Quantification of N-acetylcysteamine activated methylmalonate incorporation into polyketide biosynthesis

Discovery and Biosynthesis of Indole-Functionalized Metabolites from the Human Blood Bacterium, Paracoccus sanguinis, and Their Anti-Skin Aging Activity

The human microbiome plays a crucial role in health and disease, with microbial metabolites acting as key mediators of physiological processes. While extensive research has focused on gut-derived microbes, the metabolic contributions of blood-derived bacteria remain underexplored. Here, we investigate the facultative anaerobe Paracoccus sanguinis, a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from human blood, and its metabolome, revealing insights into its potential impacts on health and disease. Using advanced analytical methods, we characterized 12 metabolites (1-12), including six novel compounds (1-3, 9, 10, and 12). Biosynthetic studies demonstrated that these metabolites are derived through enzymatic and nonenzymatic pathways. Functional evaluations revealed significant antiaging activities for 1, 6, and 11 in TNF-α-stimulated normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs), including suppression of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) secretion, and reduction of inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Among the tested compounds, 11 exhibited the highest antiaging efficacy, highlighting its potential as a candidate for therapeutic applications targeting skin aging. This study elucidates the biosynthetic pathways of P. sanguinis metabolites and their antiskin aging activity, underscoring their potential in modulating skin health and offering novel insights into the functional roles of blood-derived microbiota in human health.

Structural Insight of KSIII (β-Ketoacyl-ACP Synthase)-like Acyltransferase ChlB3 in the Biosynthesis of Chlorothricin

Chlorothricin (CHL) belongs to a spirotetronate antibiotic family produced by Streptomyces antibioticus that inhibits pyruvate carboxylase and malate dehydrogenase. For the biosynthesis of CHL, ChlB3 plays a crucial role by introducing the 6-methylsalicylic acid (6MSA) moiety to ChlB2, an acyl carrier protein (ACP). However, the structural insight and catalytic mechanism of ChlB3 was unclear. In the current study, the crystal structure of ChlB3 was solved at 3.1 Å-resolution and a catalytic mechanism was proposed on the basis of conserved residues of structurally related enzymes. ChlB3 is a dimer having the same active sites as CerJ (a structural homologous enzyme) and uses a KSIII-like fold to work as an acyltransferase. The relaxed substrate specificity of ChlB3 was defined by its catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) for non-ACP tethered synthetic substrates such as 6MSA-SNAC, acetyl-SNAC, and cyclohexonyl-SNAC. ChlB3 successfully detached the 6MSA moiety from 6MSA-SNAC substrate and this hydrolytic activity demonstrated that ChlB3 has the potential to catalyze non-ACP tethered substrates. Structural comparison indicated that ChlB3 belongs to FabH family and showed 0.6–2.5 Å root mean square deviation (RMSD) with structural homologous enzymes. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations were implemented to understand substrate active site and structural behavior such as the open and closed conformation of the ChlB3 protein. The resultant catalytic and substrate recognition mechanism suggested that ChlB3 has the potential to use non-native substrates and minimize the labor of expressing ACP protein. This versatile acyltransferase activity may pave the way for manufacturing CHL variants and may help to hydrolyze several thioester-based compounds.

Flexible enzymatic activation of artificial polyketide extender units by Streptomyces cinnamonensis into the monensin biosynthetic pathway

Streptomyces cinnamonensis A495 is a variant of the monensin producer which instead of the native polyether antibiotic gives rise to antibiotic and anti-tumour shunt-product premonensin. Through the supplementation of the fermentation medium with suitable precursors, premonensin can be derivatized via the incorporation of new-to-nature extender units into the biosynthetic machinery. Polyketide extender units require activation, typically in form of coenzyme A-thioesters. These are membrane impermeable and thus in the past an artificial mimic was employed. Here, we show the use and preliminary characterization of a highly substrate promiscuous new enzyme for the endogenous thioester formation in a Streptomyces strain. These intracellularly activated alternative extender units are significantly better incorporated into premonensin than the synthetically activated counterparts.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Polyketide natural products are of enormous relevance in medicine. The hit-rate in finding active compounds for the potential treatment of various diseases among this substance family of microbial origin is high. However, most polyketides require derivatization to render them suitable for the application. Of relevance in this field is the incorporation of artificial substances into the biogenesis of polyketides, hampered by both the microbial metabolism and the complexity of the enzymes involved. This manuscript describes the straightforward and selective biosynthetic incorporation of synthetic substances into a reduced polyketide and showcases a promising new enzyme to aid this purpose.

Acyltransferases as Tools for Polyketide Synthase Engineering

Polyketides belong to the most valuable natural products, including diverse bioactive compounds, such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs, antifungal agents, immunosuppressants and others. Their structures are assembled by polyketide synthases (PKSs). Modular PKSs are composed of modules, which involve sets of domains catalysing the stepwise polyketide biosynthesis. The acyltransferase (AT) domains and their “partners”, the acyl carrier proteins (ACPs), thereby play an essential role. The AT loads the building blocks onto the “substrate acceptor”, the ACP. Thus, the AT dictates which building blocks are incorporated into the polyketide structure. The precursor- and occasionally the ACP-specificity of the ATs differ across the polyketide pathways and therefore, the ATs contribute to the structural diversity within this group of complex natural products. Those features make the AT enzymes one of the most promising tools for manipulation of polyketide assembly lines and generation of new polyketide compounds. However, the AT-based PKS engineering is still not straightforward and thus, rational design of functional PKSs requires detailed understanding of the complex machineries. This review summarizes the attempts of PKS engineering by exploiting the AT attributes for the modification of polyketide structures. The article includes 253 references and covers the most relevant literature published until May 2018.

Metabolomic analysis and lipid accumulation in a glucose tolerant Crypthecodinium cohnii strain obtained by adaptive laboratory evolution

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was commonly used for strain improvement. Crypthecodinium cohnii is known to accumulate lipids with a high fraction of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In order to improve DHA production under high substrate concentration, a glucose-tolerant C. cohnii strain was firstly obtained by ALE after 260 cycles for 650days with gradually increased glucose concentration. The results of lipids content showed that DHA-rich lipids accumulation in the evolved strain could increase by 15.49% at 45g/L glucose concentrations. To reveal mechanisms related to glucose tolerance of C. cohnii through ALE, metabolic profiles were then compared and the results showed that hub metabolites including glycerol, glutamic acid, malonic acid and succinic acid were positively regulated during ALE. The study demonstrated that metabolomic analysis complemented with ALE could be an effective and valuable strategy for basic mechanisms of molecular evolution and adaptive changes in C. cohnii.

Biomimetic Thioesters as Probes for Enzymatic Assembly Lines: Synthesis, Applications, and Challenges

Thioesters play essential roles in many biosynthetic pathways to fatty acids, esters, polyketides, and non-ribosomal peptides. Coenzyme A (CoA) and related phosphopantetheine thioesters are typically employed as activated acyl units for diverse C-C, C-O, and C-N coupling reactions. To study and control these enzymatic assembly lines in vitro and in vivo structurally simplified analogs such as N-acetylcysteamine (NAC) thioesters have been developed. This review gives an overview on experimental strategies enabled by synthetic NAC thioesters, such as the elucidation of complex biosynthetic pathways and enzyme mechanisms as well as precursor-directed biosynthesis and mutasynthesis. The review also summarizes synthetic protocols and protection group strategies to access these versatile synthetic tools, which are reactive and often unstable compounds. In addition, alternative phosphopantetheine thioester mimics are presented that can be used as protein tags or suicide inhibitors for protein crosslinking and off-loading probes to elucidate polyketide intermediates.

Thioester-appended organosilatranes: synthetic investigations and application in the modification of magnetic silica surfaces

Thioester tethered organosilatranes were synthesized. The substituent effect on the absorption spectra and potential for binding with Cu²⁺were explored.

Substrate Flexibility of a Mutated Acyltransferase Domain and Implications for Polyketide Biosynthesis

Polyketides are natural products frequently used for the treatment of various diseases, but their structural complexity hinders efficient derivatization. In this context, we recently introduced enzyme-directed mutasynthesis to incorporate non-native extender units into the biosynthesis of erythromycin. Modeling and mutagenesis studies led to the discovery of a variant of an acyltransferase domain in the erythromycin polyketide synthase capable of accepting a propargylated substrate. Here, we extend molecular rationalization of enzyme-substrate interactions through modeling, to investigate the incorporation of substrates with different degrees of saturation of the malonic acid side chain. This allowed the engineered biosynthesis of new erythromycin derivatives and the introduction of additional mutations into the AT domain for a further shift of the enzyme's substrate scope. Our approach yields non-native polyketide structures with functional groups that will simplify future derivatization approaches, and provides a blueprint for the engineering of AT domains to achieve efficient polyketide synthase diversification.

Structural and functional analysis of the loading acyltransferase from avermectin modular polyketide synthase

The loading acyltransferase (AT) domains of modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) control the choice of starter units incorporated into polyketides and are therefore attractive targets for the engineering of modular PKSs. Here, we report the structural and biochemical characterizations of the loading AT from avermectin modular PKS, which accepts more than 40 carboxylic acids as alternative starter units for the biosynthesis of a series of congeners. This first structural analysis of loading ATs from modular PKSs revealed the molecular basis for the relaxed substrate specificity. Residues important for substrate binding and discrimination were predicted by modeling a substrate into the active site. A mutant with altered specificity toward a panel of synthetic substrate mimics was generated by site-directed mutagenesis of the active site residues. The hydrolysis of the N-acetylcysteamine thioesters of racemic 2-methylbutyric acid confirmed the stereospecificity of the avermectin loading AT for an S configuration at the C-2 position of the substrate. Together, these results set the stage for region-specific modification of polyketides through active site engineering of loading AT domains of modular PKSs.

Predicted incorporation of non-native substrates by a polyketide synthase yields bioactive natural product derivatives

The polyether ionophore monensin is biosynthesized by a polyketide synthase that delivers a mixture of monensins A and B by the incorporation of ethyl- or methyl-malonyl-CoA at its fifth module. Here we present the first computational model of the fifth acyltransferase domain (AT5mon ) of this polyketide synthase, thus affording an investigation of the basis of the relaxed specificity in AT5mon , insights into the activation for the nucleophilic attack on the substrate, and prediction of the incorporation of synthetic malonic acid building blocks by this enzyme. Our predictions are supported by experimental studies, including the isolation of a predicted derivative of the monensin precursor premonensin. The incorporation of non-native building blocks was found to alter the ratio of premonensins A and B. The bioactivity of the natural product derivatives was investigated and revealed binding to prenyl-binding protein. We thus show the potential of engineered biosynthetic polyketides as a source of ligands for biological macromolecules.

Engineering the acyltransferase substrate specificity of assembly line polyketide synthases

Polyketide natural products act as a broad range of therapeutics, including antibiotics, immunosuppressants and anti-cancer agents. This therapeutic diversity stems from the structural diversity of these small molecules, many of which are produced in an assembly line manner by modular polyketide synthases. The acyltransferase (AT) domains of these megasynthases are responsible for selection and incorporation of simple monomeric building blocks, and are thus responsible for a large amount of the resulting polyketide structural diversity. The substrate specificity of these domains is often targeted for engineering in the generation of novel, therapeutically active natural products. This review outlines recent developments that can be used in the successful engineering of these domains, including AT sequence and structural data, mechanistic insights and the production of a diverse pool of extender units. It also provides an overview of previous AT domain engineering attempts, and concludes with proposed engineering approaches that take advantage of current knowledge. These approaches may lead to successful production of biologically active 'unnatural' natural products.