Thioester reduction and aldehyde transamination are universal steps in actinobacterial polyketide alkaloid biosynthesis

Natural transaminase fusions for biocatalysis

Biocatalytic approaches are used widely for the synthesis of amines from abundant or low cost starting materials. This is a fast-developing field where novel enzymes and enzyme combinations emerge quickly to enable the production of new and complex compounds. Natural multifunctional enzymes represent a part of multi-step biosynthetic pathways that ensure a one-way flux of reactants. In vivo, they confer a selective advantage via increased reaction rates and chemical stability or prevention of toxicity from reactive intermediates. Here we report the identification and analysis of a natural transaminase fusion, PP_2782, from Pseudomonas putida KT2440, as well as three of its thermophilic homologs from Thermaerobacter marianensis, Thermaerobacter subterraneus, and Thermincola ferriacetica. Both the fusions and their truncated transaminase-only derivatives showed good activity with unsubstituted aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and amines, as well as with a range of α-keto acids, and l-alanine, l-glutamate, and l-glutamine. Through structural similarity, the fused domain was recognised as the acyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] reductase that affects reductive chain release. These natural transaminase fusions could have a great potential for industrial applications.

Exploring the Chain Release Mechanism from an Atypical Apicomplexan Polyketide Synthase

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are megaenzymes that form chemically diverse polyketides and are found within the genomes of nearly all classes of life. We recently discovered the type I PKS from the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, TgPKS2, which contains a unique putative chain release mechanism that includes ketosynthase (KS) and thioester reductase (TR) domains. Our bioinformatic analysis of the thioester reductase of TgPKS2, TgTR, suggests differences compared to other systems and hints at a possibly conserved release mechanism within the apicomplexan subclass Coccidia. To evaluate this release module, we first isolated TgTR and observed that it is capable of 4 electron (4e-) reduction of octanoyl-CoA to the primary alcohol, octanol, utilizing NADH. TgTR was also capable of generating octanol in the presence of octanal and NADH, but no reactions were observed when NADPH was supplied as a cofactor. To biochemically characterize the protein, we measured the catalytic efficiency of TgTR using a fluorescence assay and determined the TgTR binding affinity for cofactor and substrates using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). We additionally show that TgTR is capable of reducing an acyl carrier protein (ACP)-tethered substrate by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and determine that TgTR binds to holo-TgACP4, its predicted cognate ACP, with a KD of 5.75 ± 0.77 μM. Finally, our transcriptional analysis shows that TgPKS2 is upregulated ∼4-fold in the parasite's cyst-forming bradyzoite stage compared to tachyzoites. Our study identifies features that distinguish TgPKS2 from well-characterized systems in bacteria and fungi and suggests it aids the T. gondii cyst stage.

Enzymatic reactions towards aldehydes: An overview

Many aldehydes are volatile compounds with distinct and characteristic olfactory properties. The aldehydic functional group is reactive and, as such, an invaluable chemical multi-tool to make all sorts of products. Owing to the reactivity, the selective synthesis of aldehydic is a challenging task. Nature has evolved a number of enzymatic reactions to produce aldehydes, and this review provides an overview of aldehyde-forming reactions in biological systems and beyond. Whereas some of these biotransformations are still in their infancy in terms of synthetic applicability, others are developed to an extent that allows their implementation as industrial biocatalysts.

Revisiting the manzamine biosynthetic hypothesis

Covering: up to 2023The marine environment represents a rich yet challenging source of novel therapeutics. These challenges are best exemplified by the manzamine class of alkaloids, featuring potent bioactivities, difficult procurement, and a biosynthetic pathway that has eluded characterization for over three decades. This review highlights postulated biogenic pathways toward the manzamines, evaluated in terms of current biosynthetic knowledge and metabolic precedent.

Computational Study of Base-Catalyzed Thiohemiacetal Decomposition in Pseudomonas mevalonii HMG-CoA Reductase

Thiohemiacetals are key intermediates in the active sites of many enzymes catalyzing a variety of reactions. In the case of Pseudomonas mevalonii 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (PmHMGR), this intermediate connects the two hydride transfer steps where a thiohemiacetal is the product of the first hydride transfer and its breakdown forms the substrate of the second one, serving as the intermediate during cofactor exchange. Despite the many examples of thiohemiacetals in a variety of enzymatic reactions, there are few studies that detail their reactivity. Here, we present computational studies on the decomposition of the thiohemiacetal intermediate in PmHMGR using both QM-cluster and QM/MM models. This reaction mechanism involves a proton transfer from the substrate hydroxyl to an anionic Glu83 followed by a C-S bond elongation stabilized by a cationic His381. The reaction provides insight into the varying roles of the residues in the active site that favor this multistep mechanism.

Combinatorial biosynthesis yields novel hybrid argimycin P alkaloids with diverse scaffolds in Streptomyces argillaceus

Coelimycin P1 and argimycins P are two types of polyketide alkaloids produced by Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces argillaceus, respectively. Their biosynthesis pathways share some early steps that render very similar aminated polyketide chains, diverging the pathways afterwards. By expressing the putative isomerase cpkE and/or the putative epoxidase/dehydrogenase cpkD from the coelimycin P1 gene cluster into S. argillaceus wild type and in argimycin mutant strains, five novel hybrid argimycins were generated. Chemical characterization of those compounds revealed that four of them show unprecedented scaffolds (quinolizidine and pyranopyridine) never found before in the argimycin family of compounds. One of these compounds (argimycin DM104) shows improved antibiotic activity. Noticeable, biosynthesis of these quinolizidine argimycins results from a hybrid pathway created by combining enzymes from two different pathways, which utilizes an aminated polyketide chain as precursor instead of lysine as it occurs for other quinolizidines.

Coupled Natural Fusion Enzymes in a Novel Biocatalytic Cascade Convert Fatty Acids to Amines

Tambjamine YP1 is a pyrrole-containing natural product. Analysis of the enzymes encoded in the Pseudoalteromonas tunicata “tam” biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) identified a unique di-domain biocatalyst (PtTamH). Sequence and bioinformatic analysis predicts that PtTamH comprises an N-terminal, pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminase (TA) domain fused to a NADH-dependent C-terminal thioester reductase (TR) domain. Spectroscopic and chemical analysis revealed that the TA domain binds PLP, utilizes l-Glu as an amine donor, accepts a range of fatty aldehydes (C₇–C₁₄ with a preference for C₁₂), and produces the corresponding amines. The previously characterized PtTamA from the “tam” BGC is an ATP-dependent, di-domain enzyme comprising a class I adenylation domain fused to an acyl carrier protein (ACP). Since recombinant PtTamA catalyzes the activation and thioesterification of C₁₂ acid to the holo-ACP domain, we hypothesized that C₁₂ ACP is the natural substrate for PtTamH. PtTamA and PtTamH were successfully coupled together in a biocatalytic cascade that converts fatty acids (FAs) to amines in one pot. Moreover, a structural model of PtTamH provides insights into how the TA and TR domains are organized. This work not only characterizes the formation of the tambjamine YP1 tail but also suggests that PtTamA and PtTamH could be useful biocatalysts for FA to amine functional group conversion.

Isolation, Biosynthetic Investigation, and Biological Evaluation of Maniwamycin G, an Azoxyalkene Compound from Streptomyces sp. TOHO-M025

A new maniwamycin analogue, maniwamycin G, was isolated from Streptomyces sp. TOHO-M025 as a major product. Maniwamycin G has a molecular formula of C₁₂H₂₂N₂O₄, and its extensive NMR analysis revealed that maniwamycin G contains a methoxycarbonyl group instead of an amide as found in maniwamycin F. Its C-2 and C-3 configurations were determined to be (2R, 3R) by circular dichroism spectrum and a modified Mosher method, respectively. The biosynthetic origin of maniwamycin G was investigated using isotope-labeled compounds. The carbon source of maniwamycin G is four acetate units (C-1', C-2'; C-3', C-4'; C-5', C-6'; and C-4, C-5) and l-serine (C-1 to C-3). The nitrogen atom attached at C-2 (Nα) originates from serine, whereas the nitrogen atom of a hexen-1-yl amine unit (Nβ) is derived from glutamic acid. The quorum-sensing inhibitory activity of maniwamycin G was 2-fold lower than that of maniwamycin F.

Novel Alkaloids from Marine Actinobacteria: Discovery and Characterization

The marine environment is an excellent resource for natural products with therapeutic potential. Its microbial inhabitants, often associated with other marine organisms, are specialized in the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. Similar to their terrestrial counterparts, marine Actinobacteria are a prevalent source of these natural products. Here, we discuss 77 newly discovered alkaloids produced by such marine Actinobacteria between 2017 and mid-2021, as well as the strategies employed in their elucidation. While 12 different classes of alkaloids were unraveled, indoles, diketopiperazines, glutarimides, indolizidines, and pyrroles were most dominant. Discoveries were mainly based on experimental approaches where microbial extracts were analyzed in relation to novel compounds. Although such experimental procedures have proven useful in the past, the methodologies need adaptations to limit the chance of compound rediscovery. On the other hand, genome mining provides a different angle for natural product discovery. While the technology is still relatively young compared to experimental screening, significant improvement has been made in recent years. Together with synthetic biology tools, both genome mining and extract screening provide excellent opportunities for continued drug discovery from marine Actinobacteria.

Identification and Analysis of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for the Indolizidine Alkaloid Iminimycin in Streptomyces griseus

Indolizidine alkaloids, which have versatile bioactivities, are produced by various organisms. Although the biosynthesis of some indolizidine alkaloids has been studied, the enzymatic machinery for their biosynthesis in Streptomyces remains elusive. Here, we report the identification and analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster for iminimycin, an indolizidine alkaloid with a 6-5-3 tricyclic system containing an iminium cation from Streptomyces griseus. The gene cluster has 22 genes, including four genes encoding polyketide synthases (PKSs), which consist of eight modules in total. In vitro analysis of the first module revealed that its acyltransferase domain selects malonyl-CoA, although predicted to select methylmalonyl-CoA. Inactivation of seven tailoring enzyme-encoding genes and structural elucidation of four compounds accumulated in mutants provided important insights into iminimycin biosynthesis, although some of these compounds appeared to be shunt products. This study expands our knowledge of the biosynthetic machinery of indolizidine alkaloids and the enzymatic chemistry of PKS.

Discovery of a Potential Liver Fibrosis Inhibitor from a Mushroom Endophytic Fungus by Genome Mining of a Silent Biosynthetic Gene Cluster

Liver fibrosis has accounted for liver diseases and overall mortality, but no relevant drug has been developed. Filamentous fungi are important resources of natural products for pharmaceutical development. Calcarisporium arbuscula is a mushroom endophytic fungus, which primarily produces aurovertins. Here, in an aurovertin null-production mutant, one silent gene cluster (mca17) was activated by overexpression of a pathway-specific zinc finger transcriptional regulator, and a tetramic acid-type compound (1, MCA17-1) was identified. Along with detailed structural characterization, its biosynthesis was proposed to be produced from the core PKS-NRPS hybrid enzyme. Moreover, 1 suppressed the activation of LX-2 upon transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) challenge and had stronger bioactivity than the positive control obeticholic acid (OCA) against liver fibrosis. Our work suggested that this engineered fungus could be a producer of 1 for promising pharmaceutical development, and alternatively, it would be developed as a mushroom ingredient in dietary therapy to prevent liver fibrosis.

Reduction of Amides to Amines with Pinacolborane Catalyzed by Heterogeneous Lanthanum Catalyst La(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)3@SBA-15

Hydroboration of amides is a useful synthetic strategy to access the corresponding amines. In this contribution, it was found that the supported lanthanum benzyl material La(CH₂C₆H₄NMe₂-o)₃@SBA-15 was highly active for the hydroboration of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides to amines with pinacolborane. These reactions selectively produced target amines and showed good tolerance for functional groups such as -NO₂, -halogen, and -CN, as well as heteroatoms such as S and O. This reduction procedure exhibited the recyclable and reusable property of heterogeneous catalysts and was applicable to gram-scale synthesis. The reaction mechanisms were proposed based on some control experiments and the previous literature. This is the first example of hydroborative reduction of amides to amines mediated by heterogeneous catalysts.

Chain release mechanisms in polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis

Review covering up to mid-2021The structure of polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide natural products is strongly influenced by how they are released from their biosynthetic enzymes. As such, Nature has evolved a diverse range of release mechanisms, leading to the formation of bioactive chemical scaffolds such as lactones, lactams, diketopiperazines, and tetronates. Here, we review the enzymes and mechanisms used for chain release in polyketide and non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis, how these mechanisms affect natural product structure, and how they could be utilised to introduce structural diversity into the products of engineered biosynthetic pathways.

Catalytic Hydrogenation of Thioesters, Thiocarbamates, and Thioamides

Direct hydrogenation of thioesters with H₂ provides a facile and waste-free method to access alcohols and thiols. However, no report of this reaction is documented, possibly because of the incompatibility of the generated thiol with typical hydrogenation catalysts. Here, we report an efficient and selective hydrogenation of thioesters. The reaction is catalyzed by an acridine-based ruthenium complex without additives. Various thioesters were fully hydrogenated to the corresponding alcohols and thiols with excellent tolerance for amide, ester, and carboxylic acid groups. Thiocarbamates and thioamides also undergo hydrogenation under similar conditions, substantially extending the application of hydrogenation of organosulfur compounds.

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent bifunctional enzyme catalyzed biosynthesis of indolizidine alkaloids in fungi

Indolizidine alkaloids such as anticancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine are exceptionally attractive due to their widespread occurrence, prominent bioactivity, complex structure, and sophisticated involvement in the chemical defense for the producing organisms. However, the versatility of the indolizidine alkaloid biosynthesis remains incompletely addressed since the knowledge about such biosynthetic machineries is only limited to several representatives. Herein, we describe the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for the biosynthesis of curvulamine, a skeletally unprecedented antibacterial indolizidine alkaloid from Curvularia sp. IFB-Z10. The molecular architecture of curvulamine results from the functional collaboration of a highly reducing polyketide synthase (CuaA), a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent aminotransferase (CuaB), an NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase (CuaC), and a FAD-dependent monooxygenase (CuaD), with its transportation and abundance regulated by a major facilitator superfamily permease (CuaE) and a Zn(II)Cys₆ transcription factor (CuaF), respectively. In contrast to expectations, CuaB is bifunctional and capable of catalyzing the Claisen condensation to form a new C-C bond and the α-hydroxylation of the alanine moiety in exposure to dioxygen. Inspired and guided by the distinct function of CuaB, our genome mining effort discovers bipolamines A-I (bipolamine G is more antibacterial than curvulamine), which represent a collection of previously undescribed polyketide alkaloids from a silent BGC in Bipolaris maydis ATCC48331. The work provides insight into nature's arsenal for the indolizidine-coined skeletal formation and adds evidence in support of the functional versatility of PLP-dependent enzymes in fungi.

A dual transacylation mechanism for polyketide synthase chain release in enacyloxin antibiotic biosynthesis

Polyketide synthases assemble diverse natural products with numerous important applications. The thioester intermediates in polyketide assembly are covalently tethered to acyl carrier protein domains of the synthase. Several mechanisms for polyketide chain release are known, contributing to natural product structural diversification. Here we report a dual transacylation mechanism for chain release from the enacyloxin polyketide synthase, which assembles an antibiotic with promising activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. A non-elongating ketosynthase domain transfers the polyketide chain from the final acyl carrier protein domain of the synthase to a separate carrier protein and a nonribosomal peptide synthetase condensation domain condenses it with (1S, 3R, 4S)-3, 4-dihydroxycyclohexane carboxylic acid. Molecular dissection of this process reveals that non-elongating ketosynthase domain-mediated transacylation circumvents the inability of the condensation domain to recognize the acyl carrier protein domain. Several 3, 4-dihydroxycyclohexane carboxylic acid analogues can be employed for chain release, suggesting a promising strategy for producing enacyloxin analogues.

Recent advances in allelopathy for weed control: from knowledge to applications

Allelopathy is the biological phenomenon of chemical interactions between living organisms in the ecosystem, and must be taken into account in addressing pest and weed problems in future sustainable agriculture. Allelopathy is a multidisciplinary science, but in some cases, aspects of its chemistry are overlooked, despite the need for a deep knowledge of the chemical structural characteristics of allelochemicals to facilitate the design of new herbicides. This review is focused on the most important advances in allelopathy, paying particular attention to the design and development of phenolic compounds, terpenoids and alkaloids as herbicides. The isolation of allelochemicals is mainly addressed, but other aspects such as the analysis and activities of derivatives or analogs are also covered. Furthermore, the use of allelopathy in the fight against parasitic plants is included. The past 12 years have been a prolific period for publications on allelopathy. This critical review discusses future research areas in this field and the state of the art is analyzed from the chemist's perspective. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

A role for antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase domain proteins in fidelity control during aromatic polyketide biosynthesis

The formicamycin biosynthetic gene cluster encodes two groups of type 2 polyketide antibiotics: the formicamycins and their biosynthetic precursors the fasamycins, both of which have activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we report the formicapyridines which are encoded by the same gene cluster and are structurally and biosynthetically related to the fasamycins and formicamycins but comprise a rare pyridine moiety. These compounds are trace-level metabolites formed by derailment of the major biosynthetic pathway. Inspired by evolutionary logic we show that rational mutation of a single gene in the biosynthetic gene cluster encoding an antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase (ABM) superfamily protein leads to a significant increase both in total formicapyridine production and their enrichment relative to the fasamycins/formicamycins. Our observations broaden the polyketide biosynthetic landscape and identify a non-catalytic role for ABM superfamily proteins in type II polyketide synthase assemblages for maintaining biosynthetic pathway fidelity.

The carbon chain-selective adenylation enzyme TamA: the missing link between fatty acid and pyrrole natural product biosynthesis

TamA is the adenylating enzyme that selects and activates fatty acids for tambjamine biosynthesis.

The marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata produces the bipyrrole antibiotic tambjamine YP1. This natural product is built from common amino acid and fatty acid building blocks in a biosynthetic pathway that is encoded in the tam operon which contains 19 genes. The exact role that each of these Tam proteins plays in tambjamine biosynthesis is not known. Here, we provide evidence that TamA initiates the synthesis and controls the chain length of the essential tambjamine fatty amine tail. Sequence analysis suggests the unusual TamA is comprised of an N-terminal adenylation (ANL) domain fused to a C-terminal acyl carrier protein (ACP). Mass spectrometry analysis of recombinant TamA revealed the surprising presence of bound C11 and C12 acyl-adenylate intermediates. Acylation of the ACP domain was observed upon attachment of the phosphopantetheine (4′-PP) arm to the ACP. We also show that TamA can transfer fatty acids ranging in chain length from C6–C13 to an isolated ACP domain. Thus TamA bridges the gap between primary and secondary metabolism by linking fatty acid and pyrrole biosynthetic pathways.

Osmanicin, a Polyketide Alkaloid Isolated from Streptomyces osmaniensis CA-244599 Inhibits Elastase in Human Fibroblasts

The strain Streptomyces osmaniensis CA-244599 isolated from the Comoros islands was submitted to liquid-state fermentation coupled to in situ solid-phase extraction with amberlite XAD-16 resin. Elution of the trapped compounds on the resin beads by ethyl acetate afforded seven metabolites, osmanicin (1), streptazolin (2), streptazone C (3), streptazone B₁ (4), streptenol C (5), nocardamine (6) and desmethylenylnocardamine (7). Osmanicin (1) is a newly reported unusual scaffold combining streptazolin (2) and streptazone C (3) through a Diels-Alder type reaction. Experimental evidence excluded the spontaneous formation of 1 from 2 and 3. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit elastase using normal human diploid fibroblasts. Compound 1 exhibited the most potent activity with an IC₅₀ of 3.7 μM.

Camporidines A and B: Antimetastatic and Anti-inflammatory Polyketide Alkaloids from a Gut Bacterium of Camponotus kiusiuensis

Chemical studies of gut bacteria of the carpenter ant Camponotus kiusiuensis led to the discovery of two new alkaloids, camporidines A and B (1 and 2), from Streptomyces sp. STA1. The structures of 1 and 2 were established as new polyketide alkaloids bearing a piperidine-cyclopentene-epoxide 6/5/3 tricyclic system based on NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analysis. The relative configurations of the camporidines were determined by their ¹H-¹H NOESY/ROESY and 1D NOE NMR correlations. The experimental ECD spectra of 1 and 2 were compared with their calculated ECD spectra to assign their absolute configurations. Camporidine A (1) displayed antimetastatic activity by suppression of cell invasion against the metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and showed an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing nitric oxide production induced by lipopolysaccharide. In addition, the putative biosynthetic gene cluster of the camporidines was identified, and the biosynthetic pathway of the camporidines was proposed based on bioinformatic analysis of the full genome of Streptomyces sp. STA1. Camporidines A and B (1 and 2) could be biosynthesized by a modular type I PKS containing an acyl transferase domain that accepts an unusual extender unit, which becomes the (C1'-C6') hexyl side chain. The post-PKS modification enzymes were predicted to perform an amination and an oxidation along with spontaneous Schiff base formation and generate the unique piperidine-cyclopentene-epoxide 6/5/3 tricyclic framework.

Chemical Diversification Based on Substrate Promiscuity of a Standalone Adenylation Domain in a Reconstituted NRPS System

A nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) assembly line ( sfa) in Streptomyces thioluteus that directs the formation of the diisonitrile chalkophore SF2768 (1) has been characterized by heterologous expression and directed gene knockouts. Herein, differential metabolic analysis of the heterologous expression strain and the original host led to the isolation of an SF2768 analogue (2, a byproduct of sfa) that possesses N-isovaleryl rather than 3-isocyanobutyryl side chains. The proposed biosynthetic logic of sfa and the structural difference between 1 and 2 suggested substrate promiscuity of the adenylate-forming enzyme SfaB. Further substrate scope investigation of SfaB and a successfully reconstituted NRPS system including a four-enzyme cascade enabled incorporation of diverse carboxylic acid building blocks into peptide scaffolds, and 30 unnatural products were thus generated. This structural diversification strategy based on substrate flexibility of the adenylation domain and in vitro reconstitution can be applied to other adenylation-priming pathways, thus providing a supplementary method for diversity-oriented total synthesis. Additionally, the biocatalytic process of the putative lysine δ-hydroxylase SfaE was validated through the derivatization of two key aldehyde intermediates (2a and 2b), thereby expanding the toolkit of enzymatic C-H bond activation.

Pyridoxal phosphate-dependent reactions in the biosynthesis of natural products

We review reactions catalyzed by pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzymes, highlighting enzymes reported in the recent natural product biosynthetic literature.

Nitrosopyridine Probe To Detect Polyketide Natural Products with Conjugated Alkenes: Discovery of Novodaryamide and Nocarditriene

An optimized nitroso-based probe that facilitates the discovery of conjugated alkene-containing natural products in unprocessed extracts was developed. It chemoselectively reacts with conjugated olefins via a nitroso-Diels-Alder cyclization to yield derivatives with a distinct chromophore and an isotopically unique bromine atom that can be rapidly identified using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and a bioinformatics tool called MeHaloCoA (Marine Halogenated Compound Analysis). The probe is ideally employed when genome-mining techniques identify strains containing polyketide gene clusters with two or more repeating KS-AT-DH-KR-ACP domain sequences, which are required for the biosynthesis of conjugated alkenes. Comparing the reactivity and spectral properties of five brominated arylnitroso reagents with model compounds spiramycin, bufalin, rapamycin, and rifampicin led to the identification of 5-bromo-2-nitrosopyridine as the most suitable probe structure. The utility of the dienophile probe was then demonstrated in bacterial extracts. Tylactone, novodaryamide and daryamide A, piperazimycin A, and the saccharamonopyrones A and B were cleanly labeled in extracts from their respective bacterial producers, in high regioselectivity but with varying degrees of diastereoselectivity. Further application of the method led to the discovery of a new natural product called nocarditriene, containing an unprecedented epoxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine structure, from marine-derived Nocardiopsis strain CNY-503.

Natural products from thioester reductase containing biosynthetic pathways

Covering: up to 2018 Thioester reductase domains catalyze two- and four-electron reductions to release natural products following assembly on nonribosomal peptide synthetases, polyketide synthases, and their hybrid biosynthetic complexes. This reductive off-loading of a natural product yields an aldehyde or alcohol, can initiate the formation of a macrocyclic imine, and contributes to important intermediates in a variety of biosyntheses, including those for polyketide alkaloids and pyrrolobenzodiazepines. Compounds that arise from reductase-terminated biosynthetic gene clusters are often reactive and exhibit biological activity. Biomedically important examples include the cancer therapeutic Yondelis (ecteinascidin 743), peptide aldehydes that inspired the first therapeutic proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, and numerous synthetic derivatives and antibody drug conjugates of the pyrrolobenzodiazepines. Recent advances in microbial genomics, metabolomics, bioinformatics, and reactivity-based labeling have facilitated the detection of these compounds for targeted isolation. Herein, we summarize known natural products arising from this important category, highlighting their occurrence in Nature, biosyntheses, biological activities, and the technologies used for their detection and identification. Additionally, we review publicly available genomic data to highlight the remaining potential for novel reductively tailored compounds and drug leads from microorganisms. This thorough retrospective highlights various molecular families with especially privileged bioactivity while illuminating challenges and prospects toward accelerating the discovery of new, high value natural products.

Development and validation of an updated computational model of Streptomyces coelicolor primary and secondary metabolism

BACKGROUND

Streptomyces species produce a vast diversity of secondary metabolites of clinical and biotechnological importance, in particular antibiotics. Recent developments in metabolic engineering, synthetic and systems biology have opened new opportunities to exploit Streptomyces secondary metabolism, but achieving industry-level production without time-consuming optimization has remained challenging. Genome-scale metabolic modelling has been shown to be a powerful tool to guide metabolic engineering strategies for accelerated strain optimization, and several generations of models of Streptomyces metabolism have been developed for this purpose.

RESULTS

Here, we present the most recent update of a genome-scale stoichiometric constraint-based model of the metabolism of Streptomyces coelicolor, the major model organism for the production of antibiotics in the genus. We show that the updated model enables better metabolic flux and biomass predictions and facilitates the integrative analysis of multi-omics data such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics.

CONCLUSIONS

The updated model presented here provides an enhanced basis for the next generation of metabolic engineering attempts in Streptomyces.

New Insights into the Biosynthesis Pathway of Polyketide Alkaloid Argimycins P in Streptomyces argillaceus

Argimycins P are a recently identified family of polyketide alkaloids encoded by the cryptic gene cluster arp of Streptomyces argillaceus. These compounds contain either a piperideine ring, or a piperidine ring which may be fused to a five membered ring, and a polyene side chain, which is bound in some cases to an N-acetylcysteine moiety. The arp cluster consists of 11 genes coding for structural proteins, two for regulatory proteins and one for a hypothetical protein. Herein, we have characterized the post-piperideine ring biosynthesis steps of argimycins P through the generation of mutants in arp genes, the identification and characterization of compounds accumulated by those mutants, and cross-feeding experiments between mutants. Based in these results, a biosynthesis pathway is proposed assigning roles to every arp gene product. The regulation of the arp cluster is also addressed by inactivating/overexpressing the positive SARP-like arpRI and the negative TetR-like arpRII transcriptional regulators and determining the effect on argimycins P production, and through gene expression analyses (reverse transcription PCR and quantitative real-time PCR) of arp genes in regulatory mutants in comparison to the wild type strain. These findings will contribute to deepen the knowledge on the biosynthesis of piperidine-containing polyketides and provide tools that can be used to generate new analogs by genetic engineering and/or biocatalysis.

Aerobic oxidative esterification and thioesterification of aldehydes using dibromoisocyanuric acid under mild conditions: no metal catalysts required

Esters and thioesters were successfully prepared through oxidative esterification and thioesterification of corresponding aldehydes in the presence of dibromoisocyanuric acid.

Engineering modular polyketide synthases for production of biofuels and industrial chemicals

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are one of the most profound biosynthetic factories for producing polyketides with diverse structures and biological activities. These enzymes have been historically studied and engineered to make un-natural polyketides for drug discovery, and have also recently been explored for synthesizing biofuels and industrial chemicals due to their versatility and customizability. Here, we review recent advances in the mechanistic understanding and engineering of modular PKSs for producing polyketide-derived chemicals, and provide perspectives on this relatively new application of PKSs.

Structures of carboxylic acid reductase reveal domain dynamics underlying catalysis

Carboxylic acid reductase (CAR) catalyzes the ATP- and NADPH-dependent reduction of carboxylic acids to the corresponding aldehydes. The enzyme is related to the nonribosomal peptide synthetases, consisting of an adenylation domain fused via a peptidyl carrier protein (PCP) to a reductase termination domain. Crystal structures of the CAR adenylation-PCP didomain demonstrate that large-scale domain motions occur between the adenylation and thiolation states. Crystal structures of the PCP-reductase didomain reveal that phosphopantetheine binding alters the orientation of a key Asp, resulting in a productive orientation of the bound nicotinamide. This ensures that further reduction of the aldehyde product does not occur. Combining crystallography with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we propose that molecular interactions between initiation and termination domains are limited to competing PCP docking sites. This theory is supported by the fact that (R)-pantetheine can support CAR activity for mixtures of the isolated domains. Our model suggests directions for further development of CAR as a biocatalyst.

Identification by Genome Mining of a Type I Polyketide Gene Cluster from Streptomyces argillaceus Involved in the Biosynthesis of Pyridine and Piperidine Alkaloids Argimycins P

Genome mining of the mithramycin producer Streptomyces argillaceus ATCC 12956 revealed 31 gene clusters for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and allowed to predict the encoded products for 11 of these clusters. Cluster 18 (renamed cluster arp) corresponded to a type I polyketide gene cluster related to the previously described coelimycin P1 and streptazone gene clusters. The arp cluster consists of fourteen genes, including genes coding for putative regulatory proteins (a SARP-like transcriptional activator and a TetR-like transcriptional repressor), genes coding for structural proteins (three PKSs, one aminotransferase, two dehydrogenases, two cyclases, one imine reductase, a type II thioesterase, and a flavin reductase), and one gene coding for a hypothetical protein. Identification of encoded compounds by this cluster was achieved by combining several strategies: (i) inactivation of the type I PKS gene arpPIII; (ii) inactivation of the putative TetR-transcriptional repressor arpRII; (iii) cultivation of strains in different production media; and (iv) using engineered strains with higher intracellular concentration of malonyl-CoA. This has allowed identifying six new alkaloid compounds named argimycins P, which were purified and structurally characterized by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Some argimycins P showed a piperidine ring with a polyene side chain (argimycin PIX); others contain also a fused five-membered ring (argimycins PIV-PVI). Argimycins PI-PII showed a pyridine ring instead, and an additional N-acetylcysteinyl moiety. These compounds seem to play a negative role in growth and colony differentiation in S. argillaceus, and some of them show weak antibiotic activity. A pathway for the biosynthesis of argimycins P is proposed, based on the analysis of proposed enzyme functions and on the structure of compounds encoded by the arp cluster.

Deciphering Piperidine Formation in Polyketide-Derived Indolizidines Reveals a Thioester Reduction, Transamination, and Unusual Imine Reduction Process

Piperidine and indolizidine are two basic units of alkaloids that are frequently observed in natural and synthetic compounds. Their biosynthesis in natural products is highly conserved and mostly derived from the incorporation of lysine cyclization products. Through in vitro reconstitution, we herein identified a novel pathway involving a group of polyketide-derived indolizidines, which comprises the processes of tandem two-electron thioester reduction, transamination, and imine reduction to convert acyl carrier protein (ACP)-tethered polyketide chains into the piperidine moieties of their indolizidine scaffolds. The enzymes that catalyze the imine reduction are distinct from previous known imine reductases, which have a fold of acyl-CoA dehydrogenase but do not require flavin for reduction. Our results not only provide a new way for the biosynthesis of the basic units of alkaloids but also show a novel class of imine reductases that may benefit the fields of biocatalysis and biomanufacturing.