Novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors (NBTIs) are a new class of antibacterial agents that target bacterial type II topoisomerases (DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV). Our recently disclosed crystal structure of an NBTI ligand in complex with DNA gyrase and DNA revealed that the halogen atom in the para position of the phenyl right hand side (RHS) moiety is able to establish strong symmetrical bifurcated halogen bonds with the enzyme; these are responsible for the excellent enzyme inhibitory potency and antibacterial activity of these NBTIs. To further assess the possibility of any alternative interactions (e.g., hydrogen-bonding and/or hydrophobic interactions), we introduced various non-halogen groups at the p-position of the phenyl RHS moiety. Considering the hydrophobic nature of amino acid residues delineating the NBTI’s binding pocket in bacterial topoisomerases, we demonstrated that designed NBTIs cannot establish any hydrogen-bonding interactions with the enzyme; hydrophobic interactions are feasible in all respects, while halogen-bonding interactions are apparently the most preferred.
新型细菌拓扑异构酶抑制剂(NBTI)是一类新的抗菌剂,以细菌 II 型拓扑异构酶(DNA 回旋酶和拓扑异构酶 IV)为靶标。我们最近公布的 NBTI 配体与 DNA gyrase 和 DNA 复合物的晶体结构显示,位于苯基右侧 (RHS) 分子对位的卤原子能够与酶建立牢固的对称二叉卤素键;这是这些 NBTI 具有出色的酶抑制效力和抗菌活性的原因。为了进一步评估其他相互作用(如氢键和/或疏水相互作用)的可能性,我们在苯基 RHS 分子的 p 位引入了各种非卤素基团。考虑到细菌拓扑异构酶中划定 NBTI 结合袋的氨基酸残基的疏水性,我们证明设计的 NBTI 不能与酶建立任何氢键相互作用;疏水相互作用在所有方面都是可行的,而卤键相互作用显然是最可取的。