pvdq_1

Rational Design of a Transition State Analogue with Picomolar
Affinity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa PvdQ, a Siderophore
Biosynthetic Enzyme
Kenneth D. Clevenger,†
Rui Wu,¶
Joyce A. V. Er,‡
Dali Liu,*,¶
and Walter Fast*,‡
†
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the ‡
College of Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry Division, University of Texas,
Austin, Texas 78712, United States
¶
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago Illinois 60660, United States
*S Supporting Information
ABSTRACT: The Pseudomonas aeruginosa enzyme PvdQ can process
different substrates involved in quorum-sensing or in siderophore biosyn-
thesis. Substrate selectivity was evaluated using steady-state kinetic constants
for hydrolysis of N-acyl-homoserine lactones (HSLs) and p-nitrophenyl fatty
acid esters. PvdQ prefers substrates with alkyl chains between 12 and 14
carbons long that do not bear a 3-oxo substitution and is revealed here to
have a relatively high specificity constant for selected N-acyl-HSLs (kcat/KM =
105
to 106
M−1
s−1
). However, endogenous P. aeruginosa N-acyl-HSLs are
≥100-fold disfavored, supporting the conclusion that PvdQ was not primarily
evolved to regulate endogenous quorum-sensing. PvdQ plays an essential
biosynthetic role for the siderophore pyoverdine, on which P. aeruginosa depends for growth in iron-limited environments. A
series of alkylboronate inhibitors was found to be reversible, competitive, and extremely potent (Ki ≥ 190 pM). A 1.8 Å X-ray
structure shows that 1-tridecylboronic acid forms a monocovalent bond with the N-terminal β-chain Ser residue in the PvdQ
heterodimer, mimicking a reaction transition state. This boronic acid inhibits growth of P. aeruginosa in iron-limited media,
reproducing the phenotype of a genetic pvdQ disruption, although co-administration of an efflux pump inhibitor is required to
maintain growth inhibition. These findings support the strategy of designing boron-based inhibitors of siderophore biosynthetic
enzymes to control P. aeruginosa infections.
The human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a worldwide clinical threat associated with diverse
nosocomial infections that are increasingly difficult to treat.1
To
develop novel therapeutics, new antimicrobial targets have been
proposed, including pathways that facilitate iron acquisition and
those that regulate quorum-sensing.2,3
The protein PvdQ is an
unusual example found at the nexus of these two pathways
because its enzymatic function has been proposed to play roles
both in siderophore production and in degradation of some N-
acyl-homoserine lactone (HSL) signaling molecules.4,5
P. aeruginosa requires iron (Fe3+
), which is only sparingly
soluble and is found at a concentration of 10−24
M in serum in
its free form.6
In response, biosynthetic pathways have evolved
to produce two siderophores, pyoverdine and pyochelin, that
are released into the surrounding environment to scavenge iron
and to shuttle it back, with pyoverdine being the predominant
iron supplier.7
Siderophore biosynthetic enzymes have been
suggested as novel antibiotic targets since inhibitors would
block iron acquisition and severely limit bacterial growth in
host tissues. This strategy has been shown to be effective with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Yersinia pestis, and recently, P.
aeruginosa.8−11
As illustration of this concept, a genetic
knockout of P. aeruginosa pvdQ, which encodes a key enzyme
in pyoverdine biosynthesis, results in a bacterial strain that does
not produce pyoverdine, is growth inhibited in an iron-limited
medium, and has reduced virulence in plant and animal models
of infection.12
A small molecule inhibitor of PvdQ can also
inhibit growth in a iron-limited medium.11
A second notable feature of PvdQ is its ability to function as
a quorum-quenching enzyme. Artificial constitutive expression
of PvdQ (which is typically only upregulated during iron
starvation) or addition of exogenous purified PvdQ prevents
accumulation of the quorum-sensing signal N-3-oxo-doecanoyl-
HSL (3-oxo-C12-HSL) and reduces production of the
virulence factors pyocyanin and elastase.4,13
It has been
suggested that the primary biological function of PvdQ is
siderophore biosynthesis and not regulation of quorum-
sensing.5,12
Nevertheless, its ability to degrade N-acyl-HSLs
can still be a useful activity. For example, administration of
PvdQ as a therapeutic enzyme has been proposed to limit
quorum-sensing-dependent virulence in pulmonary P. aerugi-
nosa infections.14
Regardless of whether one’s goal is to develop an inhibitor to
block PvdQ action in iron acquisition or to develop a quorum-
quenching enzyme, understanding how PvdQ recognizes and
Received: May 15, 2013
Accepted: July 24, 2013
Published: July 24, 2013
Articles
pubs.acs.org/acschemicalbiology
© 2013 American Chemical Society 2192 dx.doi.org/10.1021/cb400345h | ACS Chem. Biol. 2013, 8, 2192−2200

processes ligands provides information valuable for improving
the desired outcome. Herein, we quantify substrate selectivity
and use this information to rationally design a potent transition
state analogue inhibitor of PvdQ that is applied in structural
and cell-based studies. The implications of these findings for
understanding the catalytic mechanism, for designing more
effective inhibitors as molecular probes or therapeutics, and for
developing more effective quorum-quenching enzymes are
discussed.
■ RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Substrate Selectivity. To quantify the selectivity of PvdQ
for different N-acyl-substrates, we determined steady-state
kinetic parameters for a series of substrates (Figure 1, Table
1). C12-HSL is a good substrate (kcat/KM = 105
M−1
s−1
), but
shorter acyl chains are only very poorly hydrolyzed (kcat/KM ≤
103
M−1
s−1
) (Figure 1, Table 1). Notably, 3-oxo-C12-HSL is a
poor substrate. Therefore, PvdQ does not appear to be
optimized for hydrolysis of either C4-HSL13
or 3-oxo-C12-
HSL, the two endogenously produced N-acyl-HSLs of P.
aeruginosa. These results are consistent with qualitative studies
showing a preference for substrates with acyl chains of at least 8
carbons.4
Although these results suggest that PvdQ was not
evolutionarily optimized to regulate endogenous P. aeruginosa
signaling, this activity of PvdQ is still useful as a biochemical
tool for degrading certain N-acyl-HSLs. For example, the
specificity constants of PvdQ for selected substrates compares
favorably with quorum-quenching enzymes from different
superfamilies such as AiiA from Bacillus thuringiensis (dizinc
metalloform kcat/KM values ≈ 104
M−1
s−1
; dicobalt metallo-
form kcat/KM ≈ 106
M−1
s−1
),15
and an engineered version of
PLL from Mycobacterium avium (kcat/KM ≈ 104
M−1
s−1
),
indicating that PvdQ might serve equally well to degrade
certain N-acyl-HSLs.16
Unlike these other quorum-quenching enzymes,15,17
PvdQ
appears to tolerate different ring substitutions yet is more
selective for chain length. So, we defined the selectivity of PvdQ
more precisely by comparing steady-state kinetic constants for
p-nitrophenyl fatty acid ester reporter substrates (Figure 1,
Table 1). Notably, the kcat/KM values measured here are
signifignatly larger than earlier reports18
due mostly to lower
KM values, possibly reflecting increased substrate solubility in
our assay conditions (see Methods). PvdQ preferentially
hydrolyses substrates with 12−14 carbon alkyl chains, with
shorter or longer chains showing ≥2 orders of magnitude
decrease in kcat/KM (Table 1). Taken together, these findings
suggest that PvdQ has evolved in response to a need for
processing myristoylated substrates and has not been optimized
for the endogenous quorum-sensing signals of P. aeruginosa
(although moonlighting19
roles are possible). This conclusion is
consistent with the proposed primary role of PvdQ in
processing myristoylated precursors of the siderophore
pyoverdine (Figure 1).5,12
Inhibitor Design. Two previous reports of high-throughput
screening for PvdQ inhibitors describe the discovery of
structurally diverse inhibitors. Two compounds of moderate
potency, NS2028 (8-bromo-4H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[3,4-c][1,4]-
benzoxazin-1-one; IC50 = 130 μM) and SMER28 (6-bromo-N-
(prop-2-en-1-yl)quinazolin-4-amine; IC50 = 65 μM) were
identified from a 1280-compound library of bioactive
compounds (LOPAC) and determined by X-ray crystallog-
raphy to bind in the myristoyl binding pocket, predominantly
Figure 1. Selected PvdQ Ligands. The C14 alkyl substitution (black) of a PvdI precursor (purple) is removed by PvdQ-catalyzed amide hydrolysis.
The N-acyl substitutions of varying length (black) on N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (HSL, green) are hydrolyzed by PvdQ, as are the corresponding
p-nitrophenol (PNP, orange) esters. N-Acyl-HSLs with 3-oxo substitutions bear a carbonyl at C3 (not pictured). Alkylboronic acids (Cn-B(OH)2,
red) are inhibitors of PvdQ.
Table 1. Steady-State Rate Constants for PvdQ-Catalyzed
Hydrolysis of Selected Substrates
substrate KM (μM) kcat (min−1
) kcat/KM (M−1
s−1
)
C8-HSL NDa
ND 2.2 × 102 b
C10-HSL ND ND 2.2 × 103 b
C12-HSL 11 ± 2 148 ± 7 2.2 × 105
3-oxo-C12-HSL ND ND 2.3 × 103 b
C10-PNP 61 ± 13 49 ± 5 1.3 × 104
C12-PNP 0.8 ± 0.1 52 ± 3 1.1 × 106
C14-PNP 0.60 ± 0.06 86 ± 3 2.4 × 106
C16-PNP 4 ± 1 1.9 ± 0.1 8 × 103
a
ND: not determined because limited substrate solubility prevents
determination of Vmax. b
Fitting error is ≤8%.
ACS Chemical Biology Articles
dx.doi.org/10.1021/cb400345h | ACS Chem. Biol. 2013, 8, 2192−22002193

through hydrophobic interactions.18
A more potent inhibitor,
ML218 (2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(6-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine-2-
yl)acetonitrile; IC50 = 6 nM) was recently discovered by
screening the NIH molecular libraries probe production centers
network compound library.11
The mode of inhibition for
ML218 was not reported, but micromolar concentrations were
shown to inhibit growth of P. aeruginosa in an iron-limited
medium.
Taking an alternative rational design approach, we first
started with a boronate moiety since these are known inhibitors
of other Ser/Thr-dependent hydrolases20,21
and then proposed
a series of alkyl substitutions that mimic the observed substrate
preference. Potency varies with chain length, with C12- and
C13-B(OH)2 having the lowest Ki values (∼200 pM) (Table
2). Please note that the C13-B(OH)2 inhibitor is the closest
structural match to myristoylated (C14) substrates because the
boron takes the position of the initial carbon in the
corresponding substrate (Figure 1). The mode of inhibition
for C12- and C13-B(OH)2 was determined to be competitive
(Figure 2, Supplementary Figure 1). We did not observe any
time-dependent onset of inhibition and some activity was
restored upon dialysis (not shown) consistent with a rapid
equilibrium reversible mode of inhibition. The boronic acid
moiety is clearly important for potency since fatty acids are
several orders of magnitude less potent (Table 2, Supple-
mentary Figure S2). These inhibitors are at least 325,000-fold
more potent than the two previously reported compounds
known to bind at the alkyl-binding site.18
Due to the potency of the alkylboronic acid inhibitors and
their ability to form reversible tetrahedral adducts, we suspected
that they act as transition state mimics. In general, the free
energy of binding transition state analogues is expected to
parallel the free energy of transition state stabilization for a
structurally similar series of substrates.22
However, the
structural offset of the inhibitors and substrates described
here (Figure 1) precludes traditional linear comparison plots
between the compounds tested. So instead, we sought to
determine whether the ΔΔGbind (calculated from Ki values) for
changes in inhibitor chain length correlates with ΔΔG⧧
(calculated from kcat/KM values) for a similar series of
substrates. When these ΔΔG values are plotted against
normalized chain length (Figure 2), they clearly overlap, a
result that is consistent with transition state mimicry.
(Comparison of ΔGbind for inhibitor with the free energy of
ground state binding for substrate is not presented since the
rate-limiting step for PNP ester substrates is not known and KM
may not be a useful substitute for Kd values.)
Structural Characterization. To test the proposed mode
of inhibition, we determined a structure of the inhibited
complex. In general, boron-containing inhibitors can bind
noncovalently or bind through reversible mono-, di-, or
tricovalent bonds with N or O nucleophiles.21,23−26
Changes
in inhibitor structure can even change which active-site residue
is covalently modified.27
These different possible binding
mechanisms make a priori predictions problematic. So, we
grew cocrystals of C13-B(OH)2 inhibited PvdQ at pH 7.5 and
determined the X-ray crystal structure at 1.8 Å resolution
(Table 3, Figure 3, and Supplementary Figures S3 and S4). The
structure of PvdQ in complex with C13-B(OH)2 was solved in
space group C2221. The final model was built as a heterodimer
and comprises an α subunit (residues 28−192) and a β subunit
(residues 217−907) as a result of autoproteolysis. Ligand atoms
were refined with occupancies of 1 and B-factors ranging from
18.45 to 44.97. The overall structure of the protein resembles a
‘V’-shape (Supplementary Figure S3). The active site, including
Table 2. Ki Values for Alkylboronic and Fatty Acid Inhibitors
of PvdQ
inhibitor Ki (nM)
C8-B(OH)2 161 ± 3
C10-B(OH)2 1.1 ± 0.4
C12-B(OH)2 0.19 ± 0.02
C13-B(OH)2 0.20 ± 0.04
C14-B(OH)2 1.0 ± 0.3
C15-B(OH)2 8.3 ± 0.9
C12-COOH 6000 ± 200
Figure 2. Competitive tight-binding inhibition of PvdQ by C12-B(OH)2. (A) IC50 values were determined for the inhibitor using varying
concentrations of C12-PNP substrate. Main panel shows a representative plot with 5 μM substrate. Inset shows a linear dependence of IC50 on [S]/
KM, indicating competitive inhibition. (B) Free energy correlation between Ki and kcat/KM for a structurally related set of inhibitors and substrates.
Inhibitors are designated using their chain length +1 to account for boron at the initial position (Figure 1). The ΔΔGbind for inhibitor Ki values
(purple ●) relative to that of the normalized C14 length are plotted along with ΔΔG⧧
values for kcat/KM of PNP substrates (orange ■) relative to
C14-PNP.

the catalytic N-terminal residue of the β subunit, Ser217,
resides in a deep cleft that is large enough to accommodate the
proposed siderophore precursor as a substrate.
The overall protein structure of PvdQ matches those
previously reported except for differences near the active site
(Supplementary Figure S3).18,28
Structural comparison with
one previously solved structure (PDB ID: 2WYE)28
shows a
RMSD of 0.3 Å for all Cα atoms. A simulated annealing
composite omit map to remove phase bias reveals extra electron
density at the active site (Figure 3) that is well fit by a covalent
Ser217−C13-B(OH)2 adduct. The inhibitor alkyl chain binds
in the myristoyl-binding pocket and a monocovalent bond is
formed between the inhibitor boron and the side chain alcohol
of Ser217 (the N-terminal residue of the heterodimer β-chain)
(Figure 3 and Supplementary Figure S4). The tight packing of
the alkyl chain into the myristoyl-binding site helps explain the
observed substrate preference (Table 1) because substrates
longer than C14 would be disfavored by steric occlusion. It is
less clear how PvdQ disfavors substrates shorter than C12. The
side chains of several residues, including Phe240, Thr285,
Val286, Val403, and Pro238, are found in close proximity (≤5
Å) to C2 of the inhibitor, which corresponds to the position
bearing the disfavored 3-oxo-substitutent in N-acyl-HSL
substrates. Therefore, these residues likely contribute to the
substrate preference of PvdQ for N-acyl-HSLs bearing acyl
chains unsubstituted at the 3-carbon position.
Formation of a dative covalent bond between Ser217 and the
inhibitor (Figure 3 and Supplementary Figure S4) results in an
adduct that mimics an anionic tetrahedral reaction transition
state, consistent with the observed correlation between
ΔΔGbind and ΔΔG⧧
values (Figure 2) and the contribution
of the boronic acid moiety to potency (Table 2, Supplementary
Figure S2). Previously, PvdQ crystals at low pH have been used
to trap a covalent ester reaction intermediate.18,28
Here, the use
of a transition state mimic allows a representative structure of a
reaction step to be obtained at pH 7.5, avoiding any structural
perturbations due to altered pH conditions that inhibit catalysis
and provides additional insight into catalysis.
Mechanistic Implications. The structure of a transition
state analogue helps elucidate the catalytic mechanism.
Previously, a mechanism has been proposed based on
structures of the resting enzyme, a product complex, and a
covalent ester intermediate trapped at low pH (Figure 4, paths
1b, 3b, 5b).28
Here, we propose amendments resulting in a
simplified mechanism that does not include product-assisted
catalysis (Figure 4, paths 1a, 3a, 5a): Based on precedence in
other superfamily members, a direct deprotonation of the
Ser217 side chain by the N-terminal amine (path 1a), proceeds
to attack of the bound substrate and formation of the first
tetrahedral adduct.29
The N-terminus may have a depressed
pKa due to nearby electropositive side chains of His239 (2.9 Å)
Table 3. Crystallographic Statistics for C13-B(OH)2-
Inhibited PvdQ
Data Processing
space group C2221
cell dimensions
α, β, γ (deg) 90.0; 90.0; 90.0
a, b, c (Å) 121.0; 166.4; 94.2
resolution (Å) 41.0−1.8
mosaicity (deg) 0.33
Rmerge
a
(%) 0.124 (0.603)b
I/σ 9.6 (2.1)
completeness (%) 99.7 (100)
multiplicity 6.3 (6.3)
no. Reflections 488124
no. unique reflections 86070
Refinement
Rwork
c
/Rfree
d
(%) 16.23/18.78
no. of atoms
protein 6304
ligand 22
water 598
B-factors (Å2
)
overall average 29.5
protein average 23.68
ligand B-factor range 18.45/44.97
RMSDe
bond length (Å) 0.007
bond angle (deg) 1.126
Ramachandran statistics (%)
most favored 96.07
allowed 3.37
outliers 0.56
a
Rmerge = Σ|Iobs − Iavg|/ΣIavg
b
The values for the highest resolution
bind are in parentheses. c
Rwork = Σ|Fobs − Fcalc|/ΣFobs. d
Five percent of
the reflection data were selected at random as a test set, and only these
data were used to calculate Rfree. e
RMSD, root-mean-square deviation.
Figure 3. A 1.8 Å structure of PvdQ inhibited by C13-B(OH)2. (A) Cutaway surface view showing the alkyl chain of the inhibitor (orange) bound to
the myristyl-binding site of PvdQ, with the α subunit in green and the β subunit in purple. See Supplementary Figure S3 for a wider perspective. (B)
A simulated annealing composite omit map at 1.1 σ showing a monocovalent adduct between the inhibitor’s boron (pink) and the side chain of
Ser217 (the N-terminal residue of the β-chain), with H-bonds and water molecules included.

and Arg513 (3.5 Å). The N-terminal amine can again act
directly as a general acid to protonate the leaving group and as a
general base to generate a hydroxide ion required to attack the
ester intermediate (path 3a). In contrast to amides, PNP esters
Figure 4. Proposed chemical mechanism for PvdQ. The C13-B(OH)2−PvdQ complex most closely mimics the second tetrahedral intermediate
(boxed). R′ is the PvdI precursor or HSL (Figure 1), which is released as an amine as the ﬁrst product (P1). R is an acyl chain that is released as a
fatty acid as the second product (P2). Results presented here favor the more parsimonious mechanism (paths a; see Results and Discussion).
Figure 5. P. aeruginosa growth studies with C13-B(OH)2. (A) In iron-limited minimum medium, the growth of wild-type P. aeruginosa in the absence
of inhibitor (black ●) or after initial treatment with 1 μM inhibitor (orange ◆) is shown in comparison to the untreated tranposon pvdQ insertion
mutant P. aeruginosa strain (purple ■). O.D. is optical density. Inset shows 20−40 h in more detail. (B) Same experiment as in panel A, except all
incubations also contain 40 μM PAβN. (C) In minimal media containing trace iron, the growth of the transposon pvdQ insertion mutant P.
aeruginosa strain is shown in the presence of 0 (purple ●), 0.1 (light blue ■), 10 (dark blue ◆), and 100 (gray ▲) μM inhibitor. (D) Same
experiment as in panel C, with an additional concentration of inhibitor (1 μM, ), except each incubation also contains 40 μM PAβN, and one
incubation (purple ○, dashed line) contains neither inhibitor nor PAβN.

have leaving groups that do not require protonation and would
therefore not supply the general base needed to generate
hydroxide in path 3b. Yet, the PNP esters described here are
excellent substrates, and so favor a product-independent
pathway for intermediate decay (path 3a). Attack of hydroxide
ion leads to formation of the second tetrahedral adduct (Figure
4, boxed). The C13-B(OH)2−PvdQ complex most closely
resembles this catalytic intermediate and provides some insight
into its formation and stabilization. Based on comparison of the
transition-state analogue to a trapped ester intermediate,18,28
the incoming hydroxide ion in step 4 appears to attack the re
face of the ester. As proposed earlier,28
an “oxyanion” hole,
consisting of the backbone nitrogen of Val268 and the side
chain nitrogen of Asn485, provides H-bonds to one of the
oxygens in the tetrahedral adduct. Additionally, the oxygen
corresponding to the incoming nucleophilic hydroxide is
stabilized by H-bonds to both the backbone nitrogen and
carbonyl of His239 and is also close (2.7 Å) to the N-terminus
of Ser217. Collapse of the tetrahedral adduct leads to C−O
bond cleavage and protonation of the Ser217 side chain. The
C13-B(OH)2−PvdQ complex shows a 2.8 Å distance from this
oxygen to the N-terminal amine, supporting a direct proton
transfer (path 5a) rather than transfer through an intervening
water (path 5b). The closest ordered water molecule observed
is 5.8 Å distant and overlaps with the position likely occupied
by the leaving group amine in the first tetrahedral intermediate,
disfavoring paths 3b and 5b. The fatty acid product (P2) can
then dissociate to regenerate resting enzyme (path 6).
Cultured Cell Growth Assays. Previously, different
enzymes in siderophore biosynthesis have been effectively
targeted by inhibitor design and high-throughput screening.
Inhibitors of aryl acid adenylating enzymes potently inhibit
siderophore production and/or iron-limited growth of M.
tuberculosis, Y. pestis, and other microorganisms.8−10
These
compounds might also have potential applications with P.
aeruginosa due to similarities of their target enzymes with the
adenylating enzyme PchD used in pyochelin production. To
the best of our knowledge, only one report describes a
siderophore biosynthetic inhibitor that was applied to P.
aeruginosa growth. Micromolar concentrations of the PvdQ
inhibitor ML318 inhibits growth of P. aeruginosa in iron-
limiting conditions.11
Here, we extend the study of iron-limited
P. aeruginosa growth to alkylboronate inhibitors of PvdQ.
The PvdQ inhibitor C13-B(OH)2 was tested for its effects in
cell culture (Figure 5). Wild-type P. aeruginosa can grow in
iron-limited minimal media, but the transposon-disrupted pvdQ
mutant strain shows only very limited growth. Wild-type P.
aeruginosa cultures given an initial dose of 1 μM inhibitor (5000
× Ki) are growth inhibited. However, after 30 h, growth of the
inhibitor-treated culture recovers and then parallels that of the
untreated wild-type strain (Figure 5A). Recovery cannot be
avoided by repeated dosing of the inhibitor (not shown).
These experiments were then repeated in the presence of
phenylalainine-arginine-β-naphthylamide (PAβN; CAS 100929-
99-5), a wide-spectrum competitive inhibitor of multidrug-
resistance efflux pumps that can also increase outer membrane
permeability through other mechanisms.30
Co-administration
of both C13-B(OH)2 and PAβN severely inhibits growth of
wild-type P. aeruginosa under iron-limited conditions, and
growth does not recover like it did in the absence of PAβN
(Figure 5B). These studies indicate that the PvdQ inhibitor
C13-B(OH)2 can inhibit the growth of P. aeruginosa in iron-
limited conditions, but that the efficacy of this particular
compound in cell culture is likely limited by poor access to the
target due to outer membrane impermeability or a multidrug
efflux pump. It has been reported that compounds structurally
similar to C13-B(OH)2, including N-acyl-HSLs and sodium
dodecyl sulfate, are exported by the MexAB-OprM efflux pump,
but other efflux pumps might also play a role.31,32
As predicted, when iron is not limiting, control experiments
using the same concentrations of inhibitors to treat the
transposon-disrupted pvdQ strain do not result in a similar
growth inhibition (Figure 5C and D). This result is consistent
with our proposal that C13-B(OH)2 targets iron acquisition.
Higher concentrations of C13-B(OH)2 do result in minor
growth inhibition (Figure 5C), which suggests that this
particular inhibitor may have deleterious off-target effects
when used at elevated concentrations. This result is not entirely
unexpected due to the hydrophobicity and structural simplicity
of the unsubstituted n-alkyl substituent. However, to the best of
our knowledge, this is the first rationally designed boron-
containing inhibitor of siderophore biosynthesis shown to block
the growth of P. aeruginosa in iron-limited conditions and
serves as a proof of principle.
In summary, PvdQ is revealed to have high specificity
constants for myristoylated substrates, yet it discriminates
against N-acyl-HSLs produced endogenously by P. aeruginosa.
This finding supports the conclusion that PvdQ has not
primarily evolved to regulate quorum-sensing endogenous to P.
aeruginosa. However, the quorum-quenching ability of PvdQ
remains useful as a biochemical tool to target a narrow set of
quorum-sensing signals. To counteract the primary role of
PvdQ in siderophore production, we identified n-alkylboronic
acids as extremely potent PvdQ inhibitors, due in part to the
similarity of their monocovalent tetrahedral adducts to the
reaction transition state. One of the most potent compounds,
1-tridecylboronic acid (C13-B(OH)2), inhibits growth of P.
aeruginosa in iron-limited media and serves as a proof of
principle. The efficacy of this particular compound is limited by
poor target access and likely by limited selectivity due to its
unsubstituted alkyl moiety. However, since boron-based
inhibitors are used clinically20
and have proven useful in
cultured P. aeruginosa,33
we suggest that this moiety may be a
productive chemotype to retain in the design of more
biologically effective PvdQ inhibitors.
■ METHODS
Materials. Unless otherwise noted, all chemicals were obtained
from Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA), and all
restriction enzymes were from New England BioLabs (Beverly, MA,
USA). 1-Octylboronic acid (C8-B(OH)2), 1-decylboronic acid (C10-
B(OH)2), 1-dodecylboronic acid (C12-B(OH)2), and 1-tetradecylbor-
onic acid (C14-B(OH)2) were from Alfa Aesar (Ward Hill, MA, USA).
p-Nitrophenyl esters of capric (C10-PNP), lauric (C12-PNP), myristic
(C14-PNP), and palmitic (C16-PNP) acids were from Research
Organics, Cleveland, OH. Syringe filters are MillexGP filter units (0.22
μm, PES membrane, Millipore). PAβN was from Bachem (Torrance,
California).
3-Oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-HSL) is known
to undergo non-enzymatic rearrangement.34
To verify the stock
solutions of this compound had not rearranged from the lactone
(which is susceptible to AiiA mediated hydrolysis) to the tetramic acid
(which is not), LC-ESI-MS (+ ionization) was used to show an 18 Da
increase between untreated (298.2 Da) and AiiA35
-treated (316.2)
samples, consistent with maintaining an intact lactone, 3-oxo-C12-
HSL, in the stock solution.
1-Tridecylboronic acid (C13-B(OH)2) was synthesized in two steps
using a published route for butylboronic acid,36
but substituting

tridecylic acid for butyric acid. The product was recrystallized from
hexanes as white needles (57% yield). 1
H NMR (DMSO): δ 7.28 (s,
2H), 1.26 (m, 22H), 0.84 (t, J = 6.5 Hz, 3H), 0.55 (t, J = 7.5 Hz, 2H).
13
C NMR (DMSO): δ 32.1, 31.3, 29.1, 29.0, 28.7, 24.2, 22.1, 15.4,
13.9. 11
B NMR (DMSO): δ 32.4. HRMS: [M − H]−
calcd for
C13H28BO2 227.2190, found 227.2190.
Cloning, Expression, and Purification. P. aeruignosa PvdQ was
obtained by heterologous expression from E. coli using standard
methodology described in Supporting Information.
Activity and Inhibition Assays. Steady-state kinetic constants
were determined for hydrolysis of two substrate classes. PNP-ester
hydrolysis18
was continuously monitored using UV−vis absorbance
spectroscopy (Varian Cary 50) to detect formation of p-nitro-
phenolate; ε402nm = 13,000 M−1
cm−1
. The ε402nm was determined
experimentally using the assay buffer. Substrate stock solutions were
prepared in methanol, which was determined to be an acceptable assay
cosolvent (Supplementary Figure S5). Assays were completed using
disposable polystyrene cuvettes (Thermo Fisher), substrate, Na2HPO4
(40 mM) at pH 8.0, 25 °C with 20% methanol as a cosolvent and were
initiated with addition of PvdQ (10 nM). Fresh working dilutions of
PvdQ (1 μM) were made from more concentrated stocks after each
hour of use. Assay buffer was filtered prior to use to eliminate dust
particles. Initial hydrolysis rates (<10% substrate consumed) were
linear. KaleidaGraph 3.6 (Synergy Software, Reading, PA, USA) was
used to determine kcat and KM values and associated error by nonlinear
fitting to the Michaelis−Menten equation. Values determined here are
signifigantly different than previous reported values (e.g., C12-PNP,
KM = 1.4 mM, kcat 44 min−1
).18
In our hands, the substrates were not
sufficiently soluble to use the previously reported assay conditions.
Here, inclusion of well-tolerated cosolvent (Supplemetary Figure S5)
led to improved kinetic parameters (e.g., C12-PNP, KM = 0.6 μM, kcat
86 min−1
) (Table 1).
N-Acyl-HSL amide hydrolysis was monitored with an end point
assay by o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) derivitization of the product amine
37
followed by HPLC and fluorescence detection compared to a
standard curve prepared each day using (S)-(−)-α-amino-γ-butyr-
olactone (linear from 30 nM to 100 μM). Assay details are supplied in
Supporting Information.
Initial screening for PvdQ inhibition by fatty acids and boronic acids
was accomplished using a method similar to the PNP-ester assay
described above except using a Wallac Victor2
plate reader
(PerkinElmer, Waltham MA), one concentration of C12-PNP (5
μM) and varying concentrations of fatty acids and boronic acids,
diluted from DMSO stock solutions, in triplicate. Final assays do not
exceed 1% DMSO (v/v), which does not inhibit PvdQ.
Concentration−response curves for C10-, C14-, and C15-B(OH)2
were determined in the same fashion and fit to determine IC50 values.
The IC50 for C8-B(OH)2 was also measured this way, but using a Cary
50 spectrophotometer instead of a plate reader. These IC50 values were
then converted to Ki values for a tight-binding competitive inhibition
model described elsewhere22
using enzyme concentration as
determined by A280nm (Supporting Information). Because these
compounds have IC50 values greater than the enzyme concentration,
small variations in enzyme concentration have less of an impact on Ki
than with the more potent inhibitors below.
The Ki values and the mode of inhibition for C12- and C13-
B(OH)2 were determined using a slightly modified method. Briefly,
PvdQ activity was measured in singlicate assays using disposable
polystyrene cuvettes and a Cary-50 UV−vis spectrophotometer as
above to determine IC50 values at different concentrations of C12-
PNP. The IC50 values were plotted against [C12-PNP]/KM values to
determine mode of inhibition and Ki values, as described elsewhere
(Supplementary Figure S1).22
Due to the potency of these tight-
binding inhibitors, small changes in inhibitor or enzyme concen-
trations can impact IC50 values, so in contrast to the inhibitors above,
all kinetic experiments for C12- and C13-B(OH)2 were performed on
the same day using the same enzyme and inhibitor stock solutions.
Crystallography. Cocrystals of PvdQ and C13-B(OH)2 were
grown by hanging drop vapor diffusion by mixing PvdQ (10 mg
mL−1
), C13-B(OH)2 (50 mM in DMSO), and crystallization solution
(0.05 M Hepes at pH 7.5); 80 mM RbCl; 9% PEG 4000 and 20%
glycerol, which is slightly modified from a previously reported
condition18
) at a ratio of 1:0.5:1 μL, respectively, at 20 °C. Crystals
appeared in 1 h and grew to maximum size in 5 days. Those with good
morphology and typical dimensions of 0.5 mm × 0.3 mm × 0.2 mm
were picked and flash cooled in N2(l). X-ray diffraction data sets were
collected at the Advanced Photon Source, beamline 23-ID, Argonne
National Laboratory. The wavelength used in monochromatic data
collection was 1.0332 Å. All collected data sets were indexed and
integrated using iMosflm38
and scaled in program Scala in CCP4.39
The best data set was processed to a resolution of 1.8 Å.
The PvdQ−C13-B(OH)2 structure was solved by molecular
replacement using the program PHASER with a starting model of a
reported structure of PvdQ (PDB ID: 2WYE28
). The structural
solution of the protein was obtained, and an extended region of
positive difference electron density (Fo − Fc map) was identified (not
shown; see Figure 3B for a simulated annealing composite omit map).
This observed extra density corresponds to the omitted inhibitor
moiety at the active site. Once a structural solution was obtained,
model building was conducted in COOT.40
A structural file of the
C13-B(OH)2−Ser217 adduct was created in Chemdraw (Perkin-
Elmer, Cambridge, MA, USA); the generated structure of the adduct
was used to generate chemical restraints using JLigand.41
The covalent
adduct was fitted into the observed extra electron density using
COOT. Rigid body refinement and restrained refinement were
conducted using program REFMAC5 in CCP4. Manual adjustments
and rebuilding of the structural model were conducted using COOT;
further refinements were carried out using PHENIX,42
including TLS
refinement43
and simulated annealing refinement. Structural figures of
the protein were created using UCSF Chimera.44
P. aeruginosa Growth Assays. The effect of C13-B(OH)2 on
cultured cells was monitored using wild-type P. aeruginosa PA14 or a
transposon-disrupted pvdQ mutant, P. aeruginosa PA14 ID27758 from
the PA14 mutant library.45
This mutant strain has been used
previously to study phenotypes resulting from loss of PvdQ function.46
Briefly, a 1 mL culture in LB, started from glycerol stocks, is grown
with shaking (220 rpm) for approximately 7 h until A600nm is
approximately 0.5. Cells were pelleted (5000 × g), washed three times
with sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and resuspended in 250
μL of sterile iron-limited MOPS glucose medium (25 mM
morpholinepropanesulfonic acid at pH 7.2, 93 mM NH4Cl, 43 mM
NaCl, 3.7 mM KH2PO4, 1 mM MgSO4, 45 μM diethylene triamine
pentaacetic acid (DTPA), 20 mM glucose).47
DTPA was added to
chelate any trace iron, as described elsewhere.48
Triplicate cultures (1
mL) in the same medium were then inoculated to a starting OD600 of
0.01, treated with either vehicle alone (DMSO, 0.1% v/v) or C13-
B(OH)2 (1 μM), and incubated with shaking at 37 °C for up to 70 h.
Tests for off-target toxicity were completed in the same manner using
the pvdQ mutant P. aeruginosa strain and the same culture medium,
but omitting DTPA and instead supplementing with FeSO4 (3.5
μM)47
and treating with various inhibitor concentrations (1 nM to 100
μM). When indicated, stock solutions of PAβN (200 mM in DMSO)
were diluted into cultures to a final concentration of 40 μM.
■ ASSOCIATED CONTENT
*S Supporting Information
This material is available free of charge via the Internet at
http://pubs.acs.org.
Accession Codes
Coordinates of the PvdQ−C13-B(OH)2 complex have been
deposited in the Protein Data Bank with the accession number
4M1J.
■ AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E- mail: walt.fast@austin.utexas.edu; dliu@luc.edu.
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.

■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the following for generous gifts: M. Whitely (Univ. of
Texas, Austin) for P. aeruginosa PA14 ID27758, J. Leadbetter
(CA Inst Tech) for a PvdQ expression plasmid, and W.
Bachovchin & D. O’Connell (Tufts University) for 1-
pentadecylboronic acid (C15-B(OH)2). We thank J. Golihar
(Univ. of Texas, Austin) for help designing the growth assays.
This work was supported in part by the Robert A. Welch
Foundation (Grant F-1572 to W.F.) and by Loyola University
Chicago (to D.L.). We thank Ruslan Sanishvili (GM/CA-CAT,
sector 23) at Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National
Laboratory (Argonne, IL) for help with data collection; GM/
CA at APS has been funded in whole or in part with Federal
funds from the National Cancer Institute (Y1-CO-1020) and
the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Y1-GM-
1104). Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by
the U.S. Department of Energy, Basic Energy Sciences, Oﬃce
of Science, under contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.
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