A novel inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pantothenate synthetase

J Biomol Screen. 2007 Feb;12(1):100-5. doi: 10.1177/1087057106296484. Epub 2006 Dec 14.

Abstract

Pantothenate synthetase (PS; EC 6.3.2.1), encoded by the panC gene, catalyzes the essential adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent condensation of D-pantoate and beta-alanine to form pantothenate in bacteria, yeast, and plants; pantothenate is a key precursor for the biosynthesis of coenzyme A (CoA) and acyl carrier protein (ACP). Because the enzyme is absent in mammals and both CoA and ACP are essential cofactors for bacterial growth, PS is an attractive chemotherapeutic target. An automated high-throughput screen was developed to identify drugs that inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis PS. The activity of PS was measured spectrophotometrically through an enzymatic cascade involving myokinase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase. The rate of PS ATP utilization was quantitated by the reduction of absorbance due to the oxidation of NADH to NAD+ by lactate dehydrogenase, which allowed for an internal control to detect interference from compounds that absorb at 340 nm. This coupled enzymatic reaction was used to screen 4080 compounds in a 96-well format. This discussion describes a novel inhibitor of PS that exhibits potential as an antimicrobial agent.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme Inhibitors / analysis
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / drug effects
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / enzymology*
  • Nafronyl / chemistry
  • Peptide Synthases / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Peptide Synthases / chemistry
  • Peptide Synthases / metabolism
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Nafronyl
  • Peptide Synthases
  • pantothenate synthetase