Targeting an Essential GTPase Obg for the Development of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 5;11(2):e0148222. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148222. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

A promising new drug target for the development of novel broad-spectrum antibiotics is the highly conserved small GTPase Obg (YhbZ, CgtA), a protein essential for the survival of all bacteria including Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC). GC is the agent of gonorrhea, a prevalent sexually transmitted disease resulting in serious consequences on reproductive and neonatal health. A preventive anti-gonorrhea vaccine does not exist, and options for effective antibiotic treatments are increasingly limited. To address the dire need for alternative antimicrobial strategies, we have designed and optimized a 384-well GTPase assay to identify inhibitors of Obg using as a model Obg protein from GC, ObgGC. The assay was validated with a pilot screen of 40,000 compounds and achieved an average Z' value of 0.58 ± 0.02, which suggests a robust assay amenable to high-throughput screening. We developed secondary assessments for identified lead compounds that utilize the interaction between ObgGC and fluorescent guanine nucleotide analogs, mant-GTP and mant-GDP, and an ObgGC variant with multiple alterations in the G-domains that prevent nucleotide binding. To evaluate the broad-spectrum potential of ObgGC inhibitors, Obg proteins of Klebsiella pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were assessed using the colorimetric and fluorescence-based activity assays. These approaches can be useful in identifying broad-spectrum Obg inhibitors and advancing the therapeutic battle against multidrug resistant bacteria.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Chelating Agents / pharmacology
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple / drug effects
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae / drug effects
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae / enzymology
  • Solvents / pharmacology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Chelating Agents
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Obg GTP-binding protein, Bacteria
  • Solvents
  • GTP-Binding Proteins