Enzymatic processing of fumiquinazoline F: a tandem oxidative-acylation strategy for the generation of multicyclic scaffolds in fungal indole alkaloid biosynthesis

Reconstitution of the Early Stage of Chetomin Biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus Leads to the Production of Epipolythiodioxopiperazines

Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and a microhomology-mediated end-joining repair system, we substituted genes of the gliotoxin pathway in Aspergillus fumigatus with genes responsible for chetomin biosynthesis from Chaetomium cochliodes, leading to the production of three new epipolythiodioxopiperazines (ETPs). This work represents the first successful endeavor to produce ETPs in a non-native host. Additionally, the simultaneous disruption of five genes in a single transformation marks the most extensive gene knockout event in filamentous fungi to date.

Biocatalytic Stereoselective Oxidation of 2-Arylindoles

3-Hydroxyindolenines can be used to access several structural motifs that are featured in natural products and pharmaceutical compounds, yet the chemical synthesis of 3-hydroxyindolenines is complicated by overoxidation, rearrangements, and complex product mixtures. The selectivity possible in enzymatic reactions can overcome these challenges and deliver enantioenriched products. Herein, we present the development of an asymmetric biocatalytic oxidation of 2-arylindole substrates aided by a curated library of flavin-dependent monooxygenases (FDMOs) sampled from an ancestral sequence space, a sequence similarity network, and a deep-learning-based latent space model. From this library of FDMOs, a previously uncharacterized enzyme, Champase, from the Valley fever fungus, Coccidioides immitis strain RS, was found to stereoselectively catalyze the oxidation of a variety of substituted indole substrates. The promiscuity of this enzyme is showcased by the oxidation of a wide variety of substituted 2-arylindoles to afford the respective 3-hydroxyindolenine products in moderate to excellent yields and up to 95:5 er.

A heterologous expression platform in Aspergillus nidulans for the elucidation of cryptic secondary metabolism biosynthetic gene clusters: discovery of the Aspergillus fumigatus sartorypyrone biosynthetic pathway

Aspergillus fumigatus is a serious human pathogen causing life-threatening Aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients. Secondary metabolites (SMs) play an important role in pathogenesis, but the products of many SM biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) remain unknown. In this study, we have developed a heterologous expression platform in Aspergillus nidulans, using a newly created genetic dereplication strain, to express a previously unknown BGC from A. fumigatus and determine its products. The BGC produces sartorypyrones, and we have named it the spy BGC. Analysis of targeted gene deletions by HRESIMS, NMR, and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) enabled us to identify 12 products from the spy BGC. Seven of the compounds have not been isolated previously. We also individually expressed the polyketide synthase (PKS) gene spyA and demonstrated that it produces the polyketide triacetic acid lactone (TAL), a potentially important biorenewable platform chemical. Our data have allowed us to propose a biosynthetic pathway for sartorypyrones and related natural products. This work highlights the potential of using the A. nidulans heterologous expression platform to uncover cryptic BGCs from A. fumigatus and other species, despite the complexity of their secondary metabolomes.

Anthranilic Acid Accumulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Induced by Expression of a Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Gene from Paecilomyces cinnamomeus BCC 9616

Heterologous expression of nrps33, a nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene, from Paecilomyces cinnamomeus BCC 9616 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae unexpectedly resulted in the accumulation of anthranilic acid, an intermediate in tryptophan biosynthesis. Based on transcriptomic and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results, expression of nrps33 affected the transcription of tryptophan biosynthesis genes especially TRP1 which is also the selectable auxotrophic marker for the expression vector used in this work. The product of nrps33 could inhibit the activity of Trp4 involved in the conversion of anthranilate to N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate and therefore caused the accumulation of anthranilic acid. This accumulation could in turn result in down-regulation of downstream tryptophan biosynthesis genes. Anthranilic acid is typically produced by chemical synthesis and has been used as a substrate for synthesising bioactive compounds including commercial drugs; our results could provide a new biological platform for production of this compound.

Subcellular localization of fungal specialized metabolites

Fungal specialized metabolites play an important role in the environment and have impacted human health and survival significantly. These specialized metabolites are often the end product of a series of sequential and collaborating biosynthetic enzymes that reside within different subcellular compartments. A wide variety of methods have been developed to understand fungal specialized metabolite biosynthesis in terms of the chemical conversions and the biosynthetic enzymes required, however there are far fewer studies elucidating the compartmentalization of the same enzymes. This review illustrates the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites where the localization of all, or some, of the biosynthetic enzymes have been determined and describes the methods used to identify the sub-cellular localization.

Antibacterial diphenyl ether production induced by co-culture of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus

Fungi are a rich source of secondary metabolites with potent biological activities. Co-culturing a fungus with another microorganism has drawn much attention as a practical method for stimulating fungal secondary metabolism. However, in most cases, the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of secondary metabolite production in co-culture are poorly understood. To elucidate such a mechanism, in this study, we established a model fungal-fungal co-culture system, composed of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In the co-culture of A. nidulans and A. fumigatus, production of antibacterial diphenyl ethers was enhanced. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-sequencing showed that the co-culture activated expression of siderophore biosynthesis genes in A. fumigatus and two polyketide biosynthetic gene clusters (the ors and cic clusters) in A. nidulans. Gene disruption experiments revealed that the ors cluster is responsible for diphenyl ether production in the co-culture. Interestingly, the ors cluster was previously reported to be upregulated by co-culture of A. nidulans with the bacterium Streptomyces rapamycinicus; orsellinic acid was the main product of the cluster in that co-culture. In other words, the main product of the ors cluster was different in fungal-fungal and bacterial-fungal co-culture. The genes responsible for biosynthesis of the bacterial- and fungal-induced polyketides were deduced using a heterologous expression system in Aspergillus oryzae. The molecular genetic mechanisms that trigger biosynthesis of two different types of compounds in A. nidulans in response to the fungus and the bacterium were demonstrated, which provides an insight into complex secondary metabolic response of fungi to microorganisms. KEY POINTS: • Co-culture of two fungal species triggered antibiotic diphenyl ether production. • The co-culture affected expression levels of several genes for secondary metabolism. • Gene cluster essential for induction of the antibiotics production was determined.

Biosynthesis of Terpenoid-Pyrrolobenzoxazine Hybrid Natural Product CJ-12662

The fungal natural product CJ-12662 is a structurally complex terpene-amino acid hybrid, and is a potent anthelmintic compound. The biosynthetic pathway of CJ-12662 is elucidated based on metabolite analysis from heterologous expression. We demonstrate the terpene portion is derived from successive P450-catalyzed oxidations of amorpha-4,11-diene, while three flavin-dependent enzymes are involved in morphing the esterified tryptophan into a chlorinated pyrrolobenzoxazine, utilizing a cascaded [1,2]-Meisenheimer rearrangement.

Structural basis of the stereoselective formation of the spirooxindole ring in the biosynthesis of citrinadins

Prenylated indole alkaloids featuring spirooxindole rings possess a 3R or 3S carbon stereocenter, which determines the bioactivities of these compounds. Despite the stereoselective advantages of spirooxindole biosynthesis compared with those of organic synthesis, the biocatalytic mechanism for controlling the 3R or 3S-spirooxindole formation has been elusive. Here, we report an oxygenase/semipinacolase CtdE that specifies the 3S-spirooxindole construction in the biosynthesis of 21R-citrinadin A. High-resolution X-ray crystal structures of CtdE with the substrate and cofactor, together with site-directed mutagenesis and computational studies, illustrate the catalytic mechanisms for the possible β-face epoxidation followed by a regioselective collapse of the epoxide intermediate, which triggers semipinacol rearrangement to form the 3S-spirooxindole. Comparing CtdE with PhqK, which catalyzes the formation of the 3R-spirooxindole, we reveal an evolutionary branch of CtdE in specific 3S spirocyclization. Our study provides deeper insights into the stereoselective catalytic machinery, which is important for the biocatalysis design to synthesize spirooxindole pharmaceuticals.

Transcriptional Control of the Production of Aspergillus fumigatus Conidia-Borne Secondary Metabolite Fumiquinazoline C Important for Phagocytosis Protection

Aspergillus fumigatus produces diverse secondary metabolites whose biological functions and regulation remain to be understood. Despite the importance of the conidia for this fungus, the role of the conidia-born metabolite fumiquinazoline C (FqC) is unclear. Here, we describe a dual function of the cell-wall integrity pathway in regulating FqC biosynthesis dictated by the MAPK kinase MpkA, which phosphorylates one of the nonribosomal peptide synthetases enzymes of the cluster (FmqC), and the transcription factor RlmA, which directly regulates the expression of fmq genes. Another level of crosstalk between the FqC regulation and the cell physiology is described since the deletion of the stress-responsive transcription factor sebA provokes derepression of the fmq cluster and overproduction of FqC. Thus, we describe a mechanism by which A. fumigatus controls FqC biosynthesis orchestrated by MpkA-RlmA and SebA and hence enabling survival and adaptation to the environmental niche, given that FqC is a deterrent of ameba predation.

Gene mining and efficient biosynthesis of a fungal peptidyl alkaloid

Objective

Peptidyl alkaloids, a series of important natural products can be assembled by fungal non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). However, many of the NRPSs associated gene clusters are silent under laboratory conditions, and the traditional chemical separation yields are low. In this study, we aim to discovery and efficiently prepare fungal peptidyl alkaloids assembled by fungal NRPSs.

Methods

Bioinformatics analysis of gene cluster containing NRPSs from the genome of Penicillium thymicola, and heterologous expression of the putative gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans were performed. Isolation, structural identification, and biological evaluation of the product from heterologous expression were carried out.

Results

The putative tri-modular NRPS AncA was heterologous-expressed in A. nidulans to give anacine (1) with high yield, which showed moderate and selective cytotoxic activity against A549 cell line.

Conclusion

Heterologous expression in A. nidulans is an efficient strategy for mining fungal peptidyl alkaloids.

Genomics-directed activation of cryptic natural product pathways deciphers codes for biosynthesis and molecular function

Natural products, which can be isolated from living organisms worldwide, have played a pivotal role in drug discovery since ancient times. However, it has become more challenging to identify a structurally novel molecule with promising biological activity for pharmaceutical development, mainly due to the limited methodologies for their acquisition. In this review, we summarize our recent studies that activate the biosynthetic potential of filamentous fungi by genetic engineering to harness the metabolic flow for the efficient production of unprecedented natural products. The recent revolution in genome sequencing technology enables the accumulation of vast amounts of information on biosynthetic genes, the blueprint of the molecular construction. Utilizing the established heterologous expression system, activation of the pathway-specific transcription factor coupled with a knockout strategy, and manipulating the global regulatory gene, the biosynthetic genes were exploited to activate biosynthetic pathways and decipher the encoded enzyme functions. We show that this methodology was beneficial for acquiring fungal treasures for drug discovery. These studies also enabled the investigation of the molecular function of natural products in fungal development.

Alkaloids from Marine Fungi: Promising Antimicrobials

Resistance of pathogenic microorganisms against antimicrobials is a major threat to contemporary human society. It necessitates a perpetual influx of novel antimicrobial compounds. More specifically, Gram⁻ pathogens emerged as the most exigent danger. In our continuing quest to search for novel antimicrobial molecules, alkaloids from marine fungi show great promise. However, current reports of such newly discovered alkaloids are often limited to cytotoxicity studies and, moreover, neglect to discuss the enigma of their biosynthesis. Yet, the latter is often a prerequisite to make them available through sufficiently efficient processes. This review aims to summarize novel alkaloids with promising antimicrobial properties discovered in the past five years and produced by marine fungi. Several discovery strategies are summarized, and knowledge gaps in biochemical production routes are identified. Finally, links between the structure of the newly discovered molecules and their activity are proposed. Since 2015, a total of 35 new antimicrobial alkaloids from marine fungi were identified, of which 22 showed an antibacterial activity against Gram⁻ microorganisms. Eight of them can be classified as narrow-spectrum Gram⁻ antibiotics. Despite this promising ratio of novel alkaloids active against Gram⁻ microorganisms, the number of newly discovered antimicrobial alkaloids is low, due to the narrow spectrum of discovery protocols that are used and the fact that antimicrobial properties of newly discovered alkaloids are barely characterized. Alternatives are proposed in this review. In conclusion, this review summarizes novel findings on antimicrobial alkaloids from marine fungi, shows their potential as promising therapeutic candidates, and hints on how to further improve this potential.

Review of Oxepine-Pyrimidinone-Ketopiperazine Type Nonribosomal Peptides

Recently, a rare class of nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) bearing a unique Oxepine-Pyrimidinone-Ketopiperazine (OPK) scaffold has been exclusively isolated from fungal sources. Based on the number of rings and conjugation systems on the backbone, it can be further categorized into three types A, B, and C. These compounds have been applied to various bioassays, and some have exhibited promising bioactivities like antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi and transcriptional activation on liver X receptor α. This review summarizes all the research related to natural OPK NRPs, including their biological sources, chemical structures, bioassays, as well as proposed biosynthetic mechanisms from 1988 to March 2020. The taxonomy of the fungal sources and chirality-related issues of these products are also discussed.

Nonribosomal peptides in fungal cell factories: from genome mining to optimized heterologous production

Fungi are notoriously prolific producers of secondary metabolites including nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). The structural complexity of NRPs grants them interesting activities such as antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The discovery of these compounds with attractive activities can be achieved by using two approaches: either by screening samples originating from various environments for their biological activities, or by identifying the related clusters in genomic sequences thanks to bioinformatics tools. This genome mining approach has grown tremendously due to recent advances in genome sequencing, which have provided an incredible amount of genomic data from hundreds of microbial species. Regarding fungal organisms, the genomic data have revealed the presence of an unexpected number of putative NRP-related gene clusters. This highlights fungi as a goldmine for the discovery of putative novel bioactive compounds. Recent development of NRP dedicated bioinformatics tools have increased the capacity to identify these gene clusters and to deduce NRPs structures, speeding-up the screening process for novel metabolites discovery. Unfortunately, the newly identified compound is frequently not or poorly produced by native producers due to a lack of expression of the related genes cluster. A frequently employed strategy to increase production rates consists in transferring the related biosynthetic pathway in heterologous hosts. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview about the topic of NRPs discovery, from gene cluster identification by genome mining to the heterologous production in fungal hosts. The main computational tools and methods for genome mining are herein presented with an emphasis on the particularities of the fungal systems. The different steps of the reconstitution of NRP biosynthetic pathway in heterologous fungal cell factories will be discussed, as well as the key factors to consider for maximizing productivity. Several examples will be developed to illustrate the potential of heterologous production to both discover uncharacterized novel compounds predicted in silico by genome mining, and to enhance the productivity of interesting bio-active natural products.

Recent advances in the genome mining of Aspergillus secondary metabolites (covering 2012-2018)

Secondary metabolites (SMs) produced by filamentous fungi possess diverse bioactivities that make them excellent drug candidates. Whole genome sequencing has revealed that fungi have the capacity to produce a far greater number of SMs than have been isolated, since many of the genes involved in SM biosynthesis are either silent or expressed at very low levels in standard laboratory conditions. There has been significant effort to activate SM biosynthetic genes and link them to their downstream products, as the SMs produced by these "cryptic" pathways offer a promising source for new drug discovery. Further, an understanding of the genes involved in SM biosynthesis facilitates product yield optimization of first-generation molecules and genetic engineering of second-generation analogs. This review covers advances made in genome mining SMs produced by Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus terreus in the past six years (2012-2018). Genetic identification and molecular characterization of SM biosynthetic gene clusters, along with proposed biosynthetic pathways, will be discussed in depth.

Chemistry of the fumiquinazolines and structurally related alkaloids

This review covers the isolation, structure elucidation, biological activities, biosynthetic pathways, and synthetic studies of the 77 fumiquinazolines and structurally related alkaloids described up to 2018.

Biologically active quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids part II

To follow-up on our prior Part I review, this Part II review summarizes and provides updated literature on novel quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids isolated during the period of 2009-2016, together with the biological activity and the mechanisms of action of these classes of natural products. Over 200 molecules with a broad range of biological activities, including antitumor, antiparasitic and insecticidal, antibacterial and antifungal, cardioprotective, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-asthma, antitussive, and other activities, are discussed. This survey should provide new clues or possibilities for the discovery of new and better drugs from the original naturally occurring quinoline and quinazoline alkaloids.

Amino Acid-Directed Strategy for Inducing the Marine-Derived Fungus Scedosporium apiospermum F41-1 to Maximize Alkaloid Diversity

By feeding various amino acids to the marine fungus Scedosporium apiospermum F41-1, 22 diverse alkaloids, including 14 new compounds, were obtained. Scedapins A-E (1-5) possess a rare skeleton of a pyrazinoquinazolinedione and an imidazoindolone/indolone linked by a tetrahydrofuran ring. Scedapin C (3) is the first example of fumiquinazoline that contains an aminosulfonyl group. Their structures were determined by HRMS, NMR, ECD calculations and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. The biosynthetic pathways of fumiquinazolines 1-18 were proposed. Scedapin C (3) and scequinadoline D (8) displayed significant antiviral activity against hepatitis C.

Oxidative Cyclization in Natural Product Biosynthesis

Oxidative cyclizations are important transformations that occur widely during natural product biosynthesis. The transformations from acyclic precursors to cyclized products can afford morphed scaffolds, structural rigidity, and biological activities. Some of the most dramatic structural alterations in natural product biosynthesis occur through oxidative cyclization. In this Review, we examine the different strategies used by nature to create new intra(inter)molecular bonds via redox chemistry. This Review will cover both oxidation- and reduction-enabled cyclization mechanisms, with an emphasis on the former. Radical cyclizations catalyzed by P450, nonheme iron, α-KG-dependent oxygenases, and radical SAM enzymes are discussed to illustrate the use of molecular oxygen and S-adenosylmethionine to forge new bonds at unactivated sites via one-electron manifolds. Nonradical cyclizations catalyzed by flavin-dependent monooxygenases and NAD(P)H-dependent reductases are covered to show the use of two-electron manifolds in initiating cyclization reactions. The oxidative installations of epoxides and halogens into acyclic scaffolds to drive subsequent cyclizations are separately discussed as examples of "disappearing" reactive handles. Last, oxidative rearrangement of rings systems, including contractions and expansions, will be covered.

Elucidation of Biosynthetic Pathways of Natural Products

During the last decade, we have revealed biosynthetic pathways responsible for the formation of important and chemically complex natural products isolated from various organisms through genetic manipulation. Detailed in vivo and in vitro characterizations enabled elucidation of unexpected mechanisms of secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This personal account focuses on our recent efforts in identifying the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of spirotryprostatin, aspoquinolone, Sch 210972, pyranonigrin, fumagillin and pseurotin. We exploit heterologous reconstitution of biosynthetic pathways of interest in our study. In particular, extensive involvement of oxidation reactions is discussed. Heterologous hosts employed here are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus nidulans and A. niger that can also be used to prepare biosynthetic intermediates and product analogs by engineering the biosynthetic pathways using the knowledge obtained by detailed characterizations of the enzymes. (998 char.).

The Enzymology of Organic Transformations: A Survey of Name Reactions in Biological Systems

Chemical reactions that are named in honor of their true, or at least perceived, discoverers are known as "name reactions". This Review is a collection of biological representatives of named chemical reactions. Emphasis is placed on reaction types and catalytic mechanisms that showcase both the chemical diversity in natural product biosynthesis as well as the parallels with synthetic organic chemistry. An attempt has been made, whenever possible, to describe the enzymatic mechanisms of catalysis within the context of their synthetic counterparts and to discuss the mechanistic hypotheses for those reactions that are currently active areas of investigation. This Review has been categorized by reaction type, for example condensation, nucleophilic addition, reduction and oxidation, substitution, carboxylation, radical-mediated, and rearrangements, which are subdivided by name reactions.

Comparative genomics reveals high biological diversity and specific adaptations in the industrially and medically important fungal genus Aspergillus

BACKGROUND

The fungal genus Aspergillus is of critical importance to humankind. Species include those with industrial applications, important pathogens of humans, animals and crops, a source of potent carcinogenic contaminants of food, and an important genetic model. The genome sequences of eight aspergilli have already been explored to investigate aspects of fungal biology, raising questions about evolution and specialization within this genus.

RESULTS

We have generated genome sequences for ten novel, highly diverse Aspergillus species and compared these in detail to sister and more distant genera. Comparative studies of key aspects of fungal biology, including primary and secondary metabolism, stress response, biomass degradation, and signal transduction, revealed both conservation and diversity among the species. Observed genomic differences were validated with experimental studies. This revealed several highlights, such as the potential for sex in asexual species, organic acid production genes being a key feature of black aspergilli, alternative approaches for degrading plant biomass, and indications for the genetic basis of stress response. A genome-wide phylogenetic analysis demonstrated in detail the relationship of the newly genome sequenced species with other aspergilli.

CONCLUSIONS

Many aspects of biological differences between fungal species cannot be explained by current knowledge obtained from genome sequences. The comparative genomics and experimental study, presented here, allows for the first time a genus-wide view of the biological diversity of the aspergilli and in many, but not all, cases linked genome differences to phenotype. Insights gained could be exploited for biotechnological and medical applications of fungi.

Regulation of Secondary Metabolism by the Velvet Complex Is Temperature-Responsive in Aspergillus

Sensing and responding to environmental cues is critical to the lifestyle of filamentous fungi. How environmental variation influences fungi to produce a wide diversity of ecologically important secondary metabolites (SMs) is not well understood. To address this question, we first examined changes in global gene expression of the opportunistic human pathogen, Aspergillus fumigatus, after exposure to different temperature conditions. We found that 11 of the 37 SM gene clusters in A. fumigatus were expressed at higher levels at 30° than at 37°. We next investigated the role of the light-responsive Velvet complex in environment-dependent gene expression by examining temperature-dependent transcription profiles in the absence of two key members of the Velvet protein complex, VeA and LaeA. We found that the 11 temperature-regulated SM gene clusters required VeA at 37° and LaeA at both 30 and 37° for wild-type levels of expression. Interestingly, four SM gene clusters were regulated by VeA at 37° but not at 30°, and two additional ones were regulated by VeA at both temperatures but were substantially less so at 30°, indicating that the role of VeA and, more generally of the Velvet complex, in the regulation of certain SM gene clusters is temperature-dependent. Our findings support the hypothesis that fungal secondary metabolism is regulated by an intertwined network of transcriptional regulators responsive to multiple environmental factors.

Enhancing Nonribosomal Peptide Biosynthesis in Filamentous Fungi

Filamentous fungi are historically known as rich sources for production of biologically active natural products, so-called secondary metabolites. One particularly pharmaceutically relevant chemical group of secondary metabolites is the nonribosomal peptides synthesized by nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). As most of the fungal NRPS gene clusters leading to production of the desired molecules are not expressed under laboratory conditions, efforts to overcome this impediment are crucial to unlock the full chemical potential of each fungal species. One way to activate these silent clusters is by overexpressing and deleting global regulators of secondary metabolism. The conserved fungal-specific regulator of secondary metabolism, LaeA, was shown to be a valuable target for sleuthing of novel gene clusters and metabolites. Additionally, modulation of chromatin structures by either chemical or genetic manipulation has been shown to activate cryptic metabolites. Furthermore, NRPS-derived molecules seem to be affected by cross talk between the specific gene clusters and some of these metabolites have a tissue- or developmental-specific regulation. This chapter summarizes how this knowledge of different tiers of regulation can be combined to increase production of NRPS-derived metabolites in fungal species.

Iron-catalyzed domino indole fluorination/allenic aza-Claisen rearrangement

The synthesis of 2-allenyl-2-substituted-3,3-difluoroindolines has been accomplished, taking advantage of the reaction between N-allenyl-indoles and Selectfluor under iron catalysis.

TrpE feedback mutants reveal roadblocks and conduits toward increasing secondary metabolism in Aspergillus fumigatus

Small peptides formed from non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) are bioactive molecules produced by many fungi including the genus Aspergillus. A subset of NRPS utilizes tryptophan and its precursor, the non-proteinogenic amino acid anthranilate, in synthesis of various metabolites such as Aspergillus fumigatus fumiquinazolines (Fqs) produced by the fmq gene cluster. The A. fumigatus genome contains two putative anthranilate synthases - a key enzyme in conversion of anthranilic acid to tryptophan - one beside the fmq cluster and one in a region of co-linearity with other Aspergillus spp. Only the gene found in the co-linear region, trpE, was involved in tryptophan biosynthesis. We found that site-specific mutations of the TrpE feedback domain resulted in significantly increased production of anthranilate, tryptophan, p-aminobenzoate and fumiquinazolines FqF and FqC. Supplementation with tryptophan restored metabolism to near wild type levels in the feedback mutants and suggested that synthesis of the tryptophan degradation product kynurenine could negatively impact Fq synthesis. The second putative anthranilate synthase gene next to the fmq cluster was termed icsA for its considerable identity to isochorismate synthases in bacteria. Although icsA had no impact on A. fumigatus Fq production, deletion and over-expression of icsA increased and decreased respectively aromatic amino acid levels suggesting that IcsA can draw from the cellular chorismate pool.

Marine Indole Alkaloids

Marine indole alkaloids comprise a large and steadily growing group of secondary metabolites. Their diverse biological activities make many compounds of this class attractive starting points for pharmaceutical development. Several marine-derived indoles were found to possess cytotoxic, antineoplastic, antibacterial and antimicrobial activities, in addition to the action on human enzymes and receptors. The newly isolated indole alkaloids of marine origin since the last comprehensive review in 2003 are reported, and biological aspects will be discussed.

Effective use of heterologous hosts for characterization of biosynthetic enzymes allows production of natural products and promotes new natural product discovery

In the past few years, there has been impressive progress in elucidating the mechanism of biosynthesis of various natural products accomplished through the use of genetic, molecular biological and biochemical techniques. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the current results from our studies on fungal natural product biosynthetic enzymes, including nonribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase hybrid synthetase, as well as auxiliary enzymes, such as methyltransferases and oxygenases. Specifically, biosynthesis of the following compounds is described in detail: (i) Sch210972, potentially involving a Diels-Alder reaction that may be catalyzed by CghA, a functionally unknown protein identified by targeted gene disruption in the wild type fungus; (ii) chaetoglobosin A, formed via multi-step oxidations catalyzed by three redox enzymes, one flavin-containing monooxygenase and two cytochrome P450 oxygenases as characterized by in vivo biotransformation of relevant intermediates in our engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae; (iii) (-)-ditryptophenaline, formed by a cytochrome P450, revealing the dimerization mechanism for the biosynthesis of diketopiperazine alkaloids; (iv) pseurotins, whose variations in the C- and O-methylations and the degree of oxidation are introduced combinatorially by multiple redox enzymes; and (v) spirotryprostatins, whose spiro-carbon moiety is formed by a flavin-containing monooxygenase or a cytochrome P450 as determined by heterologous de novo production of the biosynthetic intermediates and final products in Aspergillus niger. We close our discussion by summarizing some of the key techniques that have facilitated the discovery of new natural products, production of their analogs and identification of biosynthetic mechanisms in our study.

Transcriptome analysis of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A-regulated genes reveals the production of the novel natural compound fumipyrrole by Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic human pathogenic fungus causing life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Adaptation to different habitats and also virulence of the fungus depends on signal perception and transduction by modules such as the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Here, by transcriptome analysis, 632 differentially regulated genes of this important signaling cascade were identified, including 23 putative transcriptional regulators. The highest upregulated transcription factor gene was located in a previously unknown secondary metabolite gene cluster, which we named fmp, encoding an incomplete non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, FmpE. Overexpression of the regulatory gene fmpR using the Tet(On) system led to the specific expression of the other six genes of the fmp cluster. Metabolic profiling of wild type and fmpR overexpressing strain by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-HRESI-MS and structure elucidation by NMR led to identification of 5-benzyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid, which we named fumipyrrole. Fumipyrrole was not described as natural product yet. Chemical synthesis of fumipyrrole confirmed its structure. Interestingly, deletion of fmpR or fmpE led to reduced growth and sporulation of the mutant strains. Although fmp cluster genes were transcribed in infected mouse lungs, deletion of fmpR resulted in wild-type virulence in a murine infection model.

Endogenous cross-talk of fungal metabolites

Non-ribosomal peptide (NRP) synthesis in fungi requires a ready supply of proteogenic and non-proteogenic amino acids which are subsequently incorporated into the nascent NRP via a thiotemplate mechanism catalyzed by NRP synthetases. Substrate amino acids can be modified prior to or during incorporation into the NRP, or following incorporation into an early stage amino acid-containing biosynthetic intermediate. These post-incorporation modifications involve a range of additional enzymatic activities including but not exclusively, monooxygenases, methyltransferases, epimerases, oxidoreductases, and glutathione S-transferases which are essential to effect biosynthesis of the final NRP. Likewise, polyketide biosynthesis is directly by polyketide synthase megaenzymes and cluster-encoded ancillary decorating enzymes. Additionally, a suite of additional primary metabolites, for example: coenzyme A (CoA), acetyl CoA, S-adenosylmethionine, glutathione (GSH), NADPH, malonyl CoA, and molecular oxygen, amongst others are required for NRP and polyketide synthesis (PKS). Clearly these processes must involve exquisite orchestration to facilitate the simultaneous biosynthesis of different types of NRPs, polyketides, and related metabolites requiring identical or similar biosynthetic precursors or co-factors. Moreover, the near identical structures of many natural products within a given family (e.g., ergot alkaloids), along with localization to similar regions within fungi (e.g., conidia) suggests that cross-talk may exist, in terms of biosynthesis and functionality. Finally, we speculate if certain biosynthetic steps involved in NRP and PKS play a role in cellular protection or environmental adaptation, and wonder if these enzymatic reactions are of equivalent importance to the actual biosynthesis of the final metabolite.

Reconstruction of cladoniamide biosynthesis reveals nonenzymatic routes to bisindole diversity

Indolotryptolines are bisindole natural products isolated from microbial and eDNA sources. Here, we report the sequence of transformations that convert an indolocarbazole to the indolotryptoline cladoniamide through reconstruction of the four-enzyme cascade in E. coli. This cascade involves, first, conversion of an indolocarbozole to a C4c-C7a cis diol by ClaX1; second, N-methylation by ClaM1; third, rearrangement to the indolotryptoline scaffold by ClaX2; and fourth, installation of an O-methyl group by ClaM3. We furthermore elucidate the origins of minor cladoniamides D-G as the products of nonenzymatic, base-catalyzed opening of the succinimide ring of cladonimiades A-B. Overall, this work reveals the precarious pathway indolocarbazole-derived metabolites must traverse as they are converted into indolotryptoline products and highlights the importance of nonenzymatic chemistry in generating bisindole diversity.

Biosynthesis of fungal indole alkaloids

This review provides a summary of recent research advances in elucidating the biosynthesis of fungal indole alkaloids. The different strategies used to incorporate and derivatize the indole/indoline moieties in various families of fungal indole alkaloids will be discussed, including tryptophan-containing nonribosomal peptides, polyketide-nonribosomal peptide hybrids, and alkaloids derived from other indole building blocks. This review also includes a discussion regarding the downstream modifications that generate chemical and structural diversity among indole alkaloids.

An iterative, bimodular nonribosomal peptide synthetase that converts anthranilate and tryptophan into tetracyclic asperlicins

The bimodular 276 kDa nonribosomal peptide synthetase AspA from Aspergillus alliaceus, heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, converts tryptophan and two molecules of the aromatic β-amino acid anthranilate (Ant) into a pair of tetracyclic peptidyl alkaloids asperlicin C and D in a ratio of 10:1. The first module of AspA activates and processes two molecules of Ant iteratively to generate a tethered Ant-Ant-Trp-S-enzyme intermediate on module two. Release is postulated to involve tandem cyclizations, in which the first step is the macrocyclization of the linear tripeptidyl-S-enzyme, by the terminal condensation (CT) domain to generate the regioisomeric tetracyclic asperlicin scaffolds. Computational analysis of the transannular cyclization of the 11-membered macrocyclic intermediate shows that asperlicin C is the kinetically favored product due to the high stability of a conformation resembling the transition state for cyclization, while asperlicin D is thermodynamically more stable.

An intramolecular cascade cyclization of 2-aryl indoles: efficient methods for the construction of 2,3-functionalized indolines and 3-indolinones

Efficient intramolecular N/O-nucleophilic cyclization of 2-aryl indoles has been developed to afford the corresponding 2-aza-3-oxaindolines and 3-indolinones in 80-95% yield. The methods provided convenient access to fused imidazo[1,2-c]oxazolidinone, oxazolidine, or tetrahydro-1,3-oxazine cores under mild conditions.

A novel C2H2 transcription factor that regulates gliA expression interdependently with GliZ in Aspergillus fumigatus

Secondary metabolites are produced by numerous organisms and can either be beneficial, benign, or harmful to humans. Genes involved in the synthesis and transport of these secondary metabolites are frequently found in gene clusters, which are often coordinately regulated, being almost exclusively dependent on transcription factors that are located within the clusters themselves. Gliotoxin, which is produced by a variety of Aspergillus species, Trichoderma species, and Penicillium species, exhibits immunosuppressive properties and has therefore been the subject of research for many laboratories. There have been a few proteins shown to regulate the gliotoxin cluster, most notably GliZ, a Zn2Cys6 binuclear finger transcription factor that lies within the cluster, and LaeA, a putative methyltransferase that globally regulates secondary metabolism clusters within numerous fungal species. Using a high-copy inducer screen in A. fumigatus, our lab has identified a novel C2H2 transcription factor, which plays an important role in regulating the gliotoxin biosynthetic cluster. This transcription factor, named GipA, induces gliotoxin production when present in extra copies. Furthermore, loss of gipA reduces gliotoxin production significantly. Through protein binding microarray and mutagenesis, we have identified a DNA binding site recognized by GipA that is in extremely close proximity to a potential GliZ DNA binding site in the 5' untranslated region of gliA, which encodes an efflux pump within the gliotoxin cluster. Not surprisingly, GliZ and GipA appear to work in an interdependent fashion to positively control gliA expression.

Co-ordination between BrlA regulation and secretion of the oxidoreductase FmqD directs selective accumulation of fumiquinazoline C to conidial tissues in Aspergillus fumigatus

Aerial spores, crucial for propagation and dispersal of the Kingdom Fungi, are commonly the initial inoculum of pathogenic fungi. Natural products (secondary metabolites) have been correlated with fungal spore development and enhanced virulence in the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus but mechanisms for metabolite deposition in the spore are unknown. Metabolomic profiling of A. fumigatus deletion mutants of fumiquinazoline (Fq) cluster genes reveal that the first two products of the Fq cluster, FqF and FqA, are produced to comparable levels in all fungal tissues but the final enzymatically derived product, FqC, predominantly accumulates in the fungal spore. Loss of the sporulation-specific transcription factor, BrlA, yields a strain unable to produce FqA or FqC. Fluorescence microscopy showed FmqD, the oxidoreductase required to generate FqC, was secreted via the Golgi apparatus to the cell wall in an actin-dependent manner. In contrast, all other members of the Fq pathway including the putative transporter, FmqE - which had no effect on Fq biosynthesis - were internal to the hyphae. The co-ordination of BrlA-mediated tissue specificity with FmqD secretion to the cell wall presents a previously undescribed mechanism to direct localization of specific secondary metabolites to spores of the differentiating fungus.

Insights into the bioactivity of mensacarcin and epoxide formation by MsnO8

Mensacarcin, a potential antitumour drug, is produced by Streptomyces bottropensis. The structure consists of a three-membered ring system with many oxygen atoms. Of vital importance in this context is an epoxy moiety in the side chain of mensacarcin. Our studies with different mensacarcin derivatives have demonstrated that this epoxy group is primarily responsible for the cytotoxic effect of mensacarcin. In order to obtain further information about this epoxy moiety, inactivation experiments in the gene cluster were carried out to identify the epoxy-forming enzyme. Therefore the cosmid cos2, which covers almost the complete type II polyketide synthase (PKS) gene cluster, was heterologously expressed in Streptomyces albus. This led to production of didesmethylmensacarcin, due to the fact that methyltransferase genes are missing in the cosmid. Further gene inactivation experiments on this cosmid showed that MsnO8, a luciferase-like monooxygenase, introduces the epoxy group at the end of the biosynthesis of mensacarcin. In addition, the protein MsnO8 was purified, and its crystal structure was determined to a resolution of 1.80 Å.

Remodeling of fumagillol: discovery of an oxygen-directed oxidative Mannich reaction

An efficient, two-step construction of highly complex alkaloid-like compounds from the natural product fumagillol is described. This approach, which mimics a biosynthetic cyclase/oxidase sequence, allows for rapid and efficient structure elaboration of the basic fumagillol scaffold with a variety of readily available coupling partners. Mechanistic experiments leading to the discovery of an oxygen-directed oxidative Mannich reaction are also described.

Distinct mechanisms for spiro-carbon formation reveal biosynthetic pathway crosstalk

Spirotryprostatins, an indole alkaloid class of nonribosomal peptides isolated from Aspergillus fumigatus, are known for their antimitotic activity in tumor cells. Because spirotryprostatins and many other chemically complex spiro-carbon-bearing natural products exhibit useful biological activities, identifying and understanding the mechanism of spiro-carbon biosynthesis is of great interest. Here we report a detailed study of spiro-ring formation in spirotryprostatins from tryprostatins derived from the fumitremorgin biosynthetic pathway, using reactants and products prepared with engineered yeast and fungal strains. Unexpectedly, FqzB, an FAD-dependent monooxygenase from the unrelated fumiquinazoline biosynthetic pathway, catalyzed spiro-carbon formation in spirotryprostatin A via an epoxidation route. Furthermore, FtmG, a cytochrome P450 from the fumitremorgin biosynthetic pathway, was determined to catalyze the spiro-ring formation in spirotryprostatin B. Our results highlight the versatile role of oxygenating enzymes in the biosynthesis of structurally complex natural products and indicate that cross-talk of different biosynthetic pathways allows product diversification in natural product biosynthesis.

The fumagillin gene cluster, an example of hundreds of genes under veA control in Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is the causative agent of invasive aspergillosis, leading to infection-related mortality in immunocompromised patients. We previously showed that the conserved and unique-to-fungi veA gene affects different cell processes such as morphological development, gliotoxin biosynthesis and protease activity, suggesting a global regulatory effect on the genome of this medically relevant fungus. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis revealed that veA controls the expression of hundreds of genes in A. fumigatus, including those comprising more than a dozen known secondary metabolite gene clusters. Chemical analysis confirmed that veA controls the synthesis of other secondary metabolites in this organism in addition to gliotoxin. Among the secondary metabolite gene clusters regulated by veA is the elusive but recently identified gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of fumagillin, a meroterpenoid known for its anti-angiogenic activity by binding to human methionine aminopeptidase 2. The fumagillin gene cluster contains a veA-dependent regulatory gene, fumR (Afu8g00420), encoding a putative C6 type transcription factor. Deletion of fumR results in silencing of the gene cluster and elimination of fumagillin biosynthesis. We found expression of fumR to also be dependent on laeA, a gene encoding another component of the fungal velvet complex. The results in this study argue that veA is a global regulator of secondary metabolism in A. fumigatus, and that veA may be a conduit via which chemical development is coupled to morphological development and other cellular processes.

Short pathways to complexity generation: fungal peptidyl alkaloid multicyclic scaffolds from anthranilate building blocks

Complexity generation in naturally occurring peptide scaffolds can occur either by posttranslational modifications of nascent ribosomal proteins or through post assembly line tailoring of nonribosomal peptides. Short enzymatic pathways utilizing bimodular and trimodular nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) assembly lines, followed by tailoring oxygenases and/or prenyltransferases, efficiently construct complex fungal peptidyl alkaloid scaffolds in Aspergilli, Neosartorya, and Penicillium species. Use of the nonproteinogenic amino acid anthranilate as chain-initiating building block and chain-terminating intramolecular nucleophile leads efficiently to peptidyl alkaloid scaffolds with two to seven fused rings.