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Publication Abstract from PubMed

The leishmaniases, caused by Leishmania species of protozoan parasites, are neglected tropical diseases with millions of cases worldwide. Current therapeutic approaches are limited by toxicity, resistance, and cost. N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT), an enzyme ubiquitous and essential in all eukaryotes, has been validated via genetic and pharmacological methods as a promising anti-leishmanial target. Here we describe a comprehensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of a thienopyrimidine series previously identified in a high-throughput screen against Leishmania NMT, across 68 compounds in enzyme- and cell-based assay formats. Using a chemical tagging target engagement biomarker assay, we identify the first inhibitor in this series with on-target NMT activity in leishmania parasites. Furthermore, crystal structure analyses of 12 derivatives in complex with Leishmania major NMT revealed key factors important for future structure-guided optimization delivering IMP-105 (43), a compound with modest activity against Leishmania donovani intracellular amastigotes and excellent selectivity (>660-fold) for Leishmania NMT over human NMTs.

Novel Thienopyrimidine Inhibitors of Leishmania N-Myristoyltransferase with On-Target Activity in Intracellular Amastigotes.,Bell AS, Yu Z, Hutton JA, Wright MH, Brannigan JA, Paape D, Roberts SM, Sutherell CL, Ritzefeld M, Wilkinson AJ, Smith DF, Leatherbarrow RJ, Tate EW J Med Chem. 2020 Jul 23;63(14):7740-7765. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00570. Epub , 2020 Jul 14. PMID:32575985^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.