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High‐Throughput Screening (HTS) by NMR Guided Identification of Novel Agents Targeting the Protein Docking Domain of YopH

Recently we described a novel approach, named high‐throughput screening (HTS) by NMR that allows the identification, from large combinatorial peptide libraries, of potent and selective peptide mimetics against a given target. Here, we deployed the “HTS by NMR” approach for the design of novel peptoid sequences targeting the N‐terminal domain of Yersinia outer protein H (YopH‐NT), a bacterial toxin essential for the virulence of Yersinia pestis. We aimed at disrupting the protein–protein interactions between YopH‐NT and its cellular substrates, with the goal of inhibiting indirectly YopH enzymatic function. These studies resulted in a novel agent of sequence Ac‐F‐pY‐cPG‐d‐P‐NH2 (pY=phosphotyrosine; cPG=cyclopentyl glycine) with a Kd value against YopH‐NT of 310 nm. We demonstrated that such a pharmacological inhibitor of YopH‐NT results in the inhibition of the dephosphorylation by full‐length YopH of a cellular substrate. Hence, potentially this agent represents a valuable stepping stone for the development of novel therapeutics against Yersinia infections. The data reported further demonstrate the utility of the HTS by NMR approach in deriving novel peptide mimetics targeting protein–protein interactions.