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Yasuhiko Shiratori

Publications and source records attributed to Yasuhiko Shiratori.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Synthesis and biological activities of benzofuran antifungal agents targeting fungal N-myristoyltransferase.

The C-4 side chain modification of lead compound 1 has resulted in the identification of a potent and selective Candida albicans N-myristoyltransferase (CaNmt) inhibitor RO-09-4609, which exhibits antifungal activity against C. albicans in vitro. Further modification of its C-2 substituent has led to the discovery of RO-09-4879, which exhibits antifungal activity in vivo. The drug design is based on X-ray crystal analysis of a CaNmt complex with benzofuran derivative 4a. The optimization incorporates various biological investigations including a quasi in vivo assay and pharmacokinetic study. The computer aided drug design, synthesis, structure-activity relationships, and biological properties of RO-09-4879 are described in detail.

Acyltransferases↗

The crystal structure and stereospecificity of levodione reductase from Corynebacterium aquaticum M-13.

The (6R)-2,2,6-trimethyl-1,4-cyclohexanedione (levodione) reductase (LVR) of the soil isolate bacterium Corynebacterium aquaticum M-13 is a NAD(H)-linked enzyme that catalyzes reversible oxidoreduction between (4R)-hydroxy-(6R)-2,2,6-trimethylcyclohexanone (actinol) and levodione. Here the crystal structure of a ternary complex of LVR with NADH and its inhibitor 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol has been determined by molecular replacement and refined at 1.6-A resolution with a crystallographic R factor of 0.199. The overall structure is similar to those of other short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase enzymes. The positions of NADH and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol indicate the binding site of the substrate and identify residues that are likely to be important in the catalytic reaction. Modeling of the substrate binding in the active site suggests that the specificity of LVR is determined by electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged surface of Glu-103 of LVR and the positively charged surface on the re side of levodione. Mutant LVR enzymes in which Glu-103 is substituted with alanine (E103A), glutamine (E103Q), asparagines (E103N), or aspartic acid (E103D) show a 2-6-fold increase in Km values as compared with wild-type LVR and a much lower enantiomeric excess of the reaction products (60%) than the wild-type enzyme (95%). Together, these data indicate that Glu-103 has an important role in determining the stereospecificity of LVR.

Binding Sites↗

Design, synthesis and antifungal activity of a novel water soluble prodrug of antifungal triazole.

A highly potent water soluble triazole antifungal prodrug, RO0098557 (1), has been identified from its parent, the novel antifungal agent RO0094815 (2). The prodrug includes a triazolium salt linked to an aminocarboxyl moiety, which undergoes enzymatic activation followed by spontaneous chemical degradation to release 2. Prodrug 1 showed high chemical stability and water solubility and exhibited strong antifungal activity against systemic candidiasis and aspergillosis as well as pulmonary aspergillosis in rats.

Animals↗

Design and synthesis of novel benzofurans as a new class of antifungal agents targeting fungal N-myristoyltransferase. Part 3.

A new series of acid-stable antifungal agents having strong inhibitory activity against Candida albicans N-myristoyltransferase (CaNmt) has been developed starting from acid-unstable benzofuranylmethyl aryl ether 2. The inhibitor design is based on X-ray crystallographic analysis of a CaNmt complex with aryl ether 3. Among the new inhibitors, pyridine derivative 8b and benzimidazole derivative 8k showed clear antifungal activity in a murine systemic candidiasis model.

Acyltransferases↗

Design and synthesis of novel benzofurans as a new class of antifungal agents targeting fungal N-myristoyltransferase. Part 2.

Modification of the C-2 position of a benzofuran derivative 6 (RO-09-4609), an N-myristoyltransferase (Nmt) inhibitor, has led us to discover antifungal agents that are active in a murine systemic candidiasis model. The drug design is based on the analysis of a crystal structure of a Candida Nmt complex with 2. The optimization has been guided by various biological evaluations including a quasi in vivo assay and pharmacokinetic analysis.

Acyltransferases↗

Crystal structures of Candida albicans N-myristoyltransferase with two distinct inhibitors.

Myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (Nmt) is a monomeric enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of the fatty acid myristate from myristoyl-CoA to the N-terminal glycine residue of a variety of eukaryotic and viral proteins. Genetic and biochemical studies have established that Nmt is an attractive target for antifungal drugs. We present here crystal structures of C. albicans Nmt complexed with two classes of inhibitor competitive for peptide substrates. One is a peptidic inhibitor designed from the peptide substrate; the other is a nonpeptidic inhibitor having a benzofuran core. Both inhibitors are bound into the same binding groove, generated by some structural rearrangements of the enzyme, with the peptidic inhibitor showing a substrate-like binding mode and the nonpeptidic inhibitor binding differently. Further, site-directed mutagenesis for C. albicans Nmt has been utilized in order to define explicitly which amino acids are critical for inhibitor binding. The results suggest that the enzyme has some degree of flexibility for substrate binding and provide valuable information for inhibitor design.

Acyltransferases↗

Cassette dosing approach and quantitative structure-pharmacokinetic relationship study of antifungal N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors.

Pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of N-myristoyltransferase (Nmt) inhibitors were measured, and a multivariate quantitative structure-pharmacokinetic relationship (QSPKR) model for predicting rat elimination half-life (t(1/2)) values was constructed. One hundred seven benzofuran derivatives have been selected as the data set for QSPKR analysis. The correlation between the t(1/2) values and 30 physicochemical descriptors was examined by a stepwise multiple linear regression method. The statistical analysis gives a significant QSPKR model (r = 0.843) with the following three variables: partial negative surface area (PNSA), atomic-based octanol/water partition coefficient (AlogP), and the number of rotational bonds (Rotlbonds). The QSPKR model obtained is predictive and simple, and would give a direction for designing new Nmt inhibitors having good PK profiles.

Acyltransferases↗