Biosynthetic intermediates of the tetradehydro cyclic dipeptide albonoursin produced by Streptomyces albulus KO-23

Salivary metabolomic identification of biomarker candidates for oral melanoma and oral squamous cell carcinoma in dogs

BACKGROUND

Oral melanoma (OM) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are frequently diagnosed in dogs, presenting a challenge in distinguishing them from benign oral tumors (BN). Salivary metabolomic biomarkers offer a practical solution because of saliva's direct contact with tumors and the noninvasive nature of collection.

OBJECTIVE

Assess the diversity and abundance of the salivary metabolome in dogs with BN, OM, and OSCC using amine/phenol submetabolome analysis and high-performance chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (CIL LC-MS).

ANIMALS

Study included 11 BN, 24 OM, 10 OSCC, and 20 healthy control dogs.

METHODS

Case-control cross-sectional study was conducted to assess salivary submetabolic profiles in dogs with BN, OM, and OSCC and healthy dogs. Samples were labeled with 12C-dansyl chloride and analyzed using CIL LC-MS targeted to amine- and phenol-containing metabolites for amine/phenol submetabolome analysis.

RESULTS

Distinct clusters and significant differences in metabolite concentrations were observed among the oral cancer, BN, and control groups. A total of 154 and 66 metabolites showed significantly altered concentrations, particularly in OM and OSCC, respectively, when compared with BN (Padj < .05). Potential metabolic biomarkers were identified for each cancer, including decreased concentrations of seryl-arginine and sarcosine in OSCC. Moreover, high-confidence putative metabolites were identified, including an increase in tryptophyl-threonine and a decrease in 1,2-dihydroxynapthalene-6-sulfonic acid and hydroxyprolyl-hydroxyproline for OM.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE

We identified high coverage of the amine/phenol submetabolome, including seryl-arginine, and sarcosine, in OSCC. Our findings emphasize the potential of these biomarkers for distinguishing between oral OSCC and BN in dogs.

Production of secondary metabolites in stirred tank bioreactor co-cultures of Streptomyces noursei and Aspergillus terreus

The focus of the study was to characterize the bioprocess kinetics and secondary metabolites production in the novel microbial co-cultivation system involving Streptomyces noursei ATCC 11455 (the producer of an antifungal substance known as nystatin) and Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 (the source of lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug). The investigated “A. terreus vs. S. noursei” stirred tank bioreactor co-cultures allowed for the concurrent development and observable biosynthetic activity of both species. In total, the production profiles of 50 secondary metabolites were monitored over the course of the study. The co-cultures were found to be effective in terms of enhancing the biosynthesis of several metabolic products, including mevinolinic acid, an acidic form of lovastatin. This work provided a methodological example of assessing the activity of a given strain in the co-culture by using the substrates which can be metabolized exclusively by this strain. Since S. noursei was shown to be incapable of lactose utilization, the observed changes in lactose levels were attributed to A. terreus and thus confirmed its viability. The study was complemented with the comparative microscopic observations of filamentous morphologies exhibited in the co-cultures and corresponding monocultures.

Comparative studies on similarities and differences of cyclodipeptide oxidases for installation of C-C double bonds at the diketopiperazine ring

Cyclodipeptide oxidases (CDOs) perform dehydrogenations on diketopiperazines and play an important role in the cyclodipeptide diversification. In this study, we investigated the two known CDOs AlbA/B and Ndas_1146/7 and one new member, CDO-Np. LC-MS monitoring of 32 cyclodipeptide biotransformations in E. coli revealed good consumption of cyclodipeptides containing aromatic amino acids. Cyclodipeptides consisting solely of aliphatic amino acids were poor substrates. In vitro assays of 34 substrates with crude enzyme extracts and product identification proved that the CDO-Np-containing extract catalyzes the formation of two C-C double bonds in many cases. The extracts containing the two other enzymes had lower activities and catalyzed mainly didehydrogenations. For didehydrogenation, the phenylalanyl or tyrosyl site was usually preferred. No or very low acceptance of benzodiazepinediones and a 2,6-diketopiperazine proved the importance of the 2,5-diketopiperazine ring. N-Methylation at the diketopiperazine ring or prenylation of the tryptophan-containing cyclodipeptides influences the enzyme activity and product spectrum. KEY POINTS: • Comparison of catalytic activities of three enzymes; Diverse cyclodipeptides and derivatives as substrates; Determination of double bond formation using²H-labeled substrates; Product identification also by interpretation of MS²fragmentation pattern.

Actinobacteria-Derived peptide antibiotics since 2000

Members of the Actinobacteria, including Streptomyces spp., Kutzneria sp. Actinoplanes spp., Actinomycete sp., Nocardia sp., Brevibacteriumsp.,Actinomadura spp., Micromonospora sp., Amycolatopsis spp., Nonomuraea spp., Nocardiopsis spp., Marinactinospora sp., Rhodococcus sp., Lentzea sp., Actinokineospora sp., Planomonospora sp., Streptomonospora sp., and Microbacterium sp., are an important source of structurally diverse classes of short peptides of ∼30 residues or fewer that will likely play an important role in new antibiotic development and discovery. Additionally, many have unique structures that make them recalcitrant to traditional modes of drug resistance via novel mechanisms, and these are ideal therapeutic tools and potential alternatives to current antibiotics. The need for novel antibiotic is urgent, and this review summarizes 199 Actinobacteria compounds published since 2000, including 35 cyclic lipopeptides containing piperazic or pipecolic acids, eight aromatic peptides, five glycopeptides, 21 bicyclic peptides, 44 other cyclic lipopeptides, five linear lipopeptides, six 2,5-diketopiperazines, one dimeric peptide, four nucleosidyl peptides, two thioamide-containing peptides, 25 thiopeptides, nine lasso peptides, and 34 typical cyclic peptides. The current and potential therapeutic applications of these peptides, including their structure, antituberculotic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-brugia, anti-plasmodial, and anti-trypanosomal activities, are discussed.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2013 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 982 citations (644 for the period January to December 2013) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1163 for 2013), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.

The tRNA-dependent biosynthesis of modified cyclic dipeptides

In recent years it has become apparent that aminoacyl-tRNAs are not only crucial components involved in protein biosynthesis, but are also used as substrates and amino acid donors in a variety of other important cellular processes, ranging from bacterial cell wall biosynthesis and lipid modification to protein turnover and secondary metabolite assembly. In this review, we focus on tRNA-dependent biosynthetic pathways that generate modified cyclic dipeptides (CDPs). The essential peptide bond-forming catalysts responsible for the initial generation of a CDP-scaffold are referred to as cyclodipeptide synthases (CDPSs) and use loaded tRNAs as their substrates. After initially discussing the phylogenetic distribution and organization of CDPS gene clusters, we will focus on structural and catalytic properties of CDPSs before turning to two recently characterized CDPS-dependent pathways that assemble modified CDPs. Finally, possible applications of CDPSs in the rational design of structural diversity using combinatorial biosynthesis will be discussed before concluding with a short outlook.

Analysis of the biosynthesis of antibacterial cyclic dipeptides in Nocardiopsis alba

Nocardiopsis alba is frequently isolated from environment and has recently been suggested as a casual symbiotic actinobacterium of diverse invertebrates. Using activity-guided fractionation, we purified two antibacterial cyclic dipeptides, cyclo(ΔPhe-ΔLeu) (albonoursin) and cyclo(ΔmTyr-ΔLeu), from a culture of Nocardiopsis alba ATCC BAA-2165. Analysis of N. alba genome revealed genetic information similar to albonoursin biosynthetic gene cluster, albABC. An albABC gene deletion mutant of N. alba was generated. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the mutant could not produce the cyclic dipeptides. Cyclic dipeptide production in the mutant was restored by genetic complementation with the albABC cloned in a native plasmid of Nocardiopsis. β-Glucuronidase reporter assays with a second mutant construct, in which albABC promoter is transcriptionally fused to the reporting gene gusA, indicated that albABC gene expression was subject to osmoregulation. The system presented will be used to study the metabolic and genetic control of cyclic dipeptide biosynthesis in Nocardiopsis.

Enzymatic Synthesis of Dehydroderivatives from Proline-Containing Cyclic Dipeptides and Their Effects toward Cell Division

We have previously isolated cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) and cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro) from an actinomycete by a novel enzymatic conversion-guided method. Their tetradehydro derivatives, cyclo(DeltaPro-DeltaTyr) and cyclo(DeltaPhe-DeltaPro), were enzymatically prepared. Neither of them inhibited cell division, in contrast to other tetradehydro cyclic dipeptides prepared previously. This result suggests that an NH proton in a diketopiperazine ring and/or conformation of the compound are important for the activity.

Diketopiperazine derivatives from the marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces sp. FXJ7.328

Five new diketopiperazine derivatives, (3Z,6E)-1-N-methyl-3-benzylidene-6-(2S-methyl-3-hydroxypropylidene)piperazine-2,5-dione (1), (3Z,6E)-1-N-methyl-3-benzylidene-6-(2R-methyl-3-hydroxypropylidene)piperazine-2,5-dione (2), (3Z,6Z)-3-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-6-isobutylidenepiperazine-2,5-dione (3), (3Z,6Z)-3-((1H-imidazol-5-yl)-methylene)-6-isobutylidenepiperazine-2,5-dione (4), and (3Z,6S)-3-benzylidene-6-(2S-but-2-yl)piperazine-2,5-dione (5), were isolated from the marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces sp. FXJ7.328. The structures of 1–5 were determined by spectroscopic analysis, CD exciton chirality, the modified Mosher’s, Marfey’s and the C₃ Marfey’s methods. Compound 3 showed modest antivirus activity against influenza A (H1N1) virus with an IC₅₀ value of 41.5 ± 4.5 μM. In addition, compound 6 and 7 displayed potent anti-H1N1 activity with IC₅₀ value of 28.9 ± 2.2 and 6.8 ± 1.5 μM, respectively. Due to the lack of corresponding data in the literature, the ¹³C NMR data of (3Z,6S)-3-benzylidene-6-isobutylpiperazine-2,5-dione (6) were also reported here for the first time.

Genome shuffling of marine derived bacterium Nocardia sp. ALAA 2000 for improved ayamycin production

Genome shuffling is a recent development in microbiology. The advantage of this technique is that genetic changes can be made in a microorganism without knowing its genetic background. Genome shuffling was applied to the marine derived bacterium Nocardia sp. ALAA 2000 to achieve rapid improvement of ayamycin production. The initial mutant population was generated by treatment with ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) combined with UV irradiation of the spores, resulting in an improved population (AL/11, AL/136, AL/213 and AL/277) producing tenfold (150 μg/ml) more ayamycin than the original strain. These mutants were used as the starting strains for three rounds of genome shuffling and after each round improved strains were screened and selected based on their ayamycin productivity. The population after three rounds of genome shuffling exhibited an improved ayamycin yield. Strain F3/22 yielded 285 μg/ml of ayamycin, which was 19-fold higher than that of the initial strain and 1.9-fold higher than the mutants used as the starting point for genome shuffling. We evaluated the genetic effect of UV + EMS-mutagenesis and three rounds of genome shuffling on the nucleotide sequence by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Many differences were noticed in mutant and recombinant strains compared to the wild type strain. These differences in RAPD profiles confirmed the presence of genetic variations in the Nocardia genome after mutagenesis and genome shuffling.

Nocapyrones A-D, gamma-pyrones from a Nocardiopsis strain isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea

Four new gamma-pyrones, nocapyrones A-D (1-4), were isolated from an organic extract of the Nocardiopsis strain HB383, which was isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea. These are the first gamma-pyrones reported from a Nocardiopsis strain. The structures were elucidated on the basis of one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments and supported by HPLC-UV/MS and HRESIMS analyses. The biosynthesis of nocapyrone A was investigated by feeding experiments with (13)C-labeled compounds. In addition, one diketopiperazine, which was only known as a synthetic compound before, was isolated. The bioactivies of 1, 2, and the diketopiperazine were evaluated in a panel of assays.

Two diketopiperazines from marine fungus Gliocladium sp. YUP08

Two new diketopiperazines, PJ147 (1) and PJ157 (2), were isolated from the mycelium of a fungus, Gliocladium sp. YUP08, which was separated from sea mud collected in Rushan, Shandong, China. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopical and chemical methods.

Enzymatic conversion-based method for screening cyclic dipeptide-producing microbes

We developed a method for screening cyclic dipeptide-producing microbes by enzymatic conversion. In this method, cyclic dipeptides are detected by the combination of: (i) conversion of cyclic dipeptides to dehydro cyclic dipeptides by cyclo(Leu-Phe) oxidase and (ii) detection of the dehydro derivative by UV spectrophotometry using TLC or HPLC analysis based on the absorbance change caused by the conversion. Using this method, the actinomycete strain A8 was isolated as a cyclic dipeptide-producing strain. The cyclic dipeptides were purified from the microbial extract by enzymatic detection-guided fractionation, and their structures were determined to be cyclo(L-Phe-L-Pro) and cyclo(L-Pro-L-Tyr) by spectroscopic methods.