Download MendeleyThe Non-phosphorylating Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase GapN Is a Potential New Drug Target in Streptococcus pyogenes.
Eisenberg, P., Albert, L., Teuffel, J., Zitzow, E., Michaelis, C., Jarick, J., Sehlke, C., Grosse, L., Bader, N., Nunes-Alves, A., Kreikemeyer, B., Schindelin, H., Wade, R.C., Fiedler, T.(2022) Front Microbiol 13: 802427-802427
- PubMed: 35242116
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.802427
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
7PKC, 7PKJ - PubMed Abstract:
The strict human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes causes infections of varying severity, ranging from self-limiting suppurative infections to life-threatening diseases like necrotizing fasciitis or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Here, we show that the non-phosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase GapN is an essential enzyme for S. pyogenes . GapN converts glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate into 3-phosphoglycerate coupled to the reduction of NADP to NADPH. The knock-down of gapN by antisense peptide nucleic acids (asPNA) significantly reduces viable bacterial counts of S. pyogenes laboratory and macrolide-resistant clinical strains in vitro . As S. pyogenes lacks the oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway, GapN appears to be the major NADPH source for the bacterium. Accordingly, other streptococci that carry a complete pentose phosphate pathway are not prone to asPNA-based gapN knock-down. Determination of the crystal structure of the S. pyogenes GapN apo-enzyme revealed an unusual cis-peptide in proximity to the catalytic binding site. Furthermore, using a structural modeling approach, we correctly predicted competitive inhibition of S. pyogenes GapN by erythrose 4-phosphate, indicating that our structural model can be used for in silico screening of specific GapN inhibitors. In conclusion, the data provided here reveal that GapN is a potential target for antimicrobial substances that selectively kill S. pyogenes and other streptococci that lack the oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway.
Organizational Affiliation:
Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology, and Hygiene, Rostock University Medical Centre, Rostock, Germany.
