Repurposed inhibitor of bacterial dihydrodipicolinate reductase exhibits effective herbicidal activity.

ABSTRACT: Herbicide resistance represents one of the biggest threats to our natural environment and agricultural sector. Thus, new herbicides are urgently needed to tackle the rise in herbicide-resistant weeds. Here, we employed a novel strategy to repurpose a 'failed' antibiotic into a new and target-specific herbicidal compound. Specifically, we identified an inhibitor of bacterial dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DHDPR), an enzyme involved in lysine biosynthesis in plants and bacteria, that exhibited no antibacterial activity but severely attenuated germination of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We confirmed that the inhibitor targets plant DHDPR orthologues in vitro, and exhibits no toxic effects against human cell lines. A series of analogues were then synthesised with improved efficacy in germin

SUBMITTER: Mackie ERR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10203105 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature