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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, February 2001, p. 563-570, Vol. 45, No. 2
British Biotech Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Oxford
OX4 6LY,1 and Krebs Institute for
Biomolecular Research, Department of Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10
2TN,3 United Kingdom, and Naeja
Pharmaceutical, Inc., Edmonton, Alberta T6E 5V2,
Canada2
Received 4 August 2000/Returned for modification 28 September
2000/Accepted 26 October 2000
Peptide deformylase (PDF) is an essential bacterial metalloenzyme
which deformylates the N-formylmethionine of newly
synthesized polypeptides and as such represents a novel target for
antibacterial chemotherapy. To identify novel PDF inhibitors, we
screened a metalloenzyme inhibitor library and identified an
N-formyl-hydroxylamine derivative, BB-3497, and a related
natural hydroxamic acid antibiotic, actinonin, as potent and selective
inhibitors of PDF. To elucidate the interactions that contribute to the
binding affinity of these inhibitors, we determined the crystal
structures of BB-3497 and actinonin bound to Escherichia
coli PDF at resolutions of 2.1 and 1.75 Å,
respectively. In both complexes, the active-site metal atom was
pentacoordinated by the side chains of Cys 90, His 132, and His 136 and
the two oxygen atoms of N-formyl-hydroxylamine or
hydroxamate. BB-3497 had activity against gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and
vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and activity
against some gram-negative bacteria. Time-kill analysis showed that the
mode of action of BB-3497 was primarily bacteriostatic. The mechanism
of resistance was via mutations within the formyltransferase gene, as
previously described for actinonin. While actinonin and its derivatives
have not been used clinically because of their poor pharmacokinetic properties, BB-3497 was shown to be orally bioavailable. A single oral
dose of BB-3497 given 1 h after intraperitoneal injection of S. aureus Smith or methicillin-resistant S. aureus
protected mice from infection with median effective doses of 8 and 14 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. These data validate PDF as a novel target for the design of a new generation of antibacterial agents.
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AAC.45.2.563-570.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Antibiotic Activity and Characterization of
BB-3497, a Novel Peptide Deformylase Inhibitor
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: British Biotech
Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Watlington Rd., Oxford OX4 6LY, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 1865 748747. Fax: 44 1865 781034. E-mail:
clements{at}britbio.co.uk
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