Transition state theory suggests that enzymatic rate acceleration (k cat /k non ) is related to the stabilization of the transition state for a given reaction. Chemically stable analogues of a transition state complex are predicted to convert catalytic energy into binding energy. Since transition state stabilization is a function of catalytic efficiency, differences in substrate specificity can be exploited in the design of tight-binding transition state analogue inhibitors. Coformycin and 2′-deoxycoformycin are natural product transition state analogue inhibitors of adenosine deaminases (ADAs). These compounds mimic the tetrahedral geometry of the ADA transition state and bind with picomolar dissociation constants to enzymes from bovine, human, and protozoan sources. The purine salvage pathway in malaria parasites is unique in that Plasmodium falciparum ADA (PfADA) catalyzes the deamination of both adenosine and 5'-methylthioadenosine. In contrast, human adenosine deaminase (HsADA) does not deaminate 5'-methylthioadenosine. 5′-Methylthio coformycin and 5'-meththio-2′-deoxycoformycin were synthesized to be specific transition state mimics of the P. falciparum enzyme. These analogues inhibited PfADA with dissociation constants of 430 and 790 pM, respectively. Remarkably, they gave no detectable inhibition of the human and bovine enzymes. Adenosine deamination is involved in the essential pathway of purine salvage in P. falciparum and prior studies have shown that inhibition of purine salvage results in parasite death. Inhibitors of HsADA are known to cause toxicity in humans and the availability of parasite-specific ADA inhibitors may prevent this side-effect. The potent and P. falciparum-specific inhibitors described here have potential for development as antimalarials without inhibition of host ADA.

ImmH (1) and DADMe-ImmH (2) are potent inhibitors of human purine nucleoside phoshorylase (PNP), developed by us and currently in clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of T-cell related diseases. Compounds 1 and 2 were used as templates for the design and synthesis of a series of acyclic immucillin analogues (8-38) in order to identify simplified alternatives to 1 and 2. SerMe-ImmG (8) and DATMe-ImmG (9) displayed the lowest inhibition constants of 2.1 and 3.4 pM, respectively, vs PNP. It was postulated that the flexible natures of 8 and 9 enabled them to adopt conformations resembling those of 1 and 2 within the active site of PNP and that the positioning of two hydroxyl groups was critical for picomolar activity. SerMe-ImmH (10, K d = 5.2 pM) was shown to be orally available in mice with a long biological residence time on blood PNP.

Plasmodium falciparum is a purine auxotroph. The transport of purine nucleosides and nucleobases from the host erythrocyte to the parasite cytoplasm is essential to support parasite growth. P. falciparum Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1 (PfENT1) is a major route for purine transport across the parasite plasma membrane. Malarial parasites are sensitive to inhibitors of purine salvage pathway enzymes. The immucillin class of purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitors and the adenosine analog, tubercidin, block growth of P. falciparum under in vitro culture conditions. We sought to determine whether these inhibitors utilize PfENT1 to gain access to the parasite cytosol. There is considerable controversy in the literature regarding the K m and/or K i for purine transport by PfENT1 in the Xenopus oocyte expression system. We show that oocytes metabolize adenosine but not hypoxanthine. For adenosine, metabolism is the rate limiting step in oocyte uptake assays, making hypoxanthine the preferred substrate for PfENT1 transport studies in oocytes. We demonstrate that the K i for PfENT1 transport of hypoxanthine and adenosine is in the 300-700 μM range. Effects of substrate metabolism on uptake studies may explain conflicting results in the literature regarding the PfENT1 adenosine transport K m . PfENT1 transports the tubercidin class of compounds. None of the immucillin compounds tested inhibited PfENT1 transport of [ 3 H] hypoxanthine or [ 3 H]adenosine. Although nucleobases are transported, modifications of the ribose ring in corresponding nucleoside analogs affects substrate recognition by PfENT1. These results provide new insights into PfENT1 and the mechanism by which purine salvage pathway inhibitors are transported into the parasite cytoplasm.