Halofuginone and other febrifugine derivatives inhibit prolyl-tRNA synthetase

Febrifugine, one of the fifty fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine, has been characterized for its therapeutic activity whilst its molecular target has remained unknown. Febrifugine derivatives have been used to treat malaria, cancer, fibrosis, and inflammatory disease. We recently demonstrated that halofuginone (HF), a widely studied derivative of febrifugine, inhibits the development of Th17-driven autoimmunity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis by activating the amino acid response pathway (AAR). Here we show that HF binds glutamyl-prolyl-tRNA synthetase (EPRS) inhibiting prolyl-tRNA synthetase activity; this inhibition is reversed by the addition of exogenous proline or EPRS. We further show that inhibition of EPRS underlies the broad bioactivities of this family of natural products. This work both explains the molecular mechanism of a promising family of therapeutics, and highlights the AAR pathway as an important drug target for promoting inflammatory resolution.