Identification of a non-competitive inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum aspartate transcarbamoylase

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Sergey LunevMatthew R Groves

Abstract

Aspartate transcarbamoylase catalyzes the second step of de-novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. As malarial parasites lack pyrimidine salvage machinery and rely on de-novo production for growth and proliferation, this pathway is a target for drug discovery. Previously, an apo crystal structure of aspartate transcarbamoylase from Plasmodium falciparum (PfATC) in its T-state has been reported. Here we present crystal structures of PfATC in the liganded R-state as well as in complex with the novel inhibitor, 2,3-napthalenediol, identified by high-throughput screening. Our data shows that 2,3-napthalediol binds in close proximity to the active site, implying an allosteric mechanism of inhibition. Furthermore, we report biophysical characterization of 2,3-napthalenediol. These data provide a promising starting point for structure based drug design targeting PfATC and malarial de-novo pyrimidine biosynthesis.

Citations

Mar 5, 2020·ACS Infectious Diseases·Soraya S BoschCarsten Wrenger

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antiparasitics

Antiparasitics are medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases. Discover the latest research on antiparasitics here.