Inhibition of the ANT(2")-Ia resistance enzyme and rescue of aminoglycoside antibiotic activity by synthetic α-hydroxytropolones.

Aminoglycoside-2"-O-nucleotidyltransferase ANT(2")-Ia is an aminoglycoside resistance enzyme prevalent among Gram-negative bacteria, and is one of the most common determinants of enzyme-dependant aminoglycoside-resistance. The following report outlines the use of our recently described oxidopyrylium cycloaddition/ring-opening strategy in the synthesis and profiling of a library of synthetic α-hydroxytropolones against ANT(2")-Ia. In addition, we show that two of these synthetic constructs are capable of rescuing gentamicin activity against ANT-(2")-Ia-expressing bacteria.

Structure-guided optimization of protein kinase inhibitors reverses aminoglycoside antibiotic resistance.

Activity of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase APH(3')-Ia leads to resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics in pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, and contributes to the clinical obsolescence of this class of antibiotics. One strategy to rescue compromised antibiotics such as aminoglycosides is targeting the enzymes that confer resistance with small molecules. We demonstrated previously that ePK (eukaryotic protein kinase) inhibitors could inhibit APH enzymes, owing to the structural similarity between these two enzyme families. However, limited structural information of enzyme-inhibitor complexes hindered interpretation of the results. In addition, cross-reactivity of compounds between APHs and ePKs represents an obstacle to their use as aminoglycoside adjuvants to rescue aminoglycoside antibiotic activity. In the present study, we structurally and functionally characterize inhibition of APH(3')-Ia by three diverse chemical scaffolds, anthrapyrazolone, 4-anilinoquinazoline and PP (pyrazolopyrimidine), and reveal distinctions in the binding mode of anthrapyrazolone and PP compounds to APH(3')-Ia compared with ePKs. Using this observation, we identify PP derivatives that select against ePKs, attenuate APH(3')-Ia activity and rescue aminoglycoside antibiotic activity against a resistant Escherichia coli strain. The structures described in the present paper and the inhibition studies provide an important opportunity for structure-based design of compounds to target aminoglycoside phosphotransferases for inhibition, potentially overcoming this form of antibiotic resistance.

A small molecule discrimination map of the antibiotic resistance kinome.

Kinase-mediated resistance to antibiotics is a significant clinical challenge. These enzymes share a common protein fold characteristic of Ser/Thr/Tyr protein kinases. We screened 14 antibiotic resistance kinases against 80 chemically diverse protein kinase inhibitors to map resistance kinase chemical space. The screens identified molecules with both broad and narrow inhibition profiles, proving that protein kinase inhibitors offer privileged chemical matter with the potential to block antibiotic resistance. One example is the flavonol quercetin, which inhibited a number of resistance kinases in vitro and in vivo. This activity was rationalized by determination of the crystal structure of the aminoglycoside kinase APH(2″)-IVa in complex with quercetin and its antibiotic substrate kanamycin. Our data demonstrate that protein kinase inhibitors offer chemical scaffolds that can block antibiotic resistance, providing leads for co-drug design.

Structure and function of APH(4)-Ia, a hygromycin B resistance enzyme.

The aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (APH) APH(4)-Ia is one of two enzymes responsible for bacterial resistance to the atypical aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B (hygB). The crystal structure of APH(4)-Ia enzyme was solved in complex with hygB at 1.95 Šresolution. The APH(4)-Ia structure adapts a general two-lobe architecture shared by other APH enzymes and eukaryotic kinases, with the active site located at the interdomain cavity. The enzyme forms an extended hydrogen bond network with hygB primarily through polar and acidic side chain groups. Individual alanine substitutions of seven residues involved in hygB binding did not have significant effect on APH(4)-Ia enzymatic activity, indicating that the binding affinity is spread across a distributed network. hygB appeared as the only substrate recognized by APH(4)-Ia among the panel of 14 aminoglycoside compounds. Analysis of the active site architecture and the interaction with the hygB molecule demonstrated several unique features supporting such restricted substrate specificity. Primarily the APH(4)-Ia substrate-binding site contains a cluster of hydrophobic residues that provides a complementary surface to the twisted structure of the substrate. Similar to APH(2″) enzymes, the APH(4)-Ia is able to utilize either ATP or GTP for phosphoryl transfer. The defined structural features of APH(4)-Ia interactions with hygB and the promiscuity in regard to ATP or GTP binding could be exploited for the design of novel aminoglycoside antibiotics or inhibitors of this enzyme.

Nucleotide selectivity of antibiotic kinases.

Antibiotic kinases, which include aminoglycoside and macrolide phosphotransferases (APHs and MPHs), pose a serious threat to currently used antimicrobial therapies. These enzymes show structural and functional homology with Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases, which is suggestive of a common ancestor. Surprisingly, recent in vitro studies using purified antibiotic kinase enzymes have revealed that a number are able to utilize GTP as the antibiotic phospho donor, either preferentially or exclusively compared to ATP, the canonical phosphate donor in most biochemical reactions. To further explore this phenomenon, we examined three enzymes, APH(3')-IIIa, APH(2'')-Ib, and MPH(2')-I, using a competitive assay that mimics in vivo nucleotide triphosphate (NTP) concentrations and usage by each enzyme. Downstream analysis of reaction products by high-performance liquid chromatography enabled the determination of partitioning of phosphate flux from NTP donors to antibiotics. Using this ratio along with support from kinetic analysis and inhibitor studies, we find that under physiologic concentrations of NTPs, APH(3')-IIIa exclusively uses ATP, MPH(2')-I exclusively uses GTP, and APH(2'')-Ib is able to use both species with a preference for GTP. These differences reveal likely different pathways in antibiotic resistance enzyme evolution and can be exploited in selective inhibitor design to counteract resistance.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of truncated bisubstrate inhibitors of aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferases.

Truncated aminoglycoside-coenzyme A bisubstrate analogues were efficiently prepared using a convergent approach where the amine and the thiol are coupled in one pot with the addition of a linker, without the need for protecting groups. These derivatives were tested for their effect on the activity of the resistance-causing enzyme aminoglycoside 6'-N-acetyltransferase Ii, and key structure-activity relationships are reported. Moreover, one of the inhibitors is able to block aminoglycoside resistance in cells expressing this enzyme.