Vinyl sulfones: inhibitors of SrtA, a transpeptidase required for cell wall protein anchoring and virulence in Staphylococcus aureus

Several small molecule vinyl sulfones were found to exhibit irreversible time-dependent inhibition of the Staphylococcus aureus sortase SrtA in vitro. A representative of these compounds was shown to impair the ability of S. aureus bacteria to bind fibronectin-coated surfaces through in vivo inhibition of SrtA-mediated linkage of fibronectin to the cell surface. These data highlight the potential use of small molecule vinyl sulfones as chemotherapeutics to prevent adhesion to and colonization of host tissues during S. aureus infection.