Sugar Acetonides are a Superior Motif for Addressing the Large, Solvent-Exposed Ribose-33 Pocket of tRNA-Guanine Transglycosylase.
Movsisyan, L.D., Schafer, E., Nguyen, A., Ehrmann, F.R., Schwab, A., Rossolini, T., Zimmerli, D., Wagner, B., Daff, H., Heine, A., Klebe, G., Diederich, F.(2018) Chemistry 24: 9957-9967
- PubMed: 29939431 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201801756
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6FMN, 6FPU - PubMed Abstract: 
The intestinal disease shigellosis caused by Shigella bacteria affects over 120 million people annually. There is an urgent demand for new drugs as resistance against common antibiotics emerges. Bacterial tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT) is a druggable target and controls the pathogenicity of Shigella flexneri. We report the synthesis of sugar-functionalized lin-benzoguanines addressing the ribose-33 pocket of TGT from Zymomonas mobilis. Ligand binding was analyzed by isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray crystallography. Pocket occupancy was optimized by variation of size and protective groups of the sugars. The participation of a polycyclic water-cluster in the recognition of the sugar moiety was revealed. Acetonide-protected ribo- and psicofuranosyl derivatives are highly potent, benefiting from structural rigidity, good solubility, and metabolic stability. We conclude that sugar acetonides have a significant but not yet broadly recognized value in drug development.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Laboratorium für Organische Chemie, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 3, HCI, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland.