Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae are causative agents in a wide range of infections. Genes encoding proteins corresponding to phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS) were cloned from both bacteria. The two forms of PheRS were kinetically evaluated and the K_m’s for P. aeruginosa PheRS with its three substrates, phenylalanine, ATP and tRNA^Phe were determined to be 48, 200, and 1.2 µM, respectively, while the K_m’s for S. pneumoniae PheRS with respect to phenylalanine, ATP and tRNA^Phe were 21, 225 and 0.94 µM, respectively. P. aeruginosa and S. pneumoniae PheRS were used to screen a natural compound library and a single compound was identified that inhibited the function of both enzymes. The compound inhibited P. aeruginosa and S. pneumoniae PheRS with IC₅₀’s of 2.3 and 4.9 µM, respectively. The compound had a K_i of 0.83 and 0.98 µM against P. aeruginosa and S. pneumoniae PheRS, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compound was determined against a panel of Gram positive and negative bacteria including efflux pump mutants and hyper-sensitive strains. MICs against wild-type P. aeruginosa and S. pneumoniae cells in culture were determined to be 16 and 32 µg/ml, respectively. The mechanism of action of the compound was determined to be competitive with the amino acid, phenylalanine, and uncompetitive with ATP. There was no inhibition of cytoplasmic protein synthesis, however, partial inhibition of the human mitochondrial PheRS was observed.

Keywords: Drug discovery, natural product, protein synthesis, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus.