Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Enzyme Research Articles

Study of mechanism of interaction of truncated isoniazid–nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide adduct against multiple enzymes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by a computational approach

Objective/BackgroundIsoniazid (INH) is one of the effective antituberculosis (TB) drugs used for TB treatment. However, most of the drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) clinical strains are resistant to INH, a first-line antituberculous drug. Certain metabolic enzymes such as adenosylhomocysteinase (Rv3248c), universal stress protein (Rv2623), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (reduced)-dependent enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (Rv1484), oxidoreductase (Rv2971), dihydrofolate reductase (Rv2763c), pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (Rv1187) have been identified to bind INH–nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (INH–NAD) and INH–nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate adducts coupled to Sepharose resin. These enzymes are reported to be involved in many important biochemical processes of MTB, including cysteine and methionine metabolism, mycobacterial growth regulation, mycolic acid biosynthesis, detoxification of toxic metabolites, folate biosynthesis, etc. The truncated INH–nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (oxidized) adduct, 4-isonicotinoylnicotinamide, isolated from urine samples of human TB patients treated with INH therapy is proposed to have antimycobacterial activity. MethodsTo understand the mechanism of interaction of the truncated INH–NAD adduct, binding energy studies were carried out on the aforementioned six enzymes with known three-dimensional structures using AutoDock4.2. ResultsIn silico docking analysis of these MTB enzymes with the truncated INH–NAD adduct showed favorable binding interactions with docking energies ranging from −5.29 to −7.07kcal/mol. ConclusionThus, in silico docking study revealed that the INH–NAD adduct, which is generated in vivo after INH activation, may undergo spontaneous hydrolysis to form the truncated INH–NAD adduct and further binds and inhibits multiple enzymes of MTB, in addition to InhA, confirming that INH is an effective anti-TB drug acting at multiple enzymes. Further analysis of amino acid residues in the active site of INH–NAD-binding proteins showed the probable presence of catalytic triad in four enzymes possibly involved in INH binding to the enzyme.

Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease Repair Activity of MtbXthA Repair Enzyme in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the Causative Agent of Tuberculosis

Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease Repair Activity of MtbXthA Repair Enzyme in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the Causative Agent of Tuberculosis

Design and structural analysis of aromatic inhibitors of type II dehydroquinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

3-Dehydroquinase, the third enzyme in the shikimate pathway, is a potential target for drugs against tuberculosis. Whilst a number of potent inhibitors of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme based on a 3-dehydroquinate core have been identified, they generally show little or no in vivo activity, and were synthetically complex to prepare. This report describes studies to develop tractable and drug-like aromatic analogues of the most potent inhibitors. A range of carbon-carbon linked biaryl analogues were prepared to investigate the effect of hydrogen bond acceptor and donor patterns on inhibition. These exhibited inhibitory activity in the high-micromolar range. The addition of flexible linkers in the compounds led to the identification of more potent 3-nitrobenzylgallate- and 5-aminoisophthalate-based analogues.

Mutational analysis of the (p)ppGpp synthetase activity of the Rel enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Rel(Mtb), a GTP pyrophosphokinase encoded by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genome, catalyzes synthesis of (p)ppGpp from ATP and GDP(GTP) and its hydrolysis to GDP(GTP) and pyrophosphate to mediate stringent response, which helps bacteria to survive during nutrient limitation. Like other members of Rel_Spo homologs, Rel(Mtb) has four distinct domains: HD, Rel_Spo (RSD), TGS and ACT. The N-terminal HD and RSD are responsible for (p)ppGpp hydrolysis and synthesis, respectively. In this study, we have dissected the rel(Mtb) gene function and determined the minimal region essential for (p)ppGpp synthetic activity. The Rel(Mtb) and its truncated derivatives were expressed from an arabinose inducible promoter (P(BAD)), and in vivo functional analyses were done in a (p)ppGpp null Escherichia coli strain. Our results indicate that only 243 amino acids (188-430 residues) containing fragment are sufficient for Rel(Mtb) (p)ppGpp synthetic activity. The results were further confirmed by in vitro assays using purified proteins. We further characterized the RSD of Rel(Mtb) by substituting several conserved amino acids with structurally related residues and identified six such residues, which appeared to be critical for maintaining its catalytic activity. Furthermore, we have also extended our analysis to an RSD encoding gene rv1366 of Mtb, and experimental results indicated that the encoded protein Rv1366 is unable to synthesize (p)ppGpp.

Acetylation of acetyl-CoA synthetase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis leads to specific inactivation of the adenylation reaction

Acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) catalyzes the formation of AcCoA from acetate, ATP and Coenzyme A, allowing the organism to grow on acetate as the sole carbon source. ACS was the first enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis shown to be regulated by posttranslational acetylation by the cAMP-dependent protein acetyltransferase. This modification results in the inactivation of the enzyme and can be reversed in the presence of NAD+ and a mycobacterial sirtuin-like deacetylase. In this study we characterize the kinetic mechanism of MtACS, where the overall reaction can be divided into two half-reactions: the acetyl-adenylate forming reaction and the thiol-ligation reaction. We also provide evidence for the existence of the acetyl-adenylate intermediate via 31P NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, we dissect the regulatory role of K617 acetylation and show that acetylation inhibits only the first, adenylation half-reaction while leaving the second half reaction unchanged. Finally, we demonstrate that the chemical mechanism of the enzyme relies on a conformational change which is controlled by the protonation state of aspartate 525. Together with our earlier results, this suggests a degree of regulation of enzyme activity that is appropriate for the role of the enzyme in central carbon metabolism.

Spin equilibrium and O2-binding kinetics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis CYP51 with mutations in the histidine–threonine dyad

The acidic residues of the “acid–alcohol pair” in CYP51 enzymes are uniformly replaced with histidine. Herein, we adopt the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (mt) enzyme as a model system to investigate these residues' roles in finely tuning the heme conformation, iron spin state, and formation and decay of the oxyferrous enzyme. Properties of the mtCYP51 and the T260A, T260V, and H259A mutants were interrogated using UV–Vis and resonance Raman spectroscopies. Evidence supports that these mutations induce comprehensive changes in the heme environment. The heme iron spin states are differentially sensitive to the binding of the substrate, dihydrolanosterol (DHL). DHL and clotrimazole perturb the local environments of the heme vinyl and propionate substituents. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the DHL–enzyme complexes support that the observed perturbations are attributable to changes in the DHL binding mode. Furthermore, the rates of the oxyferrous formation were measured using stopped-flow methods. These studies demonstrate that both HT mutations and DHL modulate the rates of oxyferrous formation. Paradoxically, the binding rate to the H259A mutant–DHL complex was approximately four-fold that of mtCYP51, a phenomenon that is predicted to result from the creation of an additional diffusion channel from loss of the H259–E173 ion pair in the mutant. Oxyferrous enzyme auto-oxidation rates were relatively constant, with the exception of the T260V-DHL complex. MD simulations lead us to speculate that this behavior may be attributed to the distortion of the heme macrocycle by the substrate.

Discovery and Structure Optimization of a Series of Isatin Derivatives as Mycobacterium tuberculosis Chorismate Mutase Inhibitors

In this study, the crystal structure of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) enzyme chorismate mutase (CM) bound to transition state analogue (PDB: 2FP2) was used as a framework for virtual screening of the BITS-Pilani in-house database (2500 compounds) to identify new scaffold. We identified isatin as novel small molecule MTB CM inhibitors; further twenty-four isatin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit MTB CM, and activity against M. tuberculosis as steps towards the derivation of structure-activity relationships (SAR) and lead optimization. Compound 3-(4-nitrobenzylidene)indolin-2-one, 24 emerged as the most promising lead with an IC50 of 1.01 ± 0.22 μm for purified CM and MIC of 23.5 μm for M. tuberculosis, with little or no cytotoxicity.

Mechanistic insight into the reaction catalysed by bacterial type II dehydroquinases

DHQ2 (type II dehydroquinase), which is an essential enzyme in Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium tuberculosis and does not have any counterpart in humans, is recognized to be an attractive target for the development of new antibacterial agents. Computational and biochemical studies that help understand in atomic detail the catalytic mechanism of these bacterial enzymes are reported in the present paper. A previously unknown key role of certain conserved residues of these enzymes, as well as the structural changes responsible for triggering the release of the product from the active site, were identified. Asp89*/Asp88* from a neighbouring enzyme subunit proved to be the residue responsible for the deprotonation of the essential tyrosine to afford the catalytic tyrosinate, which triggers the enzymatic process. The essentiality of this residue is supported by results from site-directed mutagenesis. For H. pylori DHQ2, this reaction takes place through the assistance of a water molecule, whereas for M. tuberculosis DHQ2, the tyrosine is directly deprotonated by the aspartate residue. The participation of a water molecule in this deprotonation reaction is supported by solvent isotope effects and proton inventory studies. MD simulation studies provide details of the required motions for the catalytic turnover, which provides a complete overview of the catalytic cycle. The product is expelled from the active site by the essential arginine residue and after a large conformational change of a loop containing two conserved arginine residues (Arg109/Arg108 and Arg113/Arg112), which reveals a previously unknown key role for these residues. The present study highlights the key role of the aspartate residue whose blockage could be useful in the rational design of inhibitors and the mechanistic differences between both enzymes.

Charge density distribution and electrostatic interactions of ethionamide: an inhibitor of the enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (inhA) enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The experimental and theoretical charge density analysis of ethionamide molecule provides the topological and the electrostatic properties, which allows the understanding of the nature of intra- and intermolecular interactions.

Design, synthesis and characterization of novel inhibitors against mycobacterial β-ketoacyl CoA reductase FabG4

We report the design and synthesis of triazole-polyphenol hybrid compounds 1 and 2 as inhibitors of the FabG4 (Rv0242c) enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for the first time. A major advance in this field occurred only a couple of years ago with the X-ray crystal structure of FabG4, which has helped us to design these inhibitors by the computational fragment-based drug design (FBDD) approach. Compound 1 has shown competitive inhibition with an inhibition constant (Ki) value of 3.97 ± 0.02 μM. On the other hand, compound 2 has been found to be a mixed type inhibitor with a Ki value of 0.88 ± 0.01 μM. Thermodynamic analysis using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) reveals that both inhibitors bind at the NADH co-factor binding domain. Their MIC values, as determined by resazurin assay against M. smegmatis, indicated their good anti-mycobacterial properties. A preliminary structure-activity relationship (SAR) study supports the design of these inhibitors. These compounds may be possible candidates as lead compounds for alternate anti-tubercular drugs. All of the reductase enzymes of the Mycobacterium family have a similar ketoacyl reductase (KAR) domain. Hence, this work may be extrapolated to find structure-based inhibitors of other reductase enzymes.

Structural insights into mode of actions of novel natural Mycobacterium protein tyrosine phosphatase B inhibitors

BackgroundTuberculosis has become a major health problem being the second leading cause of death worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretes a virulence factor, protein tyrosine phosphatase B (mPTPB) in the cytoplasm of host macrophage which suppresses its natural innate immune response and helps the pathogen survive and proliferate in the phagosome. The present study aims at indentifying potent inhibitors of mPTPB by using computational approaches of ligand based molecular modeling and docking studies.ResultsA 3D QSAR model was developed using a set of benzofuran salicylic acid based mPTPB inhibitors with experimentally known IC50 values. The model was generated using the statistical method of principle component regression analysis in combination with step wise forward variable selection algorithm. It was observed that steric and hydrophobic descriptors positively contribute towards the inhibitory activity of the ligands. The developed model had a robust internal as well as external predictive power as indicated by the q2 value of 0.8920 and predicted r2 value of 0.8006 respectively. Hence, the generated model was used to screen a large set of naturally occurring chemical compounds and predict their biological activity to identify more potent natural compounds targeting mPTPB. The two top potential hits (with pIC50 value of 1.459 and 1.677 respectively) had a similar interaction pattern as that of the most potent compound (pIC50 = 1.42) of the congeneric series.ConclusionThe contour plot provided a better understanding of the relationship between structural features of substituted benzofuran salicylic acid derivatives and their activities which would facilitate design of novel mPTPB inhibitors. The QSAR modeling was used to obtain an equation, correlating the important steric and hydrophobic descriptors with the pIC50 value. Thus, we report two natural compounds of inhibitory nature active against mPTPB enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These inhibitors have the potential to evolve as lead molecules in the development of drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-S1-S3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bedaquiline: a novel antitubercular drug for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are emerging global health threats. Bedaquiline is a new antituberculous drug belonging to the diarylquinoline class that efficiently inhibits the adenosine triphosphate synthase enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is a bactericidal and long-acting drug. It inhibits both dormant as well as replicating bacterial sub-populations and thus shortens the duration of TB treatment. This drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2012 for the management of multidrug resistant-TB. The drug marks the introduction of a new addition to the TB armamentarium after four decades.

Chalcone Scaffold based Antimycobacterial Agents

This article represents a mini-review dedicated to chalcone derivatives with antimycobacterial activity. Natural and synthetic chlacones are reviewed. General and specific schemes of synthesis of chalchone derivatives are presented. QSAR and docking studies of certain chalcones are analyzed in respect of their antimycobacterial activity and inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzymes.

Lipoamide Channel-Binding Sulfonamides Selectively Inhibit Mycobacterial Lipoamide Dehydrogenase

Tuberculosis remains a global health emergency that calls for treatment regimens directed at new targets. Here we explored lipoamide dehydrogenase (Lpd), a metabolic and detoxifying enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) whose deletion drastically impairs Mtb's ability to establish infection in the mouse. Upon screening more than 1.6 million compounds, we identified N-methylpyridine 3-sulfonamides as potent and species-selective inhibitors of Mtb Lpd affording >1000-fold selectivity versus the human homologue. The sulfonamides demonstrated low nanomolar affinity and bound at the lipoamide channel in an Lpd-inhibitor cocrystal. Their selectivity could be attributed, at least partially, to hydrogen bonding of the sulfonamide amide oxygen with the species variant Arg93 in the lipoamide channel. Although potent and selective, the sulfonamides did not enter mycobacteria, as determined by their inability to accumulate in Mtb to effective levels or to produce changes in intracellular metabolites. This work demonstrates that high potency and selectivity can be achieved at the lipoamide-binding site of Mtb Lpd, a site different from the NAD⁺/NADH pocket targeted by previously reported species-selective triazaspirodimethoxybenzoyl inhibitors.

Effects of histidine protonation and rotameric states on virtual screening of M. tuberculosis RmlC

While it is well established that protonation and tautomeric states of ligands can significantly affect the results of virtual screening, such effects of ionizable residues of protein receptors are less well understood. In this study, we focus on histidine protonation and rotameric states and their impact on virtual screening of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme RmlC. Depending on the net charge and the location of proton(s), a histidine can adopt three states: HIP (+1 charged, both δ- and ε-nitrogens protonated), HID (neutral, δ-nitrogen protonated), and HIE (neutral, ε-nitrogen protonated). Due to common ambiguities in X-ray crystal structures, a histidine may also be resolved as three additional states with its imidazole ring flipped. Here, we systematically investigate the predictive power of 36 receptor models with different protonation and rotameric states of two histidines in the RmlC active site by using results from a previous high-throughput screening. By measuring enrichment factors and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves, we show that virtual screening results vary depending on hydrogen bonding networks provided by the histidines, even in the cases where the ligand does not obviously interact with the side chain. Our results also suggest that, even with the help of widely used pKa prediction software, assigning histidine protonation and rotameric states for virtual screening can still be challenging and requires further examination and systematic characterization of the receptor-ligand complex.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10822-013-9643-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Molecular docking and in silico studies on analogues of 2-methylheptyl isonicotinate with DHDPS enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other strains of mycobacteria cause tuberculosis which has infected one-third of the world’s population. Moreover, there has been increase in multidrug-resistant strains which spotlights the need for a new anti-tuberculosis drug. The cell wall of mycobacteria is characterised by high diaminopimelic acid (DAP) content—an intermediate of the (S)-lysine biosynthetic pathway and dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) enzyme catalyses the first unique reaction of this biosynthesis. Interestingly, the gene knockout experiment demonstrates the essentiality of the DAP pathway, where the absence of DAP results in cell lysis and death. Because of this importance, any inhibitor of DHDPS enzyme may indicate a new class of anti-tubercular agent. In this perspective, the aim of the present study is to focus on the molecular docking analysis of DHDPS enzyme against the analogues of 2-methylheptyl isonicotinate—a compound having strong antibacterial property against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The analogues used in the present study were retrieved from the NCBI PubChem database subject to Lipinski rule of five filters which would make the analogues like an orally active drug. Further, the top docked compounds at the active site of the DHDPS enzyme were analysed for ADME-Toxicity prediction.

Active site plasticity of a critical enzyme from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase is an important biosynthetic enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and a potential drug target. We describe the synthesis, evaluation and docking of inhibitors with various chain lengths, which provide insight into the plasticity of the active site for inhibitor binding.

Computational finding of potential inhibitor for Cytochrome P450 Mono-oxygenases Enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases (2UUQ) enzyme from Mycobacterium tuberculosis catalyzes oxidation of organic compounds such as lipids and steroidal hormones therefore remain as potential drug target. Currently available first line anti-tuberculosis drugs have been caused several side effects in the body as well as resistance development by mycobacterium against these drugs, necessitates the considerable need for finding new drugs. Therefore, we propose a structure based computational method to find a new potential inhibitor for cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases enzyme. Compounds from several ligand databases were docked against the functional sites of 2UUQ (A) through the standard GEMDOCK v2.0 and AUTODOCK4.0 molecular docking tools. Commercially available chemical compound ZINC00004165 (5-[3-(2-nitroimidazol-1-yl) propyl] phenanthridine) has produced top rank with lowest interaction energy of -113.2 (via GEMDOCK) and lowest docking energy of -9.80 kcal/mol (via AUTODOCK) as compared to first line anti TB compounds. Z score and normal distribution analysis verified that the ZINC00004165 compound has more affinity towards 2UUQ in comparison to large number of random population of compounds. ZINC00004165 is also in agreement with the drug likeness properties of Lipinski rule of five without any violation. Therefore, our finding concludes that the commercial compound ZINC00004165 can act as a potential inhibitor against cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Quinolinyl Pyrimidines: Potent Inhibitors of NDH-2 as a Novel Class of Anti-TB Agents.

NDH-2 is an essential respiratory enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which plays an important role in the physiology of Mtb. Herein, we present a target-based effort to identify a new structural class of inhibitors for NDH-2. High-throughput screening of the AstraZeneca corporate collection resulted in the identification of quinolinyl pyrimidines as the most promising class of NDH-2 inhibitors. Structure-activity relationship studies showed improved enzyme inhibition (IC50) against the NDH-2 target, which in turn translated into cellular activity against Mtb. Thus, the compounds in this class show a good correlation between enzyme inhibition and cellular potency. Furthermore, early ADME profiling of the best compounds showed promising results and highlighted the quinolinyl pyrimidine class as a potential lead for further development.

Screening, Identification, and Characterization of Mechanistically Diverse Inhibitors of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Enzyme, Pantothenate Kinase (CoaA)

The authors describe the discovery of anti-mycobacterial compounds through identifying mechanistically diverse inhibitors of the essential Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) enzyme, pantothenate kinase (CoaA). Target-driven drug discovery technologies often work with purified enzymes, and inhibitors thus discovered may not optimally inhibit the form of the target enzyme predominant in the bacterial cell or may not be available at the desired concentration. Therefore, in addition to addressing entry or efflux issues, inhibitors with diverse mechanisms of inhibition (MoI) could be prioritized before hit-to-lead optimization. The authors describe a high-throughput assay based on protein thermal melting to screen large numbers of compounds for hits with diverse MoI. Following high-throughput screening for Mtb CoaA enzyme inhibitors, a concentration-dependent increase in protein thermal stability was used to identify true binders, and the degree of enhancement or reduction in thermal stability in the presence of substrate was used to classify inhibitors as competitive or non/uncompetitive. The thermal shift–based MoI assay could be adapted to screen hundreds of compounds in a single experiment as compared to traditional biochemical approaches for MoI determination. This MoI was confirmed through mechanistic studies that estimated Kie and Kies for representative compounds and through nuclear magnetic resonance–based ligand displacement assays.