Serendipitous discovery of two highly selective inhibitors of bacterial luciferase

Herein, we report the serendipitous discovery of two highly selective inhibitors of bacterial luciferase, N-phenacylthiazolium bromide (PTB) and pifithrin-α (PFT-α). These compounds, which are both derivatives of N-phenacylthiazolium salts, comprise a previously unreported class of luciferase inhibitors that are effective both in vitro and in live bacteria. Interestingly, although they are structurally similar, these compounds appear to elicit...