Slow-onset enzyme inhibitors are of great interest for drug discovery programs since the slow dissociation of the inhibitor from the drug–target complex results in sustained target occupancy leading to improved pharmacodynamics. However, the structural basis for slow-onset inhibition is often not fully understood, hindering the development of structure-kinetic relationships and the rational optimization of drug-target residence time. Previously we demonstrated that slow-onset inhibition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl-ACP reductase InhA correlated with motions of a substrate-binding loop (SBL) near the active site. In the present work, X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations have been used to map the structural and energetic changes of the SBL that occur upon enzyme inhibition. Helix-6 within the SBL adopts an open conformation when the inhibitor structure or binding kinetics is substrate-like. In contrast, slow-onset inhibition results in large-scale local refolding in which helix-6 adopts a closed conformation not normally populated during substrate turnover. The open and closed conformations of helix-6 are hypothesized to represent the EI and EI* states on the two-step induced-fit reaction coordinate for enzyme inhibition. These two states were used as the end points for nudged elastic band molecular dynamics simulations resulting in two-dimensional potential energy profiles that reveal the barrier between EI and EI*, thus rationalizing the binding kinetics observed with different inhibitors. Our findings indicate that the structural basis for slow-onset kinetics can be understood once the structures of both EI and EI* have been identified, thus providing a starting point for the rational control of enzyme–inhibitor binding kinetics.

DNA surface ligands can be used as programmable "bonds" to control the arrangement of nanoparticles into crystalline superlattices. Here, we study the intrinsic responsiveness of these DNA bonds to changes in local dielectric constant (εr) as a new approach to dynamically modulate superlattice structure. Remarkably, ethanol (EtOH) addition can be used to controllably tune DNA bond length from 16 to 3 nm and to increase bond stability by >40 °C, while retaining long-range order and crystal habit. Interestingly, we find that these structural changes, which involve the expansion and contraction of crystals by up to 75% in volume, occur in a cooperative fashion once a critical percentage of EtOH is reached. These results provide a facile and robust approach to create stimuli-responsive lattices, to access high volume fractions, and to improve thermal stability.

The diaryl ethers are a novel class of antituberculosis drug candidates that inhibit InhA, the enoyl-ACP reductase involved in the fatty acid biosynthesis (FASII) pathway, and have antibacterial activity against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the present work we demonstrate that two time-dependent B-ring modified diaryl ether InhA inhibitors have antibacterial activity in a mouse model of TB infection when delivered by intraperitoneal injection. We propose that the efficacy of these compounds is related to their residence time on the enzyme, and to identify structural features that modulate drug-target residence time in this system, we have explored the inhibition of InhA by a series of B-ring modified analogues. Seven ortho substituted compounds were found to be time dependent inhibitors of InhA where the slow step leading to the final EI* complex is thought to correlate with closure and ordering of the InhA substrate binding loop. A detailed mechanistic understanding of the molecular basis for residence time in this system will facilitate the development of InhA inhibitors with improved in vivo activity.

Guanine deaminase, a key enzyme in the nucleotide metabolism, catalyzes the hydrolytic deamination of guanine into xanthine. The crystal structure of the 156-residue guanine deaminase from Bacillus subtilis has been solved at 1.17-Å resolution. Unexpectedly, the Cterminal segment is swapped to form an intersubunit active site and an intertwined dimer with an extensive interface of 3900 Å 2 per monomer. . The closed conformation also reveals that substrate binding seals the active site entrance, which is controlled by the C-terminal tail. Therefore, the domain swapping has not only facilitated the dimerization but has also ensured specific substrate recognition. Finally, a detailed structural comparison of the cytidine deaminase superfamily illustrates the functional versatility of the divergent active sites found in the guanine, cytosine, and cytidine deaminases and suggests putative specific substrate-interacting residues for other members such as dCMP deaminases.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important human pathogen that can form biofilms and persist under harsh environmental conditions. Biofilm formation and virulence are modulated by blue light, which is thought to be regulated by a BLUF protein, BlsA. To understand the molecular mechanism of light sensing, we have used steady-state and ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy to compare the photoactivation mechanism of BlsA to the BLUF photosensor AppA from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Although similar photocycles are observed, vibrational data together with homology modeling identify significant differences in the β5 strand in BlsA caused by photoactivation, which are proposed to be directly linked to downstream signaling.

A high-throughput screen led to the discovery of 2-amino-4-oxo-4-phenylbutanoate inhibitors of the 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoyl-CoA synthase (MenB) from the menaquinone biosynthesis pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, these compounds are unstable in solution and eliminate to form the corresponding 4-oxo-4-phenylbut-2-enoates that then react with CoA in situ to form nanomolar inhibitors of MenB. The potency of these compounds results from interaction of the CoA adduct carboxylate with the MenB oxyanion hole, a conserved structural motif in the crotonase superfamily. 4-Oxo-4-chlorophenylbutenoyl methyl ester has MICs of 0.6 and 1.5 μg/ml against replicating and nonreplicating M. tuberculosis, respectively, and it is proposed that the methyl ester penetrates the cell where it is hydrolyzed and reacts with CoA to generate the active antibacterial. The CoA adducts thus represent an important foundation for the development of novel MenB inhibitors, and suggest a general approach to the development of potent inhibitors of acyl-CoA binding enzymes.

Slow-onset enzyme inhibitors are the subject of considerable interest as an approach to increase potency of pharmaceutical compounds by extending the residence time of the inhibitor on the target (the lifetime of the drug-receptor complex). However, rational modulation of residence time presents significant challenges since it requires additional mechanistic insight, such as the nature of the transition state for post-binding isomerization. Our previous work, based on X-ray crystallography, enzyme kinetics and molecular dynamics simulation, suggested that the slow step in inhibition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enoyl-ACP reductase InhA involves a change in conformation of the substrate binding loop from an open state in the initial enzyme-inhibitor complex to a closed state in the final enzyme-inhibitor complex. Here, we use multidimensional free energy landscapes for loop isomerization to obtain a computational model for the transition state. The results suggest that slow-onset inhibitors crowd key side chains on helices that slide past each other during isomerization, resulting in a steric clash. The landscapes become significantly flatter when residues involved in the steric clash are replaced by alanine. Importantly, this lower barrier can be increased by rational inhibitor redesign to restore the steric clash. Crystallographic studies and enzyme kinetics confirm the predicted effects on loop structure and flexibility, as well as inhibitor residence time. These loss and regain of function studies validate our mechanistic hypothesis for interactions controlling substrate binding loop isomerization, providing a platform for future design of inhibitors with longer residence time and better in vivo potency. Similar opportunities for slow-onset inhibition via the same mechanism are identified in other pathogens.

Background: Potent inhibitors of the tuberculosis drug target KasA are needed. Results: Three-position analogs of the natural product thiolactomycin (TLM) were designed based on transient one-dimensional NOEs that reveal the relative orientation of TLM and a pantetheine analog bound simultaneously to KasA. Conclusion: Three-position analogs of TLM bind to KasA with increased potency. Significance: Optimization of TLM will lead to improved inhibitors of KasA.