Two New Phenylhydrazone Derivatives from the Pearl River Estuary Sediment-Derived Streptomyces sp. SCSIO 40020

Recent Developments and Challenges in the Enzymatic Formation of Nitrogen-Nitrogen Bonds

The biological formation of nitrogen-nitrogen (N-N) bonds represents intriguing reactions that have attracted much attention in the past decade. This interest has led to an increasing number of N-N bond-containing natural products (NPs) and related enzymes that catalyze their formation (referred to in this review as NNzymes) being elucidated and studied in greater detail. While more detailed information on the biosynthesis of N-N bond-containing NPs, which has only become available in recent years, provides an unprecedented source of biosynthetic enzymes, their potential for biocatalytic applications has been minimally explored. With this review, we aim not only to provide a comprehensive overview of both characterized NNzymes and hypothetical biocatalysts with putative N-N bond forming activity, but also to highlight the potential of NNzymes from a biocatalytic perspective. We also present and compare conventional synthetic approaches to linear and cyclic hydrazines, hydrazides, diazo- and nitroso-groups, triazenes, and triazoles to allow comparison with enzymatic routes via NNzymes to these N-N bond-containing functional groups. Moreover, the biosynthetic pathways as well as the diversity and reaction mechanisms of NNzymes are presented according to the direct functional groups currently accessible to these enzymes.

Phenylhydrazone Alkaloids from the Deep-Sea Cold Seep Derived Fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae HDN21-0307

Alkaloids with a phenylhydrazone architecture are rarely found in nature. Four unusual phenylhydrazone alkaloids named talarohydrazones A-D (1-4) were isolated from the deep-sea cold seep derived fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae HDN21-0307 using the one strain-many compounds (OSMAC) approach and MS/MS-based molecular networking (MN) combined with network annotation propagation (NAP) and the unsupervised substructure annotation method MS2LDA. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical calculations. Talarohydrazone A (1) possessed an unusual skeleton combining 2,4-pyridinedione and phenylhydrazone. Talarohydrazone B (2) represents the first natural phenylhydrazone-bearing azadophilone. Bioactivity evaluation revealed that compound 1 exhibited cytotoxic activity against NCI-H446 cells with an IC50 value of 4.1 μM. In addition, compound 1 displayed weak antibacterial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus with an MIC value of 32 μg/mL.

Expanding the Chemical Diversity of Grisechelins via Heterologous Expression

Thiazole scaffold-based small molecules exhibit a range of biological activities and play important roles in drug discovery. Based on bioinformatics analysis, a putative biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for thiazole-containing compounds was identified from Streptomyces sp. SCSIO 40020. Heterologous expression of this BGC led to the production of eight new thiazole-containing compounds, grisechelins E, F, and I-N (1, 2, 5-10), and two quinoline derivatives, grisechelins G and H (3 and 4). The structures of 1-10, including their absolute configurations, were elucidated by HRESIMS, NMR spectroscopic data, ECD calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Grisechelin F (2) is a unique derivative, distinguished by the presence of a salicylic acid moiety. The biosynthetic pathway for 2 was proposed based on bioinformatics analysis and in vivo gene knockout experiments. Grisechelin E (1) displayed moderate antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra (MIC of 8 μg mL-1).

Marine natural products

Covering: January to the end of December 2022This review covers the literature published in 2022 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 645 citations (633 for the period January to December 2022) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, the submerged parts of mangroves and other intertidal plants. The emphasis is on new compounds (1417 in 384 papers for 2022), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Pertinent reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that led to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included. An analysis of NP structure class diversity in relation to biota source and biome is discussed.

Marine Streptomyces-Derived Novel Alkaloids Discovered in the Past Decade

Natural alkaloids originating from actinomycetes and synthetic derivatives have always been among the important suppliers of small-molecule drugs. Among their biological sources, Streptomyces is the highest and most extensively researched genus. Marine-derived Streptomyces strains harbor unconventional metabolic pathways and have been demonstrated to be efficient producers of biologically active alkaloids; more than 60% of these compounds exhibit valuable activity such as antibacterial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory activities. This review comprehensively summarizes novel alkaloids produced by marine Streptomyces discovered in the past decade, focusing on their structural features, biological activity, and pharmacological mechanisms. Future perspectives on the discovery and development of novel alkaloids from marine Streptomyces are also provided.

Identification and Analysis of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for the Hydrazide-Containing Aryl Polyene Spinamycin

Natural products containing nitrogen-nitrogen (N-N) bonds have attracted much attention because of their bioactivities and chemical features. Several recent studies have revealed the nitrous acid-dependent N-N bond-forming machinery. However, the catalytic mechanisms of hydrazide synthesis using nitrous acid remain unknown. Herein, we focused on spinamycin, a hydrazide-containing aryl polyene produced by Streptomyces albospinus JCM3399. In the S. albospinus genome, we discovered a putative spinamycin biosynthetic gene (spi) cluster containing genes that encode a type II polyketide synthase and genes for the secondary metabolism-specific nitrous acid biosynthesis pathway. A gene inactivation experiment showed that this cluster was responsible for spinamycin biosynthesis. A feeding experiment using stable isotope-labeled sodium nitrite and analysis of nitrous acid-synthesizing enzymes in vitro strongly indicated that one of the nitrogen atoms of the hydrazide group was derived from nitrous acid. In vitro substrate specificity analysis of SpiA3, which is responsible for loading a starter substrate onto polyketide synthase, indicated that N-N bond formation occurs after starter substrate loading. In vitro analysis showed that the AMP-dependent ligase SpiA7 catalyzes the diazotization of an amino group on a benzene ring without a hydroxy group, resulting in a highly reactive diazo intermediate, which may be the key step in hydrazide group formation. Therefore, we propose the overall biosynthetic pathway of spinamycin. This study expands our knowledge of N-N bond formation in microbial secondary metabolism.