Diversely Functionalised Cytochalasins through Mutasynthesis and Semi-Synthesis

Synthesis of cytochalasan analogues with aryl substituents at position 10

Cytochalasans are fungal metabolites that are known to inhibit actin polymerization. Despite their remarkable bioactivity, there are few studies on the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the cytochalasan scaffold. The full potential of structural modifications remains largely unexplored. The substituent at position 10 of the cytochalasan scaffold is derived from an amino acid incorporated into the cytochalasan core, thus limiting the structural variability at this position in natural products. Additionally, modifications at this position have only been achieved through semisynthetic or mutasynthetic approaches using modified amino acids. This paper introduces a modular approach for late-stage modifications at position 10 of the cytochalasan scaffold. Iron-mediated cross-coupling reactions with corresponding Grignard reagents were used to introduce aryl or benzyl groups in position 10, resulting in the synthesis of six new cytochalasan analogues bearing non-natural aromatic residues. This methodology enables further exploration of modifications at this position and SAR studies among cytochalasan analogues.

Reductive Release from a Hybrid PKS-NRPS during the Biosynthesis of Pyrichalasin H

Three central steps during the biosynthesis of cytochalasan precursors, including reductive release, Knoevenagel cyclisation and Diels Alder cyclisation are not yet understood at a detailed molecular level. In this work we investigated the reductive release step catalysed by a hybrid polyketide synthase non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (PKS-NRPS) from the pyrichalasin H pathway. Synthetic thiolesters were used as substrate mimics for in vitro studies with the isolated reduction (R) and holo-thiolation (T) domains of the PKS-NRPS hybrid PyiS. These assays demonstrate that the PyiS R-domain mainly catalyses an NADPH-dependent reductive release of an aldehyde intermediate that quickly undergoes spontaneous Knoevenagel cyclisation. The R-domain can only process substrates that are covalently bound to the phosphopantetheine thiol of the upstream T-domain, but it shows little selectivity for the polyketide.

Engineered and total biosynthesis of fungal specialized metabolites

Filamentous fungi produce a very wide range of complex and often bioactive metabolites, demonstrating their inherent ability as hosts of complex biosynthetic pathways. Recent advances in molecular sciences related to fungi have afforded the development of new tools that allow the rational total biosynthesis of highly complex specialized metabolites in a single process. Increasingly, these pathways can also be engineered to produce new metabolites. Engineering can be at the level of gene deletion, gene addition, formation of mixed pathways, engineering of scaffold synthases and engineering of tailoring enzymes. Combination of these approaches with hosts that can metabolize low-value waste streams opens the prospect of one-step syntheses from garbage.

Rapid discovery of terpene tailoring enzymes for total biosynthesis

Twenty oxygenated aristolochene congeners were rapidly synthesised by combining genes from four different fungal pathways in the fungal host organism Aspergillus oryzae. Compounds produced in a single step include the natural product hypoxylan A and an epimer of guignaderemophilane C. A new fungal aromatase was discovered that produces phenols by oxidative demethylation.

Cytochalasans and Their Impact on Actin Filament Remodeling

The eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton comprises the protein itself in its monomeric and filamentous forms, G- and F-actin, as well as multiple interaction partners (actin-binding proteins, ABPs). This gives rise to a temporally and spatially controlled, dynamic network, eliciting a plethora of motility-associated processes. To interfere with the complex inter- and intracellular interactions the actin cytoskeleton confers, small molecular inhibitors have been used, foremost of all to study the relevance of actin filaments and their turnover for various cellular processes. The most prominent inhibitors act by, e.g., sequestering monomers or by interfering with the polymerization of new filaments and the elongation of existing filaments. Among these inhibitors used as tool compounds are the cytochalasans, fungal secondary metabolites known for decades and exploited for their F-actin polymerization inhibitory capabilities. In spite of their application as tool compounds for decades, comprehensive data are lacking that explain (i) how the structural deviances of the more than 400 cytochalasans described to date influence their bioactivity mechanistically and (ii) how the intricate network of ABPs reacts (or adapts) to cytochalasan binding. This review thus aims to summarize the information available concerning the structural features of cytochalasans and their influence on the described activities on cell morphology and actin cytoskeleton organization in eukaryotic cells.

Unreported cytochalasins from an acid-mediated transformation of cytochalasin J isolated from Diaporthe cf. ueckeri

Chemical investigation of an endophytic fungus herein identified as Diaporthe cf. ueckeri yielded four known compounds, named cytochalasins H and J and dicerandrols A and B. Reports of acid sensitivity within the cytochalasan family inspired an attempt of acid-mediated conversion of cytochalasins H and J, resulting in the acquisition of five polycyclic cytochalasins featuring 5/6/5/8-fused tetracyclic and 5/6/6/7/5-fused pentacyclic skeletons. Two of the obtained polycyclic cytochalasins constituted unprecedented analogues, for which the trivial names cytochalasins J₄ and J₅ were proposed, whereas the others were identified as the known phomopchalasin A, phomopchalasin D and 21-acetoxycytochalasin J₃. The structures of the compounds were determined by extensive spectral analysis, namely HR-ESIMS, ESIMS and 1D/2D NMR. The stereochemistry of cytochalasins J₄ and J₅ was proposed using their ROESY data, biosynthetic and mechanistic considerations and by comparison of their ECD spectra with those of related congeners. All compounds except for cytochalasins H and J were tested for antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity. Cytochalasins J₄ and J₅ showed neither antimicrobial nor cytotoxic activity in the tested concentrations, with only weak antiproliferative activity observable against KB3.1 cells. The actin disruptive properties of all cytochalasins obtained in this study and of the previously reported cytochalasins RKS-1778 and phomopchalasin N were examined, and monitored by fluorescence microscopy using human osteo-sarcoma (U2-OS) cells. Compared to their precursor molecules (cytochalasins H and J), phomopchalasins A and D, 21-acetoxycytochalasin J₃, cytochalasins J₄ and J₅ revealed a strongly reduced activity on the F-actin network, highlighting that the macrocyclic ring is crucial for bioactivity.

Antiproliferative and Cytotoxic Cytochalasins from Sparticola triseptata Inhibit Actin Polymerization and Aggregation

Laying the groundwork on preliminary structure-activity relationship study relating to the disruptive activity of cytochalasan derivatives on mammalian cell actin cytoskeleton, we furthered our study on the cytochalasans of the Dothideomycetes fungus, Sparticola triseptata. A new cytochalasan analog triseptatin (1), along with the previously described cytochalasans deoxaphomin B (2) and cytochalasin B (3), and polyketide derivatives cis-4-hydroxy-6-deoxyscytalone (4) and 6-hydroxymellein (5) were isolated from the rice culture of S. triseptata. The structure of 1 was elucidated through NMR spectroscopic analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). The relative and absolute configurations were established through analysis of NOESY spectroscopic data and later correlated with experimental electronic circular dichroism and time-dependent density functional theory (ECD-TDDFT) computational analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 showed cytotoxic activities against seven mammalian cell lines (L929, KB3.1, MCF-7, A549, PC-3, SKOV-3, and A431) and antiproliferative effects against the myeloid leukemia K-562 cancer cell line. Both 1 and 2 were shown to possess properties inhibiting the F-actin network, prompting further hypotheses that should to be tested in the future to enable a well-resolved concept of the structural implications determining the bioactivity of the cytochalasin backbone against F-actin.

Diversity of biologically active secondary metabolites in the ascomycete order Sordariales

Ascomycetes belonging to the order Sordariales are a well-known reservoir of secondary metabolites with potential beneficial applications. Species of the Sordariales are ubiquitous, and they are commonly found in soils and in lignicolous, herbicolous, and coprophilous habitats. Some of their species have been used as model organisms in modern fungal biology or were found to be prolific producers of potentially useful secondary metabolites. However, the majority of sordarialean species are poorly studied. Traditionally, the classification of the Sordariales has been mainly based on morphology of the ascomata, ascospores, and asexual states, characters that have been demonstrated to be homoplastic by modern taxonomic studies based on multi-locus phylogeny. Herein, we summarize for the first time relevant information about the available knowledge on the secondary metabolites and the biological activities exerted by representatives of this fungal order, as well as a current outlook of the potential opportunities that the recent advances in omic tools could bring for the discovery of secondary metabolites in this order.

3D printed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device for fiber-based dual beam optical manipulation

3D printing of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices enables rapid prototyping of robust and complex structures. In this work, we designed and fabricated a 3D printed lab-on-a-chip device for fiber-based dual beam optical manipulation. The final 3D printed chip offers three key features, such as (1) an optimized fiber channel design for precise alignment of optical fibers, (2) an optically clear window to visualize the trapping region, and (3) a sample channel which facilitates hydrodynamic focusing of samples. A square zig–zag structure incorporated in the sample channel increases the number of particles at the trapping site and focuses the cells and particles during experiments when operating the chip at low Reynolds number. To evaluate the performance of the device for optical manipulation, we implemented on-chip, fiber-based optical trapping of different-sized microscopic particles and performed trap stiffness measurements. In addition, optical stretching of MCF-7 cells was successfully accomplished for the purpose of studying the effects of a cytochalasin metabolite, pyrichalasin H, on cell elasticity. We observed distinct changes in the deformability of single cells treated with pyrichalasin H compared to untreated cells. These results demonstrate that 3D printed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices offer a cost-effective and customizable platform for applications in optical manipulation.

Total Mycosynthesis: Rational Bioconstruction and Bioengineering of Fungal Natural Products

Total biosynthesis in fungi is beginning to compete with traditional chemical total synthesis campaigns. Herein, the advantages, disadvantages and future opportunities are discussed within the scope of several recent examples.

1 Introduction

2 Synthetic Examples

2.1 2-Pyridones

2.2 Cytochalasans

2.3 Sorbicillinoids

2.4 Decalins: Solanapyrone

2.5 α-Pyrone Polyenes: Citreoviridin and Aurovertin

2.6 Anditomin and Related Meroterpenoids

2.7 Tropolone Sesquiterpenoids

3 Conclusion