Fragment library screening identifies hits that bind to the non-catalytic surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa DsbA1

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 27;12(3):e0173436. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173436. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

At a time when the antibiotic drug discovery pipeline has stalled, antibiotic resistance is accelerating with catastrophic implications for our ability to treat bacterial infections. Globally we face the prospect of a future when common infections can once again kill. Anti-virulence approaches that target the capacity of the bacterium to cause disease rather than the growth or survival of the bacterium itself offer a tantalizing prospect of novel antimicrobials. They may also reduce the propensity to induce resistance by removing the strong selection pressure imparted by bactericidal or bacteriostatic agents. In the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, disulfide bond protein A (PaDsbA1) plays a central role in the oxidative folding of virulence factors and is therefore an attractive target for the development of new anti-virulence antimicrobials. Using a fragment-based approach we have identified small molecules that bind to PaDsbA1. The fragment hits show selective binding to PaDsbA1 over the DsbA protein from Escherichia coli, suggesting that developing species-specific narrow-spectrum inhibitors of DsbA enzymes may be feasible. Structures of a co-complex of PaDsbA1 with the highest affinity fragment identified in the screen reveal that the fragment binds on the non-catalytic surface of the protein at a domain interface. This biophysical and structural data represent a starting point in the development of higher affinity compounds, which will be assessed for their potential as selective PaDsbA1 inhibitors.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Drug Discovery
  • Humans
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / chemistry
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases / metabolism
  • Pseudomonas Infections / drug therapy
  • Pseudomonas Infections / microbiology*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / chemistry
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / drug effects*
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa / metabolism
  • Small Molecule Libraries / chemistry
  • Small Molecule Libraries / pharmacology
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Virulence Factors
  • Protein Disulfide-Isomerases

Grants and funding

The study was funded through a Linkage Grant from the Australian Research Council (arc.gov.au) (LP0990166), which was supported by an Industry Partner - Biota Holdings Ltd. JLM was supported by an Australian Research Council (arc.gov.au) Australian Laureate Fellowship during this research (FL0992138). RMM, MC and ST were supported by the same Laureate Award. RMM and BM were supported in part by a National Health and Medical Research Council (nhmrc.gov.au) Project Grant (1061241). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.