Department of Biotechnology
inStem (Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine)

Targeting Enterococcus faecalis HMG-CoA reductase with a non-statin inhibitor.

Publication Type

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Date of Publication

April 3, 2023

Journal

Communications biology

Volume/Issue

6/1

ISSN

2399-3642

HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR), a rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway in Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, is an attractive target for development of novel antibiotics. In this study, we report the crystal structures of HMGR from Enterococcus faecalis (efHMGR) in the apo and liganded forms, highlighting several unique features of this enzyme. Statins, which inhibit the human enzyme with nanomolar affinity, perform poorly against the bacterial HMGR homologs. We also report a potent competitive inhibitor (Chembridge2 ID 7828315 or compound 315) of the efHMGR enzyme identified by a high-throughput, in-vitro screening. The X-ray crystal structure of efHMGR in complex with 315 was determined to 1.27 Å resolution revealing that the inhibitor occupies the mevalonate-binding site and interacts with several key active site residues conserved among bacterial homologs. Importantly, 315 does not inhibit the human HMGR. Our identification of a selective, non-statin inhibitor of bacterial HMG-CoA reductases will be instrumental in lead optimization and development of novel antibacterial drug candidates.

Alternate Journal

Commun Biol

PubMed ID

37012403

PubMed Central ID

PMC10070635

Authors

Sucharita Bose
C Nicklaus Steussy
Daneli López-Pérez
Tim Schmidt
Samadhi C Kulathunga
Mohamed N Seleem
Mark Lipton
Andrew D Mesecar
Victor W Rodwell
Cynthia V Stauffacher

Keywords

Acyl Coenzyme A
Enterococcus faecalis
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Mevalonic Acid
Humans