AbstractDihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a key enzyme involved in the folate pathway that has been heavily targeted for the development of therapeutics against cancer and bacterial and protozoa infections amongst others. Despite being an essential enzyme for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) viability, DHFR remains an underexploited target for tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Herein, we report the preparation and evaluation of a series of compounds against Mtb DHFR (MtbDHFR). The compounds have been designed using a merging strategy of traditional pyrimidine‐based antifolates with a previously discovered unique fragment hit against MtbDHFR. In this series, four compounds displayed a high affinity against MtbDHFR, with sub‐micromolar affinities. Additionally, we determined the binding mode of six of the best compounds using protein crystallography, which revealed occupation of an underutilised region of the active site.
摘要 二氢叶酸还原酶(DHFR)是叶酸通路中的一种关键酶,已成为开发癌症、细菌和原生动物感染等治疗药物的重要靶点。尽管 DHFR 是结核分枝杆菌(Mtb)存活所必需的酶,但它仍是结核病(TB)治疗中未被充分开发的靶点。在此,我们报告了一系列针对 Mtb DHFR(MtbDHFR)的化合物的制备和评估。这些化合物的设计采用了传统嘧啶类抗偶联剂与之前发现的针对 MtbDHFR 的独特片段的合并策略。在这一系列化合物中,有四种化合物对 MtbDHFR 具有亚微摩级的高亲和力。此外,我们还利用蛋白质晶体学方法确定了其中六种最佳化合物的结合模式,发现它们占据了活性位点中一个未被充分利用的区域。