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Published on: December 14, 2016
Benzothiazinones kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis by blocking arabinan synthesis
Vadim Makarov1, Giulia Manina, Katarina Mikusova
1A. N. Bakh Institute of Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Science, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
New drugs are required to counter the tuberculosis (TB) pandemic. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of 1,3-benzothiazin-4-ones (BTZs), a new class of antimycobacterial agents that kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro, ex vivo, and in mouse models of TB. Using genetics and biochemistry, we identified the enzyme decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-d-ribose 2'-epimerase as a major BTZ target. Inhibition of this enzymatic activity abolishes the formation of decaprenylphosphoryl arabinose, a key precursor that is required for the synthesis of the cell-wall arabinans, thus provoking cell lysis and bacterial death. The most advanced compound, BTZ043, is a candidate for inclusion in combination therapies for both drug-sensitive and extensively drug-resistant TB.
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