Characterization and in vitro inhibition studies of Bacillus anthracis FtsZ: a potential antibacterial target

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2014 Mar;172(6):3263-70. doi: 10.1007/s12010-014-0752-2. Epub 2014 Feb 9.

Abstract

FtsZ is an essential bacterial cell division protein that is an attractive target for the development of antibacterial agents. FtsZ is a homologue of eukaryotic tubulin, has GTPase activity, and forms a ring-type structure to initiate cell division. In this study, the FtsZ of Bacillus anthracis was cloned into a bacterial expression vector and overexpressed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The overexpressed B. anthracis FtsZ was soluble and purified to homogeneity using Ni-His-tag affinity chromatography. Like other known FtsZs, the recombinant B. anthracis FtsZ also showed GTP-dependent polymerization, which was analyzed using both spectrophotometric and Transmission Electronic Microscopic (TEM) analysis. Using the purified FtsZ, we screened a naturally extracted chemical library to identify potent and novel inhibitors. The screening yielded three chemicals, SA-011, SA-059, and SA-069, that inhibited the in vitro polymerization activity of FtsZ in the micromolar range (IC50 of 55-168 μM). The inhibition potency was significantly comparable with that of berberine, a known potential inhibitor of FtsZ. Understanding the biochemical basis of the effect of these inhibitors on B. anthracis growth would provide a promising path for the development of new antianthracis drugs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Bacillus anthracis / chemistry*
  • Bacillus anthracis / enzymology
  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Berberine / chemistry
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / genetics
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / metabolism
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Guanosine Triphosphate / chemistry
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Small Molecule Libraries / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • FtsZ protein, Bacteria
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Berberine
  • Guanosine Triphosphate