2-Substituted Aniline as a Simple Scaffold for LuxR-Regulated QS Modulation

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 22; no. 12; p. 2090
• Main Authors: Li, Sizhe, Wawrzyniak, Julien, Queneau, Yves, Soulère, Laurent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29.11.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: 2-nitroaniline scaffold; Acylation; Aniline; Aniline Compounds - chemical synthesis; Aniline Compounds - chemistry; Aniline Compounds - pharmacology; antagonists; Binding Sites; Docking; Ecology, environment; Evaluation; Hydrogen Bonding; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Models, Molecular; Molecular Conformation; molecular docking; Protein Binding; Quorum Sensing; Repressor Proteins - chemistry; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Structure-Activity Relationship; Substitutes; Symbiosis; Trans-Activators - chemistry; Trans-Activators - metabolism; antagonists; molecular docking; quorum sensing; 2-nitroaniline scaffold
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules22122090

The ability of the 2-substituted aniline motif to serve as a scaffold for designing potential LuxR-regulated quorum sensing (QS) modulators has been investigated, using docking experiments and biological evaluation of a series of 15 specially synthesized compounds. Aniline, 2-acetyl-aniline and 2-nitroaniline were considered, as well as their -acylated derivatives. Docking experiments showed that the 2-substituted aniline motif fits within the LuxR binding site at the place of the lactone moiety of AHL, and the biological evaluation revealed QS antagonisitic activity for several compounds, validating the hypothesis that this scaffold acts on QS. Structure activity relationships are discussed regarding interactions with the key residues of the LuxR binding site, showing significant variations in the H-bonding pattern.