Biosynthesis of anthracyclinones: isolation of a new early cyclization product aklaviketone

Blanchaquinone: a new anthraquinone from an Australian Streptomyces sp

Chemical analysis of an Australian Streptomyces species yielded a range of known anthracyclines and biosynthetically related metabolites, including daunomycin (1), epsilon-rhodomycinone (2), 11-hydroxyauramycinone (3), 11-hydroxysulfurmycinone (4), aklavinone (5), bisanhydro-gamma-rhodomycinone (6), and the anthraquinone 7, as well as the hitherto unreported blanchaquinone (8). The structure assigned to 8 was secured by detailed spectroscopic analysis and correlation to known analogues, such as the anthraquinone 7. This account also represents the first natural occurrence of 3, 4, and 7 and the first spectroscopic characterization of 11-hydroxysulfurmycinone (4).

Cloning, sequencing, and analysis of aklaviketone reductase from Streptomyces sp. strain C5

DNA sequence analysis of a region of the Streptomyces sp. strain C5 daunomycin biosynthesis gene cluster, located just upstream of the daunomycin polyketide biosynthesis genes, revealed the presence of six complete genes. The two genes reading right to left include genes encoding the potentially translationally coupled gene products, an acyl carrier protein and a ketoreductase, and the four genes reading divergently, left to right, include two open reading frames of unknown function followed by a gene encoding an apparent glycosyltransferase and dauE, encoding aklaviketone reductase. Extracts of Streptomyces lividans TK24 containing recombinant DauE catalyzed the NADPH-specific conversion of aklaviketone, maggiemycin, and 7-oxodaunomycinone to aklavinone, epsilon-rhodomycinone, and daunomycinone, respectively. Neither the product of dauB nor that of the ketoreductase gene directly downstream of the acyl carrier protein gene demonstrated aklaviketone reductase activity.

Molecular cloning and characterization of the aklavinone 11-hydroxylase gene of Streptomyces peucetius subsp. caesius ATCC 27952

The gene encoding aklavinone 11-hydroxylase of Streptomyces peucetius subsp. caesius ATCC 27952 was cloned and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence of the gene contains at least two common motifs of well-conserved amino acid sequences of several flavin-type bacterial hydroxylases. The hydroxylase gene is apparently transcribed from a single transcriptional start point. The phenotype of a dnrF mutant generated by gene disruption supports the idea that the dnrF gene encodes aklavinone 11-hydroxylase.

Advances in bioconversion of anthracycline antibiotics

During the last decade new anthracycline-type structures with potential usefulness in cancer treatment have been supplied both by new microbial strains and by bioconversions of precursor molecules employing cells or enzymes. We highlight recent advances in bioconversion of anthracycline structures with the main focus on late transformations such as are carried out by oxidoreductases.

Biosynthesis of anthracyclinones

Recent biosynthetic studies confirmed that anthraquinones are involved as intermediates in the pathway to anthracyclines. The present knowledge in this field has been reviewed. Furthermore, a new generalized order of biosynthetic intermediates from the hypothetical polyketide to aklavinone and related anthracyclinones has been proposed involving tricyclic precursors and 7-hydroxy-naphthacenequinones, which also have been found in mutants of anthracycline-producing strains.