Structural Characterization of Native Autoinducing Peptides and Abiotic Analogues Reveals Key Features Essential for Activation and Inhibition of an AgrC Quorum Sensing Receptor in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that uses quorum sensing (QS) to control virulence. Its QS system is regulated by macrocyclic peptide signals (or autoinducing peptides (AIPs)) and their cognate transmembrane receptors (AgrCs). Four different specificity groups of S. aureus have been identified to date (groups I-IV), each of which uses a different AIP:AgrC pair. Non-native ligands capable of intercepting AIP:AgrC binding, and thereby QS, in S. aureus have attracted considerable interest as chemical tools to study QS pathways and as possible antivirulence strategies for the treatment of infection. We recently reported a set of analogues of the group-III AIP that are capable of strongly modulating the activity of all four AgrC receptors. Critical to the further development of such ligands is a detailed understanding of the structural features of both native AIPs and non-native analogues that are essential for activity. Herein, we report the first three-dimensional structural analysis of the known native AIP signals (AIPs-I-IV) and several AIP-III analogues with varied biological activities using NMR spectroscopy. Integration of these NMR studies with the known agonism and antagonism profiles of these peptides in AgrC-III revealed two key structural elements that control AIP-III (and non-native peptide) activity: (1) a tri-residue hydrophobic knob essential for both activation and inhibition and (2) a fourth anchor point on the exocyclic tail needed for receptor activation. These results provide strong structural support for a mechanism of AIP-mediated AgrC activation and inhibition in S. aureus, and should facilitate the design of new AgrC ligands with enhanced activities (as agonists or antagonists) and simplified chemical structures.