Evaluating the druggability of TrmD, a potential antibacterial target, through design and microbiological profiling of a series of potent TrmD inhibitors.
Wilkinson, A.J., Ooi, N., Finlayson, J., Lee, V.E., Lyth, D., Maskew, K.S., Newman, R., Orr, D., Ansell, K., Birchall, K., Canning, P., Coombs, P., Fusani, L., McIver, E., Pisco, J., Ireland, P.M., Jenkins, C., Norville, I.H., Southern, S.J., Cowan, R., Hall, G., Kettleborough, C., Savage, V.J., Cooper, I.R.(2023) Bioorg Med Chem Lett 90: 129331-129331
- PubMed: 37187252 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2023.129331
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
8APT, 8APU, 8APV, 8APW - PubMed Abstract: 
The post-transcriptional modifier tRNA-(N 1 G37) methyltransferase (TrmD) has been proposed to be essential for growth in many Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, however previously reported inhibitors show only weak antibacterial activity. In this work, optimisation of fragment hits resulted in compounds with low nanomolar TrmD inhibition incorporating features designed to enhance bacterial permeability and covering a range of physicochemical space. The resulting lack of significant antibacterial activity suggests that whilst TrmD is highly ligandable, its essentiality and druggability are called into question.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Infex Therapeutics Ltd, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield SK10 4TG, UK. Electronic address: Andrew.Wilkinson@infextx.com.