Mycobacterium tuberculosis IMPDH in complexes with substrates, products and antitubercular compounds

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide problem and the need for new drugs is increasingly more urgent with the emergence of multidrug- and extensively-drug resistant TB. Inosine 5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isan attractive drug target. The enzyme catalyzes the conversion of inosine 5′-monophosphate into xanthosine 5′-monophosphate with the concomitant reduction of NAD⁺ to NADH. This reaction controls flux into the guanine nucleotide pool. We report seventeen selective IMPDH inhibitors with antitubercular activity. The crystal structures of a deletion mutant of MtbIMPDH2 in the apo form and in complex with the product XMP and substrate NAD⁺ are determined. We also report the structures of complexes with IMP and three structurally distinct inhibitors, including two with antitubercular activity. These structures will greatly facilitate the development of MtbIMPDH2-targeted antibiotics.