The Naphthoquinone Diospyrin Is an Inhibitor of DNA Gyrase with a Novel Mechanism of Action |
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| Authors: | Shantanu Karkare Terence T H Chung Frederic Collin Lesley A Mitchenall Adam R McKay Sandra J Greive Jacobus J M Meyer Namrita Lall Anthony Maxwell |
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| Institution: | From the ‡Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, United Kingdom, ;the §Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom, and ;the ¶Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Tuberculosis and other bacterial diseases represent a significant threat to human health. The DNA topoisomerases are excellent targets for chemotherapy, and DNA gyrase in particular is a well-validated target for antibacterial agents. Naphthoquinones (e.g. diospyrin and 7-methyljuglone) have been shown to have therapeutic potential, particularly against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We have found that these compounds are inhibitors of the supercoiling reaction catalyzed by M. tuberculosis gyrase and other gyrases. Our evidence strongly suggests that the compounds bind to the N-terminal domain of GyrB, which contains the ATPase active site, but are not competitive inhibitors of the ATPase reaction. We propose that naphthoquinones bind to GyrB at a novel site close to the ATPase site. This novel mode of action could be exploited to develop new antibacterial agents. |
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| Keywords: | Antibiotics Antibiotic Action DNA Gyrase DNA Topoisomerase Mycobacterium tuberculosis Tuberculosis Diospyrin Naphthoquinones |
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