -32 " and 6"/ -44". Assuming that the disaccharides bind to the lectin in these preferred conformations, the apparent dissociation constants for the ricindisaccharide complexes have been interpreted in terms of specific polar and nonpolar interactions. In agreement with X-ray data, the hydroxyl groups at positions 3, 4 and 6 of the P-D-galactopyranose moiety appear as key polar groups in the interaction with ricin. These results are in contrast to previous results which have established that position 6 is not involved in lectin binding. An important nonpolar interaction involving position 3 of the P-D-glucopyranose moiety, seems to be operative. The distribution of low-energy conformers of these disaccharide structures permits this interaction to take place with the hydroxyl group at this position intramolecularly bonded, thus rendering this region of the molecule more lipophylic in character for acceptance into nonpolar regions of the combining site.The origin of the specificity observed in the molecular recognition of carbohydrates by lectins and antibodies has been suggested to include crucial polar interactions, involving a cluster of two or more hydroxyl groups, and short range multipoint van der Waals interactions between complementary nonpolar surfaces. These nonpolar interactions would play an important role on the setting of the stability of the complex while polar interactions within the combining site would be the key to complex formation [I, 21. On the basis of highly refined X-ray structures of some carbohydrate-protein complexes it has been concluded that both hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts are indeed the dominant forces that stabilize carbohydrate-protein interactions, although it has been anticipated that the former would provide the major contributions to the binding [3, 41. Binding studies with synthetic carbohydrate molecules having a range of slightly modified structures have proved extremely fruitful to probe the combining site [I, 2, 5-91, A proper interpretation of the results from these studies together with highly refined crystallographic data may be of paramount importance to achieve an appreciation of the origin of the specific interactions.This paper is concerned with the molecular recognition of synthetic methyl P-lactoside analogs by ricin, the highly Ricin i...

Lactase-phlorizin hydrolase is a disaccharidase present in the small intestine of mammals. This enzyme has two active sites, one being responsible for the hydrolysis of lactose. Lactase activity is thought to be selective towards glycosides with a hydrophilic aglycon. In this work, we report a systematic study on the importance of each hydroxyl group in the substrate molecule for lactase activity. For this purpose, all of the monodeoxy derivatives of methyl b-lactoside and other lactose analogues are studied as lactase substrates. With respect to the galactose moiety, it is shown here that HO-3' and HO-2' are necessary for hydrolysis of the substrates by lactase. Using these chemically modified substrates, it has been confirmed that lactase does not behave as a typical P-galactosidase, since it does not show an absolute selectivity with respect to substitution and stereochemistry at C4' in the galactose moiety of the substrate. However, the glucose moiety, in particular the HO-6, appears to be important for substrate hydrolysis, although none of the hydroxyl groups seemed to be essential. In order to differentiate both activities of the enzyme, a new assay for the phlorizin-hydrolase activity has also been developed.Small-intestinal disaccharidases in higher animals are located in the luminal membrane of intestinal mucose where they hydrolyze the disaccharides in the diet and the oligosaccharides that arise in the intestinal lumen after a-amiIolysis of starch [l, 21. Lactase is the small-intestinal disaccharidase that splits the major 8-glycoside of the diet, lactose, to give glucose and galactose (Scheme 1). The enzyme has been the subject of considerable investigation because of its involvement in the most frequent genetically based syndrome in man, known as adult-type alactasia or lactose intolerance in the adult resulting in a remarkable decrease in lactase activity in adulthood which affects more than 33% of adult humans [I, 3,4].A biological clock appears to exist, causing a marked decline of lactase after weaning, except for individuals whose ancestors are dependent on a substantial consumption of milk and milk-derived products.It has been known for some time that, in addition to lactase activity, the enzyme carries a P-glucosidase activity refered to as phlorizin hydrolase [5-81, which is in fact a glycosylceramidase [9]. The enzyme is therefore named lactasephlorizin hydrolase or the intestinal P-glycosidase complex. We have now carried out a systematic study of the substrate specificity with respect to the lactase site of the bglycosidase complex from sheep small intestine, using chemically modified methyl P-lactoside derivatives. Methyl P-lactoside rather than lactose, has been used as a reference compound in order to simplify the analysis of the reaction mixtures. These chcmically modified substrates have been frequently used in the study of enzyme mechanisms [13 -161 and have proved extremely useful in probing the combining sites for the elucidation of specific interactions between proteins and carb...

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In the course of our screening efforts to discover small molecules as selective inhibitors of vacuolar-type H+-ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have identified eight active destruxins, 1-8, from the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. The structures were elucidated by extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, and MS spectrometry. One of these compounds, 8, a regioisomer of chlorohydrin destruxin E (7), is a new destruxin.