In the search for much-needed new antibacterial chemical matter, a myriad of compounds have been reported in academic and pharmaceutical screening endeavors. Only a small fraction of these, however, are characterized with respect to mechanism of action (MOA). Here, we describe a pipeline that categorizes transcriptional responses to antibiotics and provides hypotheses for MOA. 3D-printed imaging hardware PFIboxes) profiles responses of Escherichia coli promoter-GFP fusions to more than 100 antibiotics. Notably, metergoline, a semi-synthetic ergot alkaloid, mimics a DNA replication inhibitor. Invitro supercoiling assays confirm this prediction, and a potent analog thereof (MLEB-1934) inhibits growth at 0.25μg/mL and is highly active against quinolone-resistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Spontaneous suppressor mutants map to a seldom explored allosteric binding pocket, suggesting a mechanism distinct from DNA gyrase inhibitors used in the clinic. In all, the work highlights the potential of this platform to rapidly assess MOA of new antibacterial compounds.
Read full abstract