Mechanistic insights on riboflavin synthase inspired by selective binding of the 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine exomethylene anion

Recent advances in enzymatic carbon-carbon bond formation

Enzymatic carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formation reactions have become an effective and invaluable tool for designing new biological and medicinal molecules, often with asymmetric features. This review provides a systematic overview of key C-C bond formation reactions and enzymes, with the focus of reaction mechanisms and recent advances. These reactions include the aldol reaction, Henry reaction, Knoevenagel condensation, Michael addition, Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation, Mannich reaction, Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction, Diels-Alder reaction, acyloin condensations via Thiamine Diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes, oxidative and reductive C-C bond formation, C-C bond formation through C1 resource utilization, radical enzymes for C-C bond formation, and other C-C bond formation reactions.

Hunting for the Intermolecular Diels-Alderase

ConspectusThe Diels-Alder reaction is well known as a concerted [4 + 2] cycloaddition governed by the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. Since Prof. Otto Diels and his student Kurt Alder initially reported the intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition between cyclopentadiene and quinone in 1928, it has been recognized as one of the most powerful chemical transformations to build C-C bonds and construct cyclic structures. This named reaction has been widely used in synthesizing natural products and drug molecules. Driven by the synthetic importance of the Diels-Alder reaction, identifying the enzyme that stereoselectively catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction has become an intriguing research area in natural product biosynthesis and biocatalysis. With significant progress in sequencing and bioinformatics, dozens of Diels-Alderases have been characterized in microbial natural product biosynthesis. However, few are evolutionally dedicated to catalyzing an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction with a concerted mechanism.This Account summarizes our endeavors to hunt for the naturally occurring intermolecular Diels-Alderase from plants. Our research journey started from the biomimetic syntheses of D-A-type terpenoids and flavonoids, showing that plants use both nonenzymatic and enzymatic intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloadditions to create complex molecules. Inspired by the biomimetic syntheses, we identify an intermolecular Diels-Alderase hidden in the biosynthetic pathway of mulberry Diels-Alder-type cycloadducts using a biosynthetic intermediate probe-based target identification strategy. This enzyme, MaDA, is an endo-selective Diels-Alderase and is then functionally characterized as a standalone intermolecular Diels-Alderase with a concerted but asynchronous mechanism. We also discover the exo-selective intermolecular Diels-Alderases in Morus plants. Both the endo- and exo-selective Diels-Alderases feature a broad substrate scope, but their mechanisms for controlling the endo/exo pathway are different. These unique intermolecular Diels-Alderases phylogenetically form a subgroup of FAD-dependent enzymes that can be found only in moraceous plants, explaining why this type of [4 + 2] cycloadduct is unique to moraceous plants. Further studies of the evolutionary mechanism reveal that an FAD-dependent oxidocyclase could acquire the Diels-Alderase activity via four critical amino acid mutations and then gradually lose its original oxidative activity to become a standalone Diels-Alderase during the natural evolution. Based on these insights, we designed new Diels-Alderases and achieved the diversity-oriented chemoenzymatic synthesis of D-A products using either naturally occurring or engineered Diels-Alderases.Overall, this Account describes our decade-long efforts to discover the intermolecular Diels-Alderases in Morus plants, particularly highlighting the importance of biomimetic synthesis and chemical proteomics in discovering new intermolecular Diels-Alderases from plants. Meanwhile, this Account also covers the evolutionary and catalytic mechanism study of intermolecular Diels-Alderases that may provide new insights into how to discover and design new Diels-Alderases as powerful biocatalysts for organic synthesis.

Reduction of selenite and tellurite by a highly metal-tolerant marine bacterium

Selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) contaminations in soils and water bodies have been widely reported in recent years. Se(IV) and Te(IV) were regarded as their most dangerous forms. Microbial treatments of Se(IV)- and Te(IV)-containing wastes are promising approaches because of their environmentally friendly and sustainable advantages. However, the salt-tolerant microbial resources that can be used for selenium/tellurium pollution control are still limited since industrial wastewaters usually contain a large number of salts. In this study, a marine Shewanella sp. FDA-1 (FDA-1) was reported for efficient Se(IV) and Te(IV) reduction under saline conditions. Process and product analyses were performed to investigate the bioreduction processes of Se(IV) and Te(IV). The results showed that FDA-1 can effectively reduce Se(IV) and Te(IV) to Se0 and Te0 Se(IV)/Te(IV) to Se0/Te0 in 72 h, which were further confirmed by XRD and XPS analyses. In addition, enzymatic and RT‒qPCR assays showed that flavin-related proteins, reductases, dehydrogenases, etc., could be involved in the bioreduction of Se(IV)/Te(IV). Overall, our results demonstrate the ability of FDA-1 to reduce high concentrations of Se(IV)/or Te(IV) to Se0/or Te0 under saline conditions and thus provide efficient microbial candidate for controlling Se and Te pollution.

Riboflavin secreted by Shewanella sp. FDL-2 facilitates its reduction of Se(iv) and Te(iv) by promoting electron transfer

The biological reduction of selenite (Se(iv)) or tellurite (Te(iv)) to Se0 or Te0 has received increasing attention, as related studies have favored the development of Se/Te pollution control methods. In the presence of the electron donor, the microbes acquired energy and transferred electrons to Se(iv) or Te(iv) to achieve their detoxication. However, the microbial electron transfer pathways involved in this process are still not fully understood. In this study, we reported that marine Shewanella sp. FDL-2 (FDL-2) was capable of reducing Se(iv) and Te(iv) through a novel riboflavin-involved pathway. The results showed that FDL-2 can effectively reduce 10 mM Se(iv) and 5 mM Te(iv) to Se0 and Te0, which was further confirmed by XPS and XRD analyses. RT-qPCR results indicate the upregulation of genes coding flavin-related proteins, and the production of flavin-related substances by strain FDL-2 during Se(iv)/Te(iv) bioreduction was proven by fluorescence chromatography analysis. In addition, the presence of riboflavin enhanced the electron transfer efficiency, indicating its promoting effect on the bioreduction of Se(iv)/Te(iv). Overall, our results highlight a riboflavin-involved electron transfer pathway during Se(iv)/Te(iv) bioreduction and thus deepen our understanding of the corresponding mechanism.

Nonenzymatic Reactions in Natural Product Formation

Biosynthetic mechanisms of natural products primarily depend on systems of protein catalysts. However, within the field of biosynthesis, there are cases in which the inherent chemical reactivity of metabolic intermediates and substrates evades the involvement of enzymes. These reactions are difficult to characterize based on their reactivity and occlusion within the milieu of the cellular environment. As we continue to build a strong foundation for how microbes and higher organisms produce natural products, therein lies a need for understanding how protein independent or nonenzymatic biosynthetic steps can occur. We have classified such reactions into four categories: intramolecular, multicomponent, tailoring, and light-induced reactions. Intramolecular reactions is one of the most well studied in the context of biomimetic synthesis, consisting of cyclizations and cycloadditions due to the innate reactivity of the intermediates. There are two subclasses that make up multicomponent reactions, one being homologous multicomponent reactions which results in dimeric and pseudodimeric natural products, and the other being heterologous multicomponent reactions, where two or more precursors from independent biosynthetic pathways undergo a variety of reactions to produce the mature natural product. The third type of reaction discussed are tailoring reactions, where postmodifications occur on the natural products after the biosynthetic machinery is completed. The last category consists of light-induced reactions involving ecologically relevant UV light rather than high intensity UV irradiation that is traditionally used in synthetic chemistry. This review will cover recent nonenzymatic biosynthetic mechanisms and include sources for those reviewed previously.

Mechanism of the Stereoselective Catalysis of Diels-Alderase PyrE3 Involved in Pyrroindomycin Biosynthesis

The biosynthesis of pyrroindomycins A and B features a complexity-building [4 + 2] cycloaddition cascade, which generates the spirotetramate core under the catalytic effects of monofunctional Diels-Alderases PyrE3 and PyrI4. We recently showed that the main functions of PyrI4 include acid catalysis and induced-fit/conformational selection. We now present quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics studies implicating a different mode of action by PyrE3, which prearranges an anionic polyene substrate into a high-energy reactive conformation at which an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction can occur with a low barrier. Stereoselection is realized by strong binding interactions at the endo stereochemical relationship and a local steric constraint on the endo-1,3-diene unit. These findings, illustrating distinct mechanisms for PyrE3 and PyrI4, highlight how nature has evolved multiple ways to catalyze Diels-Alder reactions.

Discovery and investigation of natural Diels-Alderases

It has been proposed that biosyntheses of many natural products involve pericyclic reactions, including Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. However, only a small set of enzymes have been proposed to catalyze pericyclic reactions. Most surprisingly, there has been no formal identification of natural enzymes that can be defined to catalyze DA reactions (DAases), despite the wide application of the reaction in chemical syntheses of complex organic compounds. However, recent studies began to accumulate a growing body of evidence that supports the notion that enzymes that formally catalyze DA reactions, in fact exist. In this review, I will begin by describing a short history behind the discovery and characterization of macrophomate synthase, one of the earliest enzymes that was proposed to catalyze an intermolecular DA reaction during the biosynthesis of a substituted benzoic acid in a phytopathogenic fungus Macrophoma commelinae. Then, I will discuss representative enzymes that have been chemically authenticated to catalyze DA reactions, with emphasis on more recent discoveries of DAases involved mainly in fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis except for one example from a marine streptomycete. The current success in identification of a series of DAases and enzymes that catalyze other pericyclic reactions owes to the combined efforts from both the experimental and theoretical approaches in discovering natural products. Such efforts typically involve identifying the chemical features derived from cycloaddition reactions, isolating the biosynthetic genes that encode enzymes that generate such chemical features and deciphering the reaction mechanisms for the enzyme-catalyzed pericyclic reactions.

Non-classical disproportionation revealed by photo-chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization NMR

Photo-chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) was used to observe the light-induced disproportionation reaction of 6,7,8-trimethyllumazine starting out from its triplet state to generate a pair of radicals comprising a one-electron reduced and a one-electron oxidized species. Our evidence is based on the measurement of two marker proton hyperfine couplings, A iso (H(6α )) and A iso (H(8α )), which we correlated to predictions from density functional theory. The ratio of these two hyperfine couplings is reversed in the oxidized and the reduced radical species. Observation of the dismutation reaction is facilitated by the exceptional C-H acidity of the methyl group at position 7 of 6,7,8-trimethyllumazine and the slow proton exchange associated with it, which leads to NMR-distinguishable anionic (TML- ) and neutral (TMLH) protonation forms.

Enzymatic dimerization in the biosynthetic pathway of microbial natural products

Covering: up to August 2020The dramatic increase in the identification of dimeric natural products generated by microorganisms and plants has played a significant role in drug discovery. The biosynthetic pathways of these products feature inherent dimerization reactions, which are valuable for biosynthetic applications and chemical transformations. The extraordinary mechanisms of the dimerization of secondary metabolites should advance our understanding of the uncommon chemical rules for natural product biosynthesis, which will, in turn, accelerate the discovery of dimeric reactions and molecules in nature and provide promising strategies for the total synthesis of natural products through dimerization. This review focuses on the enzymes involved in the dimerization in the biosynthetic pathway of microbial natural products, with an emphasis on cytochrome P450s, laccases, and intermolecular [4 + 2] cyclases, along with other atypical enzymes. The identification, characterization, and catalytic landscapes of these enzymes are also introduced.

Broadening the scope of biocatalytic C-C bond formation

The impeccable control over chemo-, site-, and stereoselectivity possible in enzymatic reactions has led to a surge in the development of new biocatalytic methods. Despite carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds providing the central framework for organic molecules, development of biocatalytic methods for their formation has been largely confined to the use of a select few lyases over the last several decades, limiting the types of C-C bond-forming transformations possible through biocatalytic methods. This Review provides an update on the suite of enzymes available for highly selective biocatalytic C-C bond formation. Examples will be discussed in reference to the (1) native activity of enzymes, (2) alteration of activity through protein or substrate engineering for broader applicability, and (3) utility of the biocatalyst for abiotic synthesis.

Understanding the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway for the development of antimicrobial agents

Life on earth depends on the biosynthesis of riboflavin, which plays a vital role in biological electron transport processes. Higher mammals obtain riboflavin from dietary sources; however, various microorganisms, including Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria and yeast, lack an efficient riboflavin-uptake system and are dependent on endogenous riboflavin biosynthesis. Consequently, the inhibition of enzymes in the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway would allow selective toxicity to a pathogen and not the host. Thus, the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway is an attractive target for designing novel antimicrobial drugs, which are urgently needed to address the issue of multidrug resistance seen in various pathogens. The enzymes involved in riboflavin biosynthesis are lumazine synthase (LS) and riboflavin synthase (RS). Understanding the details of the mechanisms of the enzyme-catalyzed reactions and the structural changes that occur in the enzyme active sites during catalysis can facilitate the design and synthesis of suitable analogs that can specifically inhibit the relevant enzymes and stop the generation of riboflavin in pathogenic bacteria. The present review is the first compilation of the work that has been carried out over the last 25 years focusing on the design of inhibitors of the biosynthesis of riboflavin based on an understanding of the mechanisms of LS and RS. This review aimed to address the fundamental advances in our understanding of riboflavin biosynthesis as applied to the rational design of a novel class of inhibitors. These advances have been aided by X-ray structures of ligand-enzyme complexes, rotational-echo, double-resonance nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high-throughput screening, virtual screenings, and various mechanistic probes.

Biosynthesis of Grandione: An Example of Tandem Hetero Diels-Alder/Retro-Claisen Rearrangement Reaction?

Mechanistic theoretical studies about the feasibility of the traditional proposed mechanism of formation for icetexane diterpene dimer grandione were assessed using density functional method at the M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Bulk water solvent effects were taken into account implicitly using the polarizable continuum model (SCI-PCM). The results were compared with the selectivity found in the biomimetic synthesis performed by experimental research groups. The relative free energy calculation shows that the one-step H-DA formation mechanism nominated in the literature is not a viable mechanism. We found that an alternative competing Tandem pathway is consistent with the experimental trends. Thus, our results suggested that the compound grandione is formed via a H-DA/retro-Claisen rearrangement and not by the traditional H-DA mechanism proposed early in the experimental studies. The H-DA initial step produce a biecyclic adduct followed by a domino retro-Claisen rearrangement that releases the energy strain of the bicyclic intermediary. Steric issues and hyperconjugation interactions are the mainly factors driving the reaction nature and the selectivity in the formation reaction. Finally, the enzymatic assistance for dimer formation was analyzed in terms of the calculated transition state energy barrier.

Computational Insights into an Enzyme-Catalyzed [4+2] Cycloaddition

The enzyme SpnF, involved in the biosynthesis of spinosyn A, catalyzes a formal [4+2] cycloaddition of a 22-membered macrolactone, which may proceed as a concerted [4+2] Diels–Alder reaction or a stepwise [6+4] cycloaddition followed by a Cope rearrangement. Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations combined with free energy simulations show that the Diels–Alder pathway is favored in the enzyme environment. OM2/CHARMM free energy simulations for the SpnF-catalyzed reaction predict a free energy barrier of 22 kcal/mol for the concerted Diels–Alder process and provide no evidence of a competitive stepwise pathway. Compared with the gas phase, the enzyme lowers the Diels–Alder barrier significantly, consistent with experimental observations. Inspection of the optimized geometries indicates that the enzyme may prearrange the substrate within the active site to accelerate the [4+2] cycloaddition and impede the [6+4] cycloaddition through interactions with active-site residues. Judging from partial charge analysis, we find that the hydrogen bond between the Thr196 residue of SpnF and the substrate C15 carbonyl group contributes to the enhancement of the rate of the Diels–Alder reaction. QM/MM simulations show that the substrate can easily adopt a reactive conformation in the active site of SpnF because interconversion between the C5–C6 s-trans and s-cis conformers is facile. Our QM/MM study suggests that the enzyme SpnF does behave as a Diels-Alderase.

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.

Natural [4 + 2]-Cyclases

[4 + 2]-Cycloadditions are increasingly being recognized in the biosynthetic pathways of many structurally complex natural products. A relatively small collection of enzymes from these pathways have been demonstrated to increase rates of cyclization and impose stereochemical constraints on the reactions. While mechanistic investigation of these enzymes is just beginning, recent studies have provided new insights with implications for understanding their biosynthetic roles, mechanisms of catalysis, and evolutionary origin.

Rhodobacter sphaeroides CryB is a bacterial cryptochrome with (6-4) photolyase activity

Photolyases are efficient DNA repair enzymes that specifically repair either cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers or (6-4) photoproducts in a light-dependent cleavage reaction. The closely related classical cryptochrome blue light photoreceptors do not repair DNA lesions; instead they are involved in regulatory processes. CryB of Rhodobacter sphaeroides was until now described as a cryptochrome that affects light-dependent and singlet oxygen-dependent gene expression and is unusual in terms of its cofactor composition. Here we present evidence for a repair activity of (6-4) photoproducts by CryB and suggest a dual character combining the functions of cryptochromes and photolyases. We investigated the effects of crucial amino acids involved in cofactor or DNA lesion binding on the light-dependent recovery of cells after UV light exposure (in vivo photoreactivation). Remarkably, impairment of one of the two light absorbing cofactors, FAD or 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine, only marginally affected the final survival rate but strongly decelerated photoreactivation kinetics. The impairment of both of them together through mutagenesis decreased CryB-dependent photoreactivation to the level of the ∆cryB knockout strain. The third cofactor, a [4Fe4S] iron-sulfur cluster, is indispensable for the structural integrity of the protein. The reduction of FAD via the conserved tryptophan W338, which is crucial for in vitro reduction and consequently DNA repair, is not required for in vivo photoreactivation, suggesting that this reduction pathway to FAD is dispensable in the cellular environment. This demonstrates that in vitro experiments give only limited information on in vivo photolyase activity.

Cyclization of polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides on and off their assembly lines

Modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are multifunctional megaenzymes that serve as templates to program the assembly of short carboxylic acids and amino acids in a primarily co-linear manner. The variation, combination, permutation and evolution of their functional units (e.g., modules, domains and proteins) along with their association with external enzymes have resulted in the generation of numerous versions of templates, the roles of which have not been fully recognized in the structural diversification of polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides and their hybrids present in nature. In this Highlight, we focus on the assembly-line enzymology and associated chemistry by providing examples of some newly characterized cyclization reactions that occur on and off the assembly lines during and after chain elongation for the purpose of elucidating the template effects of PKSs and NRPSs. A fundamental understanding of the underlying biosynthetic logic would facilitate the elucidation of chemical information contained within the PKS or NRPS templates and benefit the development of strategies for genome mining, biosynthesis-inspired chemical synthesis and combinatorial biosynthesis.

Natural Diels-Alderases: Elusive and Irresistable

Eight examples of biosynthetic pathways wherein a natural enzyme has been identified and claimed to function as a catalyst for the [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, namely, Diels-Alderases, are briefly reviewed. These are discussed in the context of the mechanistic challenges associated with the technical difficulty of proving that the net formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition under study indeed proceeds through a synchronous mechanism and that the putative biosynthetic enzyme deploys the pericyclic transition state required for a Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction.

Enzymatic [4+2] Cycloadditions in the Biosynthesis of Spirotetramates and Spirotetronates

The Diels-Alder reaction is a quintessential type of [4+2] cycloaddition that remains one of the most intriguing transformations in synthetic chemistry. This reaction has long been envisaged to participate in the biosynthesis of a number of cyclohexene-containing natural products, although the question of whether a bona fide Diels-Alderase exists remains unsolved. In nature, there are remarkably few enzymes known to have the activity of [4+2] cycloaddition. These enzymes are phylogenetically distinct and are often classified according to the specific chemical structures. The variation of protein ancestors and in many cases the instability/complexity of the substrates and products pose a significant challenge in identification of the [4+2] cycloaddition catalysts using general homology-based mining approaches. We here provide the detailed description of the multiple comparison-based strategy and methods for the characterization of two distinct types of dedicated [4+2] cyclases (eg, PyrE3 and PyrI4) in the biosynthesis of spirotetramates and spirotetronates, where they act in tandem for coordinated cross-bridging of a linear polyene intermediate into a enantiomerically pure pentacyclic core. The search of new protein scaffolds with the [4+2] cycloaddition activity could enrich the pool of the candidates for mechanistic examination of a true enzymatic Diels-Alder reaction. The protocols presented in this study would also be applicable to the study of other functionally similar but phylogenetically different proteins, eg, the spiroketal cyclases.

Phomanolides A and B from the Fungus Phoma sp.: Meroterpenoids Derived from a Putative Tropolonic Sesquiterpene via Hetero-Diels-Alder Reactions

Phomanolides A (1) and B (2), unique meroterpenoids with new pentacyclic and tetracyclic skeletons, respectively, and phomanoxide (3), the double-epoxidation product of a putative biosynthetic precursor of 1 and 2, were isolated from the solid substrate fermentation cultures of the fungus Phoma sp., along with the known compound eupenifeldin (4). The structures of 1-3 were elucidated based on NMR spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism calculations and further secured by X-ray crystallography. Biogenetically, compounds 1 and 2 could be derived from a hypothetical monotropolonic sesquiterpene intermediate via hetero-Diels-Alder reactions. Compound 4 showed potent antiproliferative effects against three human glioma cell lines, with IC50 values of 0.08-0.13 μM.

Synthetic studies on the bioactive tetramic acid JBIR-22 using a late stage Diels-Alder reaction

A late stage Diels-Alder reaction is used to prepare a mixture of JBIR-22, a natural product from the Equisetin family of tetramic acids, and one of its diastereomers. This is achieved in just 8 steps from pyruvate. The success of the late stage DA approach is discussed in the context of the biosynthesis of JBIR-22 (and perhaps related natural products).

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.

Computational study of a model system of enzyme-mediated [4+2] cycloaddition reaction

A possible mechanistic pathway related to an enzyme-catalyzed [4+2] cycloaddition reac-tion was studied by theoretical calculations at density functional (B3LYP, O3LYP, M062X) and semiempirical levels (PM6-DH2, PM6) performed on a model system. The calculations were carried out for the key [4+2] cycloaddition step considering enzyme-catalyzed biosynthesis of Spinosyn A in a model reaction, where a reliable example of a biological Diels-Alder reaction was reported experimentally. In the present study it was demonstrated that the [4+2] cycloaddition reaction may benefit from moving along the energetically balanced reaction coordinate, which enabled the catalytic rate enhancement of the [4+2] cycloaddition pathway involving a single transition state. Modeling of such a system with coordination of three amino acids indicated a reliable decrease of activation energy by ~18.0 kcal/mol as compared to a non-catalytic transformation.

New emerging bio-catalysts design in biotransformations

The development of new and successful biotransformation processes of key interest in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry involves creating new biocatalysts with improved or even new activities and selectivities. This review emphasizes the new emerging developed strategies to achieve this goal, site-selective chemical modification of enzymes using tailor-made peptides, specific insertion of metals or organometallic complexes into proteins producing bio-catalysts with multiple activities and computational design for creating evolved artificial enzymes with non-natural synthetic catalytic activities.

A roadmap to the isotopolog space of flavocoenzymes

Flavocoenzymes with selective or universal stable isotope labeling are important tools for the investigation of flavoproteins using a variety of spectroscopic methods. Numerous selectively labeled flavin isotopologs can be generated by the combined application of chemical synthesis and in vitro biotransformation using commercially available enzymes and/or recombinant riboflavin biosynthesis enzymes. Notably, the complex reaction sequences can be rapidly carried out using enzyme-assisted one-pot reaction strategies.

Recent advances in riboflavin biosynthesis

Riboflavin is biosynthesized from GTP and ribulose 5-phosphate. Whereas the early reactions conducing to 5-amino-6-ribitylamino-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione 5'-phosphate show significant taxonomic variation, the subsequent reaction steps are universal in all taxonomic kingdoms. With the exception of a hitherto elusive phosphatase, all enzymes of the pathway have been characterized in some detail at the structural and mechanistic level. Some of the pathway enzymes (GTP cycloyhdrolase II, 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate synthase, riboflavin synthase) have exceptionally complex reaction mechanisms. The commercial production of the vitamin is now entirely based on highly productive fermentation processes. Due to their absence in animals, the pathway enzymes are potential targets for the development of novel anti-infective drugs.

Crystallographic and kinetic study of riboflavin synthase from Brucella abortus, a chemotherapeutic target with an enhanced intrinsic flexibility

Riboflavin synthase (RS) catalyzes the last step of riboflavin biosynthesis in microorganisms and plants, which corresponds to the dismutation of two molecules of 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine to yield one molecule of riboflavin and one molecule of 5-amino-6-ribitylamino-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione. Owing to the absence of this enzyme in animals and the fact that most pathogenic bacteria show a strict dependence on riboflavin biosynthesis, RS has been proposed as a potential target for antimicrobial drug development. Eubacterial, fungal and plant RSs assemble as homotrimers lacking C3 symmetry. Each monomer can bind two substrate molecules, yet there is only one active site for the whole enzyme, which is located at the interface between two neighbouring chains. This work reports the crystallographic structure of RS from the pathogenic bacterium Brucella abortus (the aetiological agent of the disease brucellosis) in its apo form, in complex with riboflavin and in complex with two different product analogues, being the first time that the structure of an intact RS trimer with bound ligands has been solved. These crystal models support the hypothesis of enhanced flexibility in the particle and also highlight the role of the ligands in assembling the unique active site. Kinetic and binding studies were also performed to complement these findings. The structural and biochemical information generated may be useful for the rational design of novel RS inhibitors with antimicrobial activity.

The lumazine synthase/riboflavin synthase complex: shapes and functions of a highly variable enzyme system

The xylene ring of riboflavin (vitamin B2 ) is assembled from two molecules of 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate by a mechanistically complex process that is jointly catalyzed by lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase. In Bacillaceae, these enzymes form a structurally unique complex comprising an icosahedral shell of 60 lumazine synthase subunits and a core of three riboflavin synthase subunits, whereas many other bacteria have empty lumazine synthase capsids, fungi, Archaea and some eubacteria have pentameric lumazine synthases, and the riboflavin synthases of Archaea are paralogs of lumazine synthase. The structures of the molecular ensembles have been studied in considerable detail by X-ray crystallography, X-ray small-angle scattering and electron microscopy. However, certain mechanistic aspects remain unknown. Surprisingly, the quaternary structure of the icosahedral β subunit capsids undergoes drastic changes, resulting in formation of large, quasi-spherical capsids; this process is modulated by sequence mutations. The occurrence of large shells consisting of 180 or more lumazine synthase subunits has recently generated interest for protein engineering topics, particularly the construction of encapsulation systems.

Concerted, highly asynchronous, enzyme-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition in the biosynthesis of spinosyn A; computational evidence

A theoretical study has been carried out on model systems to study a recently reported, (Nature, 2011, 473, 109) biosynthetic, [4 + 2] cycloaddition catalyzed by a stand-alone enzyme (the cyclase SpnF). It was suggested in this paper that SpnF is the first known example of a Diels-Alderase (DA). In the present study, for a model system of the substrate a transition structure was found with density functional calculations (DFT). In addition, the intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations indicated that the transition structure is that of a concerted, but highly asynchronous, DA reaction. Based on the DFT and Møller-Plesset second order calculations the activation energy was estimated to be about 15 kcal mol(-1). The results of a natural population analysis indicated that there is significant charge transfer in the transition state, and it is proposed that possibly the enzyme plays a dual role of not only folding the substrate into the proper conformation for the DA reaction to occur, but also lowering its activation energy by stabilization of the highly polarized transition structure.

Click reactions in protein chemistry: from the preparation of semisynthetic enzymes to new click enzymes

Click-chemistry is an approach based on cycloaddition reactions which has been successfully used as a chemical approach for complex organic molecules and which has recently starred in a boom in the world of protein chemistry. The advantage of the use of this technique in protein chemistry is based on a very high and efficient chemoselectivity, which usually requires simple or no purification and is extremely rate-accelerated in aqueous media. The perspective discusses some of the most recent advances in the application of this reaction in selective enzyme surface modification for the creation of new semisynthetic enzymes (fluorescence labeled enzymes, peptide-enzyme conjugates, glycosylated enzymes), and interestingly, the recent design and creation of "click" enzymes.

O-Nucleoside, S-nucleoside, and N-nucleoside probes of lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase

Lumazine synthase catalyzes the penultimate step in the biosynthesis of riboflavin, while riboflavin synthase catalyzes the last step. O-Nucleoside, S-nucleoside, and N-nucleoside analogues of hypothetical lumazine biosynthetic intermediates have been synthesized in order to obtain structure and mechanism probes of these two enzymes, as well as inhibitors of potential value as antibiotics. Methods were devised for the selective cleavage of benzyl protecting groups in the presence of other easily reduced functionality by controlled hydrogenolysis over Lindlar catalyst. The deprotection reaction was performed in the presence of other reactive functionality including nitro groups, alkenes, and halogens. The target compounds were tested as inhibitors of lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase obtained from a variety of microorganisms. In general, the S-nucleosides and N-nucleosides were more potent than the corresponding O-nucleosides as lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase inhibitors, while the C-nucleosides were the least potent. A series of molecular dynamics simulations followed by free energy calculations using the Poisson-Boltzmann/surface area (MM-PBSA) method were carried out in order to rationalize the results of ligand binding to lumazine synthase, and the results provide insight into the dynamics of ligand binding as well as the molecular forces stabilizing the intermediates in the enzyme-catalyzed reaction.

Current developments and challenges in the search for a naturally selected Diels-Alderase

Only a very few examples of enzymes known to catalyze pericyclic reactions have been reported, and presently no enzyme has been demonstrated unequivocally to catalyze a Diels-Alder reaction. Nevertheless, research into secondary metabolism has led to the discovery of numerous natural products exhibiting the structural hallmarks of [4+2] cycloadditions, prompting efforts to characterize the responsible enzymatic processes. These efforts have resulted in a growing collection of enzymes believed to catalyze pericyclic [4+2] cycloaddition reactions; however, in each case the complexity of the substrates and catalytic properties of these enzymes poses significant challenges in substantiating these hypotheses. Herein we consider the principles motivating these efforts and the enzymological systems currently under investigation.

15N solid-state NMR as a probe of flavin H-bonding

Flavins mediate a wide variety of chemical reactions in biology. To learn how one cofactor can be made to execute different reactions in different enzymes, we are developing solid-state NMR (SSNMR) to probe the flavin electronic structure, via the (15)N chemical shift tensor principal values (δ(ii)). We find that SSNMR has superior responsiveness to H-bonds, compared to solution NMR. H-bonding to a model of the flavodoxin active site produced an increase of 10 ppm in the δ(11) of N5, although none of the H-bonds directly engage N5, and solution NMR detected only a 4 ppm increase in the isotropic chemical shift (δ(iso)). Moreover SSNMR responded differently to different H-bonding environments, as H-bonding with water caused δ(11) to decrease by 6 ppm, whereas δ(iso) increased by less than 1 ppm. Our density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations reproduce the observations, validating the use of computed electronic structures to understand how H-bonds modulate the flavin's reactivity.