GTP cyclohydrolase I catalyzes the first step in folic acid biosynthesis in bacteria and plants, biopterin biosynthesis in mammals, and the biosynthesis of 7‐deazaguanosine modified tRNA nucleosides in bacteria and archaea. The type IB GTP cyclohydrolase (GCYH‐IB) is a prokaryotic‐specific enzyme found in several pathogens. GCYH‐IB is structurally distinct from the canonical type IA GTP cyclohydrolase involved in biopterin biosynthesis in humans and animals, and thus is of interest as a potential antibacterial drug target. We report kinetic and inhibition data of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) GCYH‐IB, and two high‐resolution crystal structures of the enzyme; one in complex with the reaction intermediate analog and a competitive inhibitor 8‐oxo‐GTP, and one with a TRIS molecule bound in the active site which mimics another reaction intermediate. Comparison of these GCYH‐IB crystal structures with the type IA enzyme bound to 8‐oxo‐GTP, reveals an inverted binding mode of the inhibitor's ribosyl moiety. Taken together with site‐directed mutagenesis data, suggests that the two enzymes utilize different strategies for catalysis. Additionally, the inhibitor interacts with a conserved active site residue Cys149 which is S‐nitrosylated in the structures. This is the first structural characterization of a biologically S‐nitrosylated bacterial protein. Mutagenesis and biochemical analyses demonstrate that Cys149 is essential for the cyclohydrolase reaction, and S‐nitrosylation maintains enzyme activity, suggesting a potential role of the S‐nitrosothiol in catalysis. These structures and information were used to perform structure based drug design using a combination of in silico screening and de novo design methods to generate molecules that inhibit NgGCYH‐IB selectively over human GCYH‐IA. A few compounds named G1, G2 and G1‐triphosphate have been generated and currently being tested for inhibition.Support or Funding InformationThis project was supported by NSF grant CHE‐1309323 to D. Iwata‐Reuyl and M.A. Swairjo,NIH grant GM110588 to M.A. Swairjo and D. Iwata‐Reuyl, NIH grant GM70641 to D. Iwata‐Reuyl, andan intramural grant from Western University of Health Sciences to M.A. Swairjo.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.