A chemical synthesis platform with broad applications and flexibility was rationally designed to inhibit biogenesis of adhesive pili assembled by the chaperone-usher pathway in Gram-negative pathogens. The activity of a family of bicyclic 2-pyridones, termed pilicides, was evaluated in two different pilus biogenesis systems in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Hemagglutination mediated by either type 1 or P pili, adherence to bladder cells, and biofilm formation mediated by type 1 pili were all reduced by Ϸ90% in laboratory and clinical E. coli strains. The structure of the pilicide bound to the P pilus chaperone PapD revealed that the pilicide bound to the surface of the chaperone known to interact with the usher, the outer-membrane assembly platform where pili are assembled. Point mutations in the pilicide-binding site dramatically reduced pilus formation but did not block the ability of PapD to bind subunits and mediate their folding. Surface plasmon resonance experiments confirmed that the pilicide interfered with the binding of chaperone-subunit complexes to the usher. These pilicides thus target key virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria and represent a promising proof of concept for developing drugs that function by targeting virulence factors.antimicrobials ͉ chaperone-usher pathway ͉ pilicide ͉ urinary tract infection

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In this paper, we describe the discovery and optimization of a new chemotype of isoform selective PI3Kγ inhibitors. Starting from an HTS hit, potency and physicochemical properties could be improved to give compounds such as 15, which is a potent and remarkably selective PI3Kγ inhibitor with ADME properties suitable for oral administration. Compound 15 was advanced into in vivo studies showing dose-dependent inhibition of LPS-induced airway neutrophilia in rats when administered orally.

An efficient synthesis of aryl substituted cyclic sulfonimidamides designed as chiral nonplanar heterocyclic carboxylic acid bioisosteres is described. The cyclic sulfonimidamide ring system could be prepared in two steps from a trifluoroacetyl protected sulfinamide and methyl ester protected amino acids. By varying the amino acid, a range of different C-3 substituted sulfonimidamides could be prepared. The compounds could be further derivatized in the aryl ring using standard cross-coupling reactions to yield highly substituted cyclic sulfonimidamides in excellent yields. The physicochemical properties of the final compounds were examined and compared to those of the corresponding carboxylic acid and tetrazole derivatives. The unique nonplanar shape in combination with the relatively strong acidity (pK a 5-6) and the ease of modifying the chemical structure to fine-tune the physicochemical properties suggest that this heterocycle can be a valuable addition to the range of available carboxylic acid isosteres.

A base-promoted condensation between 2-hydroxyacetophenones and aliphatic aldehydes has been studied. The reaction has been optimized to afford 2-alkyl-substituted 4-chromanones in an efficient manner using microwave heating. Performing the reaction using diisopropylamine in EtOH at 170 degrees C for 1 h gave moderate to high yields (43-88%). The 4-chromanones could be further converted into highly functionalized 2,3,6,8-tetrasubstituted chromones in which a 3-substituent (acetate, amine, or bromine) was introduced via straightforward chemical transformations.

PI3Kδ is a lipid kinase that is believed to be important in the migration and activation of cells of the immune system. Inhibition is hypothesized to provide a powerful yet selective immunomodulatory effect that may be beneficial for the treatment of conditions such as asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. In this work, we describe the identification of inhibitors based on a thiazolopyridone core structure and their subsequent optimization for inhalation. The initially identified compound (13) had good potency and isoform selectivity but was not suitable for inhalation. Addition of basic substituents to a region of the molecule pointing to solvent was tolerated (enzyme inhibition pIC > 9), and by careful manipulation of the pK and lipophilicity, we were able to discover compounds (20b, 20f) with good lung retention and cell potency that could be taken forward to in vivo studies where significant target engagement could be demonstrated.

Escherichia coli to host tissue is mediated by pili, which are hair-like protein structures extending from the outer cell membrane of the bacterium. The chaperones FimC and PapD are key components in pilus assembly since they catalyse folding of subunits that are incorporated in type 1 and P pili, respectively, and also transport the subunits across the periplasmic space. Recently, compounds that inhibit pilus biogenesis and interfere with chaperone-subunit interactions have been discovered and termed pilicides. In this paper NMR spectroscopy was used to study the interaction of different pilicides with PapD and FimC in order to gain structural knowledge that would explain the effect that some pilicides have on pilus assembly. First relaxation-edited NMR experiments revealed that the pilicides bound to the PapD chaperone with mM affinity. Then the pilicide-chaperone interaction surface was investigated through chemical shift mapping using 15 N-labelled FimC. Principal component analysis performed on the chemical shift perturbation data revealed the presence of three binding sites on the surface of FimC, which interacted with three different classes of pilicides. Analysis of structure-activity relationships suggested that pilicides reduce pilus assembly in E. coli either by binding in the cleft of the chaperone, or by influencing the orientation of the flexible F1-G1 loop, both of which are part of the surface by which the chaperone forms complexes with pilus subunits. It is suggested that binding to either of these sites interferes with folding of the pilus subunits, which occurs during formation of the chaperone-subunit complexes. In addition, pilicides that influence the F1-G1 loop also appear to reduce pilus formation by their ability to dissociate chaperone-subunit complexes.

A novel combination of SmI(2), KHMDS, and TsCN can be utilized to introduce a cyano group into structurally diverse and highly sensitive 2-alkyl-chroman-4-ones. Subsequent oxidation allows the formed 2-alkyl-3-cyanochromones to be isolated in yields ranging from 49 to 77%. In addition, alpha-bromoketones and esters were found to undergo equally effective alpha-cyanation.