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The respiratory chain of Escherichia coli contains two different types of terminal oxidase that are differentially regulated as a response to changing environmental conditions. These oxidoreductases catalyze the reduction of molecular oxygen to water and contribute to the proton motive force. The cytochrome bo3 oxidase (cyt bo3) acts as the primary terminal oxidase under atmospheric oxygen levels, whereas the bd‐type oxidase is most abundant under microaerobic conditions. In E. coli, both types of respiratory terminal oxidase (HCO and bd‐type) use ubiquinol‐8 as electron donor. Here, we assess the inhibitory potential of newly designed and synthesized 3‐alkylated Lawson derivatives through L‐proline‐catalyzed three‐component reductive alkylation (TCRA). The inhibitory effects of these Lawson derivatives on the terminal oxidases of E. coli (cyt bo3 and cyt bd‐I) were tested potentiometrically. Four compounds were able to reduce the oxidoreductase activity of cyt bo3 by more than 50 % without affecting the cyt bd‐I activity. Moreover, two inhibitors for both cyt bo3 and cyt bd‐I oxidase could be identified. Based on molecular‐docking simulations, we propose binding modes of the new Lawson inhibitors. The molecular fragment benzyl enhances the inhibitory potential and selectivity for cyt bo3, whereas heterocycles reduce this effect. This work extends the library of 3‐alkylated Lawson derivatives as selective inhibitors for respiratory oxidases and provides molecular probes for detailed investigations of the mechanisms of respiratory‐chain enzymes of E. coli.
The current pandemic situation caused by the Betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (SCoV2) highlights the need for coordinated research to combat COVID-19. A particularly important aspect is the development of medication. In addition to viral proteins, structured RNA elements represent a potent alternative as drug targets. The search for drugs that target RNA requires their high-resolution structural characterization. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a worldwide consortium of NMR researchers aims to characterize potential RNA drug targets of SCoV2. Here, we report the characterization of 15 conserved RNA elements located at the 5′ end, the ribosomal frameshift segment and the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of the SCoV2 genome, their large-scale production and NMR-based secondary structure determination. The NMR data are corroborated with secondary structure probing by DMS footprinting experiments. The close agreement of NMR secondary structure determination of isolated RNA elements with DMS footprinting and NMR performed on larger RNA regions shows that the secondary structure elements fold independently. The NMR data reported here provide the basis for NMR investigations of RNA function, RNA interactions with viral and host proteins and screening campaigns to identify potential RNA binders for pharmaceutical intervention.