A new 16-membered chalcomycin type macrolide antibiotic, 250-144C

Chalcomycins from Marine-Derived Streptomyces sp. and Their Antimicrobial Activities

Dihydrochalcomycin (1) and chalcomycin (2), two known chalcomycins, and chalcomycin E (3), a new compound, were isolated from marine-derived Streptomyces sp. HK-2006-1. Their structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger of 1–3 were evaluated. Compounds 1–2 exhibited activities against S. aureus with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 32 µg/mL and 4 µg/mL, respectively. The fact that 1–2 showed stronger activity against S. aureus 209P than 3 indicated that the epoxy unit was important for antimicrobial activity. This structure–activity tendency of chalcomycins against S. aureus is different from that of aldgamycins reported in our previous research, which provide a valuable example for the phenomenon that 16-membered macrolides with different sugars do not have parallel structure–activity relationships.

Structural and functional studies on a 3'-epimerase involved in the biosynthesis of dTDP-6-deoxy-D-allose

Unusual deoxy sugars are often attached to natural products such as antibiotics, antifungals, and chemotherapeutic agents. One such sugar is mycinose, which has been found on the antibiotics chalcomycin and tylosin. An intermediate in the biosynthesis of mycinose is dTDP-6-deoxy-D-allose. Four enzymes are required for the production of dTDP-6-deoxy-D-allose in Streptomyces bikiniensis, a soil-dwelling microbe first isolated from the Bikini and Rongelap atolls. Here we describe a combined structural and functional study of the enzyme ChmJ, which reportedly catalyzes the third step in the pathway leading to dTDP-6-deoxy-D-allose formation. Specifically, it has been proposed that ChmJ is a 3'-epimerase that converts dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose to dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxyallose. This activity, however, has never been verified in vitro. As reported here, we demonstrate using (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance that ChmJ, indeed, functions as a 3'-epimerase. In addition, we determined the structure of ChmJ complexed with dTDP-quinovose to 2.0 Å resolution. The structure of ChmJ shows that it belongs to the well-characterized "cupin" superfamily. Two active site residues, His 60 and Tyr 130, were subsequently targeted for study via site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic analyses, and the three-dimensional architecture of the H60N/Y130F mutant protein was determined to 1.6 Å resolution. Finally, the structure of the apoenzyme was determined to 2.2 Å resolution. It has been previously suggested that the position of a conserved tyrosine, Tyr 130 in the case of ChmJ, determines whether an enzyme in this superfamily functions as a mono- or diepimerase. Our results indicate that the orientation of the tyrosine residue in ChmJ is a function of the ligand occupying the active site cleft.

Identification and characterization of gerPI and gerPII involved in epoxidation and hydroxylation of dihydrochalcolactone in Streptomyces species KCTC 0041BP

The macrolide antibiotics are biosynthesized by initial assembly of a macrolactone ring, followed by a series of post-polyketide (PKS) modifications. In general, the additional hydroxyl or epoxy groups are installed by cytochrome P450 enzymes, improving the bioactivity profile through structural diversification of natural products. The biosynthetic gene cluster for the 16-membered macrolide antibiotic dihydrochalcomycin (DHC) has been cloned from Streptomyces sp. KCTC 0041BP. Three cytochrome P450 genes are found in the DHC biosynthetic gene (ger) cluster. Two P450 enzymes were characterized from this cluster. Disruption of gerPI accumulated predominantly 12,13-de-epoxydihydrochalcomycin while disruption of gerPII accumulated 8-dehydroxy-12,13-de-epoxydihydrochalcomycin; DHC production was abolished in both cases. The results suggest that GerPII P450 catalyzes hydroxylation at the C(8) position followed by an epoxidation reaction catalyzed by GerPI P450 at the C(12)-C(13) position.

Biosynthesis of dihydrochalcomycin: characterization of a deoxyallosyltransferase (gerGTI)

Through an inactivation experiment followed by complementation, the gerGTII gene was previously characterized as a chalcosyltransferase gene involved in the biosynthesis of dihydochalcomycin. The glycosyltransferase gerGTI was identified as a deoxyallosyltransferase required for the glycosylation of D-mycinose sugar. This 6-deoxyhexose sugar was converted to mycinose, via bis-O-methylation, following attachment to the polyketide lactone during dihydrochalcomycin biosynthesis. Gene sequence alignment of gerGTI to several glycosyltransferases revealed a consensus sequence motif that appears to be characteristic of the enzymes in this sub-group of the glycosyltransferase family. To characterize its putative function, genetic disruption of gerGTI in the wild-type strain Streptomyces sp. KCTC 0041BP and in the gerGTII-deleted mutant (S. sp. Delta gerGTsss, as well as complementation of gerGTII in S. sp. Delta gerGTss-GTs, were carried out, and the products were analyzed by LC/MS. S. sp. Delta gerGTss-GTs mutant produced dihydrochalconolide macrolide. S. sp. Delta gerGTs and S. sp. Delta gerGTss-GTs complementation of gerGTII yielded dihydrochalconolide without the mycinose sugar. The intermediate shows that gerGTI encodes a deoxyallosyltransferase that acts after gerGTII.

Novel desosaminyl derivatives of dihydrochalcomycin from a genetically engineered strain of Streptomyces sp

Dihydrochalcomycin from Streptomyces sp. KCTC 0041BP is a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic containing two deoxysugars (D-chalcose and D-mycinose) that are O-glycosylated at the C-5 and C-20 positions, respectively. The desosamine sugar cassette was constructed from pikromycin-deoxysugar biosynthetic genes and transformed into Streptomyces sp. GerSM1, which was engineered for deletion of the genes related to TDP-D-chalcose biosynthesis (gerB, gerN and gerMI). Novel 16-membered macrolides (5-O-desosaminyl derivatives of dihydrochalcomycin) were detected by ESI-MS, LC/MS, and MS/MS thereby demonstrating combinatorial biosynthesis of the deoxysugar in 16-membered macrolide antibiotics.

Characterization of CalS9 in the biosynthesis of UDP-xylose and the production of xylosyl-attached hybrid compound

The gene cluster of calicheamicin contains calS9, which encodes UDP-GlcA decarboxylase that converts UDP-GlcA to UDP-xylose. calS9 was cloned in pET32a(+) and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to characterize its putative function. The reaction product was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. The deoxysugar biosynthesis of Streptomyces sp. KCTC 0041BP was inactivated by gene replacement to generate Streptomyces sp. GerSM2 mutant, which was unable to produce dihydrochalcomycin. calS7, calS8, and calS9 UDP-xylose biosynthetic genes were cloned in an integrative plasmid pSET152 to generate pBPDS, which was heterologously expressed in Streptomyces sp. GerSM2. Finally, novel glycosylated product, 5-O-xylosyl-chalconolide derivative, in the conjugal transformants was isolated and analyzed by HPLC and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Novelties in the field of macrolides

Research in the field of macrolide antibiotics has continued. The aims of research efforts are quite different with 14-, 15- and 16-membered ring macrolides. A review of 14- and 15-membered ring macrolides covering the period up to 1995 was published in a previous issue of this journal.

Chalcomycin biosynthesis gene cluster from Streptomyces bikiniensis: novel features of an unusual ketolide produced through expression of the chm polyketide synthase in Streptomyces fradiae

Chalcomycin, a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic made by the bacterium Streptomyces bikiniensis, contains a 2,3-trans double bond and the neutral sugar D-chalcose in place of the amino sugar mycaminose found in most other 16-membered macrolides. Degenerate polyketide synthase (PKS)-specific primers were used to amplify DNA fragments from S. bikiniensis with very high identity to a unique ketosynthase domain of the tylosin PKS. The resulting amplimers were used to identify two overlapping cosmids encompassing the chm PKS. Sequencing revealed a contiguous segment of >60 kb carrying 25 putative genes for biosynthesis of the polyketide backbone, the two deoxysugars, and enzymes involved in modification of precursors of chalcomycin or resistance to it. The chm PKS lacks the ketoreductase and dehydratase domains in the seventh module expected to produce the 2,3-double bond in chalcomycin. Expression of PKS in the heterologous host Streptomyces fradiae, from which the tyl genes encoding the PKS had been removed, resulted in production of at least one novel compound, characterized as a 3-keto 16-membered macrolactone in equilibrium with its 3-trans enol tautomer and containing the sugar mycaminose at the C-5 position, in agreement with the structure predicted on the basis of the domain organization of the chm PKS. The production of a 3-keto macrolide from the chm PKS indicates that a discrete set of enzymes is responsible for the introduction of the 2,3-trans double bond in chalcomycin. From comparisons of the open reading frames to sequences in databases, a pathway for the synthesis of nucleoside diphosphate-D-chalcose was proposed.

Chemical transformation of tylosin derivatives into neutral macrolides having a 3'-methoxyl group

This paper describes the chemical transformation of the basic 16-membered macrolides, tylosin derivatives, into neutral macrolides having a 3'-methoxyl group. 2',4'-Di-O-acetyl-3,23-bis(O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)mycaminosyltylon olide 9,20-bis(ethylene acetal) N-oxide (1b) was treated with Ac2O-pyridine in CH2Cl2 to afford the 3'-ketone 1c and the 3'-N-acetyl-3'-N-demethyl derivative 1d in 67 and 5% yield; respectively. Reduction of 1c with Zn(BH4)2 gave the 3'-alcohol 1e in 84% yield stereoselectively. O-Methylation of 1e with MeOTf and 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine gave the 3'-methyl ether 1f in 49% yield in spite of the presence of the adjacent acetoxyl groups. Deprotection of 1f provided the desired neutral macrolide 1g. Similar synthetic routes were also used for transformation of the suitably protected 4'-deoxymycaminosyltylonolide 2b and desmycosin 3c into neutral macrolides having a 3'-methoxyl group. It was found that the mycinose moiety of a neutral macrolide plays an important role in its antimicrobial activity.