The C-terminus of Botulinum A Protease Has Profound and Unanticipated Kinetic Consequences Upon the Catalytic Cleft.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are among the most deadly poisons known though ironically, they also are of great therapeutic utility. A number of research programs have been initiated to discover small molecule inhibitors of BoNTs metalloprotease activity. Many, though not all of these programs have screened against a truncated and more stable form of the enzyme, that possess comparable catalytic properties to the full length enzyme.

Antagonism of a zinc metalloprotease using a unique metal-chelating scaffold: tropolones as inhibitors of P. aeruginosa elastase.

Tropolone emerged from the screening of a chelator fragment library (CFL) as an inhibitor of the Zn(2+)-dependent virulence factor, Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase (LasB). Based on this initial hit, a series of substituted tropolone-based LasB inhibitors was prepared, and a compound displaying potent activity in vitro and in a bacterial swarming assay was identified. Importantly, this inhibitor was found to be specific for LasB over other metalloenzymes, validating the usage of tropolone as a viable scaffold for identifying first-in-class LasB inhibitors.

Toward implementation of quorum sensing autoinducers as biomarkers for infectious disease states.

The opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Importantly, virulence factor expression and biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa is coordinated by quorum sensing (QS) and one of the key QS signaling molecules is 3-oxo-C12-HSL.

Immunomodulation and the quorum sensing molecule 3-oxo-C12-homoserine lactone: the importance of chemical scaffolding for probe development.

As a guide for chemical probe design, focused analogue synthetic studies were undertaken upon the lactone ring of 3-oxo-C(12)-homoserine lactone. We have concluded that hydrolytic instability of the heterocyclic ring is pivotal for its ability to modulate immune signaling and probe preparation was aligned with these findings.

3-Hydroxy-1-alkyl-2-methylpyridine-4(1H)-thiones: Inhibition of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence Factor LasB.

Bacterial resistance coupled to our current arsenal of antibiotics presents us with a growing threat to public health, thus warranting the exploration of alternative antibacterial strategies. In particular, the targeting of virulence factors has been regarded as a "second generation" antibiotic approach. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Zn(2+) metalloprotease virulence factor, LasB or P.

Stereochemical insignificance discovered in Acinetobacter baumannii quorum sensing.

Stereochemistry is a key aspect of molecular recognition for biological systems. As such, receptors and enzymes are often highly stereospecific, only recognizing one stereoisomer of a ligand. Recently, the quorum sensing signaling molecules used by the nosocomial opportunistic pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, were identified, and the primary signaling molecule isolated from this species was N-(3-hydroxydodecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone.

Investigating the effect of antibiotics on quorum sensing with whole-cell biosensing systems.

Quorum sensing (QS) allows bacteria to communicate with one another by means of QS signaling molecules and control certain behaviors in a group-based manner, including pathogenicity and biofilm formation. Bacterial gut microflora may play a role in inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis, and antibiotics are one of the available therapeutic options for Crohn's disease. In the present study, we employed genetically engineered bioluminescent bacterial whole-cell sensing systems as a tool to evaluate the ability of antibiotics commonly employed in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions to interfere with QS.

The Fe(III) and Ga(III) coordination chemistry of 3-(1-hydroxymethylidene) and 3-(1-hydroxydecylidene)-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyrrolidine-2,4-dione: novel tetramic acid degradation products of homoserine lactone bacterial quorum sensing molecules.

Bacteria use small diffusible molecules to exchange information in a process called quorum sensing (QS). An important class of quorum sensing molecules used by Gram-negative bacteria is the family of N-acylhomoserine lactones (HSL). It was recently discovered that a degradation product of the QS molecule 3-oxo-C(12)-homoserine lactone, the tetramic acid 3-(1-hydroxydecylidene)-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyrrolidine-2,4-dione, is a potent antibacterial agent, thus implying roles for QS outside of simply communication.

A multivalent probe for AI-2 quorum-sensing receptors.

Multivalency is a common principle in the recognition of cellular receptors, and multivalent agonists and antagonists have played a major role in understanding mammalian cell receptor biology. The study of bacterial cell receptors using similar approaches, however, has lagged behind. Herein we describe our efforts toward the development of a dendrimer-based multivalent probe for studying AI-2 quorum-sensing receptors.

Synthesis and molecular modeling provide insight into a Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing conundrum.

The triphenyl amide/ester 12 was originally reported to be a potent mimic of the natural 3-oxo-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone quorum sensing molecule in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, explicit synthesis/chemical characterization was lacking, and a later report providing protein crystallographic data inferred 12 to be incorrect, with 9 now being the surmised structure. Because of these inconsistencies and our interest in quorum sensing molecules utilized by gram-negative bacteria, we found it necessary to synthesize 9 and 12 to test for agonistic activity in a P.

Synthesis of 'clickable' acylhomoserine lactone quorum sensing probes: unanticipated effects on mammalian cell activation.

Alkynyl- and azido-tagged 3-oxo-C(12)-acylhomoserine lactone probes have been synthesized to examine their potential utility as probes for discovering the mammalian protein target of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa autoinducer, 3-oxo-C(12)-acylhomoserine lactone. Although such substitutions are commonly believed to be quite conservative, from these studies, we have uncovered a drastic difference in activity between the alkynyl- and azido-modified compounds, and provide an example where such structural modification has proved to be much less than conservative.