Oppegard, Lisa

Background: Fluoroquinolones target bacterial type IIA topoisomerases, DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (Topo IV). Fluoroquinolones trap a topoisomerase-DNA covalent complex as a topoisomerase-fluoroquinolone-DNA ternary complex and ternary complex formation is critical for their cytotoxicity. A divalent metal ion is required for type IIA topoisomerase-catalyzed strand breakage and religation reactions. Recent studies have suggested that type IIA topoisomerases use two metal ions, one structural and one catalytic, to carry out the strand breakage reaction.

Methods: We conducted a series of DNA cleavage assays to examine the effects of fluoroquinolones and quinazolinediones on Mg(2+)-, Mn(2+)-, or Ca(2+)-supported DNA cleavage activity of Escherichia coli Topo IV.

Results: In the absence of any drug, 20-30 mM Mg(2+) was required for the maximum levels of the DNA cleavage activity of Topo IV, whereas approximately 1mM of either Mn(2+) or Ca(2+) was sufficient to support the maximum levels of the DNA cleavage activity of Topo IV. Fluoroquinolones promoted the Topo IV-catalyzed strand breakage reaction at low Mg(2+) concentrations where Topo IV alone could not efficiently cleave DNA.

Conclusions and general significance: At low Mg(2+) concentrations, fluoroquinolones may stimulate the Topo IV-catalyzed strand breakage reaction by promoting Mg(2+) binding to metal binding site B through the structural distortion in DNA. As Mg(2+) concentration increases, fluoroquinolones may inhibit the religation reaction by either stabilizing Mg(2+) at site B or inhibition the binding of Mg(2+) to site A. This study provides a molecular basis of how fluoroquinolones stimulate the Topo IV-catalyzed strand breakage reaction by modulating Mg(2+) binding.

Structural studies of topoisomerase-fluoroquinolone-DNA ternary complexes revealed a cavity between the quinolone N-1 position and the active site tyrosine. Fluoroquinolone derivatives having positively charged or aromatic moieties extended from the N-1 position were designed to probe for binding contacts with the phosphotyrosine residue in ternary complex. While alkylamine, alkylphthalimide, and alkylphenyl groups introduced at the N-1 position afforded derivatives that maintained modest inhibition of the supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase, none retained ability to poison DNA gyrase. Thus, the addition of a large and/or long moiety at the N-1 position disrupts ternary complex formation, and retained ability to inhibit supercoiling is likely through interference with the strand breakage reaction. Two derivatives were found to possess inhibitory effects on the decatenation activity of human topoisomerase II.

 Fluoroquinolone-class agents selectively target the bacterial type IIA topoisomerases DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, with a few exceptions that target eukaryotic type IIA topoisomerases. Fluoroquinolones bind and stabilize type IIA topoisomerase-DNA covalent complexes that contain a double-strand break. This unique mode of action is referred to as 'topoisomerase poisoning'. We discovered that two novel fluoroquinolones having aryl functionality at the N-1 position, UITT-3-217 (217) and UITT-3-227 (227), could inhibit the catalytic activity of human topoisomerase II without stabilizing topoisomerase-DNA complexes, i.e., without poisoning it. Surprisingly, these compounds are more effective in inhibiting the catalytic activities of human and bacterial topoisomerase I. The National Cancer Institute's 60 human tumor cell lines screen revealed significant anti-proliferative activities with 217 and 227 against the majority of 60 cancer cell lines. A proof of concept in vivo efficacy study using an HT-29 xenograft model of human colorectal cancer showed that 217 could inhibit the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells to a degree comparable to fluorouracil in mice. Although 227 also exhibited anti-proliferative activity, it was not as effective as 217 in this xenograft model. These novel fluoroquinolones may serve as promising lead compounds for the development of new anticancer drugs.

A Mg2+-water bridge between the C-3, C-4 diketo moiety of fluoroquinolones and the conserved amino acid residues in the GyrA/ParC subunit is critical for the binding of a fluoroquinolone to a topoisomerase-DNA covalent complex. The fluoroquinolone UING-5-249 (249) can bind to the GyrB subunit through its C7-aminomethylpyrrolidine group. This interaction is responsible for enhanced activities of 249 against the wild type and quinolone-resistant mutant topoisomerases. To further evaluate the effects of the 249-GyrB interaction on fluoroquinolone activity, we examined the activities of decarboxy- and thio-249 against DNA gyrase and conducted docking studies using the structure of a gyrase-ciprofloxacin-DNA ternary complex. We found that the 249-GyrB interaction rescued the activity of thio-249 but not that of decarboxy-249. A C7-group that binds more strongly to the GyrB subunit may allow for modifications at the C-4 position, leading to a novel compound that is active against the wild type and quinolone-resistant pathogens.

Background—Fluoroquinolones target bacterial type IIA topoisomerases, DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (Topo IV). Fluoroquinolones trap a topoisomerase-DNA covalent complex as a topoisomerase-fluoroquinolone-DNA ternary complex and ternary complex formation is critical for their cytotoxicity. A divalent metal ion is required for type IIA topoisomerase-catalyzed strand breakage and religation reactions. Recent studies have suggested that type IIA topoisomerases use two metal ions, one structural and one catalytic, to carry out the strand breakage reaction. 

Methods—We conducted a series of DNA cleavage assays to examine the effects of fluoroquinolones and quinazolinediones on Mg2+-, Mn2+-, or Ca2+-supported DNA cleavage activity of Esherichia coli Topo IV. 

Results—In the absence of any drug, 20–30 mM Mg2+ was required for the maximum levels of the DNA cleavage activity of Topo IV, whereas approximately 1 mM of either Mn2+ or Ca2+ was sufficient to support the maximum levels of the DNA cleavage activity of Topo IV. Fluoroquinolones promoted the Topo IV-catalyzed strand breakage reaction at low Mg2+ concentrations where Topo IV alone could not efficiently cleave DNA.

 DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV control bacterial DNA topology by breaking DNA, passing duplex DNA through the break, and then resealing the break. This process is subject to reversible corruption by fluoroquinolones, antibacterials that form drug-enzyme-DNA complexes in which the DNA is broken. The complexes, called cleaved complexes because of the presence of DNA breaks, have been crystallized and found to have thefluoroquinolone C-7ring systemfacing the GyrB/ParE subunits. As expected from x-ray crystallography, a thiol-reactive, C-7-modifiedchloroacetylderivativeofciprofloxacin(CipAcCl) formed cross-linked cleaved complexes with mutant GyrB-Cys466 gyrase as evidenced by resistance to reversal by both EDTAandthermaltreatments.Surprisingly,cross-linking was also readily seen with complexes formed by mutant GyrAG81Cgyrase, thereby revealing a novel drug-gyrase interaction not observed in crystal structures. The cross-link between fluoroquinolone and GyrA-G81C gyrase correlated with exceptional bacteriostatic activity for Cip-AcCl with a quinoloneresistant GyrA-G81C variant of Escherichia coli and its Mycobacteriumsmegmatisequivalent(GyrA-G89C).Cip-AcClmediated, irreversible inhibition of DNA replication provided further evidence for a GyrA-drug cross-link. Collectively these data establish the existence of interactions between the fluoroquinoloneC-7ringandbothGyrAandGyrB.BecausetheGyrAGly81andGyrB-Glu466residuesarefarapart(17Å)inthecrystal structureofcleavedcomplexes,twomodesofquinolonebinding mustexist. The presence of two binding modesraises the possibility that multiple quinolone-enzyme-DNA complexes can form, a discovery that opens new avenues for exploring and exploiting relationships between drug structure and activity with type II DNAtopoisomerases.

Numerous therapeutic applications have been proposed for molecules that bind heparin-binding proteins. Development of such compounds has primarily focused on optimizing the degree and orientation of anionic groups on a scaffold, but utility of these polyanions has been diminished by their typically large size and nonspecific interactions with many proteins. In this study, N-arylacyl O-sulfonated aminoglycosides were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to selectively inhibit structurally similar bacterial and human topoisomerases. It is demonstrated that the structure of the aminoglycoside and of the N-arylacyl moiety imparts selective inhibition of different topoisomerases and alters the mechanism. The results here outline a strategy that will be applicable to identifying small, structurally defined oligosaccharides that bind heparin-binding proteins with a high degree of selectivity.

Fluoroquinolones form drug-topoisomerase-DNA complexes that rapidly block transcription and replication. Crystallographic and biochemical studies showthat quinolone binding involves a water/metalion bridge between the quinolone C3-C4 keto-acid and amino acids in helix-4 of the target proteins, GyrA(gyrase) and ParC (topoisomerase IV). A recent cross-linking study revealed a second drug-binding modeinwhichtheotherendofthequinolone, the C7 ring system, interacts with GyrA. We report that addition of a dinitrophenyl (DNP) moiety to the C7 end of ciprofloxacin (Cip-DNP) reduced protection due to resistance substitutions in Escherichia coli GyrA helix-4, consistent with the existence of a second drug-binding mode not evident in X-ray structures of drug-topoisomerase-DNA complexes. Several other C7 aryl fluoroquinolones behaved in a similar manner with particular GyrA mutants. Treatment of E. coli cultures with Cip-DNP selectively enriched an uncommon variant, GyrA-A119E, a change that may impede binding of the dinitrophenyl group at or near the GyrA-GyrA interface. Collectively the data support the existence of a secondary quinolone-binding mode in which the quinolone C7 ring system interacts with GyrA; the data also identify C7 aryl derivatives as a new way to obtain fluoroquinolones that overcome existing GyrA-mediated quinolone resistance.

During a survey of actinobacteria known to suppress the growth of Streptomyces scabies (the causative agent of potato scab disease) in vivo, six new rhamnosylated alkaloids, the solphenazines A–F (1–6), were isolated from a biological control strain of Streptomyces (DL-93). The known rhamnosyl analogue of paraben (9) was also isolated along with a new rhamnosylated derivative of N-methyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (10). None of the compounds exhibited any antibacterial or antifungal activity against a standard panel of microorganisms, but compounds 1, 2, and 6 displayed some cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cancer cells. Additional in vitro testing provided data suggesting that the cytotoxic activity is not due to DNA intercalation or topoisomerase inhibition.

The increasing occurrence of drug-resistant bacterial infections in the clinic has created a need for new antibacterial agents. Natural products have historically been a rich source of both antibiotics and lead compounds for new antibacterial agents. The natural product simocyclinone D8 (SD8) has been reported to inhibit DNA gyrase, a validated antibacterial drug target, by a unique catalytic inhibition mechanism of action. In this work, we have prepared simplified flavone-based analogues inspired by the complex natural product and evaluated their inhibitory activity and mechanism of action. While two of these compounds do inhibit DNA gyrase, they do so by a different mechanism of action than SD8, namely DNA intercalation.