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Dedicated to (he l1IeJlun:r of Dr Karel 8M/Ill, The course and the end point or the acylation of resin-bound amino groups in solid-phase peptide synthesis WHS monitored by a novel noninvasivequalitative and quantitative test bused on the use of the acid-base indicator bromophenol blue.

The development of multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) forms of tuberculosis (TB) has stimulated research efforts globally to expand the new drug pipeline. Nitro aromatic compounds, including 1, 3-Benzothiazin-4-ones (BTZs) and related agents, are a promising new class for the treatment of TB. Research has shown that the nitroso intermediates of BTZs that are generated in vivo cause suicide inhibition of decaprenylphosphoryl-β-D-ribose 2′ oxidase (DprE1), which is responsible for cell wall arabinogalactan biosynthesis. We have designed and synthesized novel anti-TB agents inspired from BTZs and other nitroaromatic compounds. Computational studies indicated that the unsubstituted aromatic carbons of BTZ043 and related nitroaromatic compounds are the most electron deficient and might be prone to nucleophilic attack. Our chemical studies on BTZ043 and the additional nitro aromatic compounds synthesized by us and the others confirmed the postulated reactivity. The results indicate that nucleophiles such as thiolates, cyanide and hydride induce non-enzymatic reduction of the nitro groups present in these compounds to the corresponding nitroso intermediates by addition at the unsubstituted electron deficient aromatic carbon present in these compounds. Furthermore we demonstrate here that these compounds are good candidates for the classical von Richter reaction. These chemical studies offer an alternate hypotheses for the mechanism of action of nitro aromatic anti-TB agents in that the cysteine thiol(ate) or a hydride source at the active site of DprE1 may trigger the reduction of the nitro groups in a manner similar to the von Richter reaction to the nitroso intermediates, to initiate the inhibition of DprE1.

Combinatorial libraries employing the one-bead-one-compound technique are reviewed. Two distinguishing features characterize this technique. First, each compound is identified with a unique solid support, enabling facile segregation of active compounds. Second, the identity of a compound on a positively reacting bead is elucidated only after its biological relevance is established. Direct methods of structure identification (Edman degradation and mass spectroscopy) as well as indirect "coding" methods facilitating the synthesis and screening of nonpeptide libraries are discussed. Nonpeptide and "scaffold" libraries, together with a new approach for the discovery of a peptide binding motif using a "library of libraries," are also discussed. In addition, the ability to use combinatorial libraries to optimize initially discovered leads is illustrated with examples using peptide libraries.

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