Chemical-genetic profiling of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and -pyrimidines reveals target pathways conserved between yeast and human cells.

Small molecules have been shown to be potent and selective probes to understand cell physiology. Here, we show that imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidines compose a class of compounds that target essential, conserved cellular processes. Using validated chemogenomic assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we discovered that two closely related compounds, an imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine and -pyrimidine that differ by a single atom, have distinctly different mechanisms of action in vivo.

N-(2-Phenyl-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-yl)acetamide.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C(15)H(13)N(3)O, consists of columns of mol-ecules that are inter-connected by N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds in the direction of the b axis. The torsion angle between the imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ring system and the phenyl ring is 9.04 (5)°.