Construction of a single polypeptide that matures and exports the lasso peptide microcin J25

The pearl jubilee of microcin J25: thirty years of research on an exceptional lasso peptide

Covering: 1992 up to 2023Since their discovery, lasso peptides went from peculiarities to be recognized as a major family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products that were shown to be spread throughout the bacterial kingdom. Microcin J25 was first described in 1992, making it one of the earliest known lasso peptides. No other lasso peptide has since then been studied to such an extent as microcin J25, yet, previous review articles merely skimmed over all the research done on this exceptional lasso peptide. Therefore, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its first report, we give a comprehensive overview of all literature related to microcin J25. This review article spans the early work towards the discovery of microcin J25, its biosynthetic gene cluster, and the elucidation of its three-dimensional, threaded lasso structure. Furthermore, the current knowledge about the biosynthesis of microcin J25 and lasso peptides in general is summarized and a detailed overview is given on the biological activities associated with microcin J25, including means of self-immunity, uptake into target bacteria, inhibition of the Gram-negative RNA polymerase, and the effects of microcin J25 on mitochondria. The in vitro and in vivo models used to study the potential utility of microcin J25 in a (veterinary) medicine context are discussed and the efforts that went into employing the microcin J25 scaffold in bioengineering contexts are summed up.

Cell-Free Mutant Analysis Combined with Structure Prediction of a Lasso Peptide Biosynthetic Protease B2

Biochemical and structural analyses of purified proteins are essential for the understanding of their properties. However, many proteins are unstable and difficult to purify, hindering their characterization. The B2 proteins of the lasso peptide biosynthetic pathways are cysteine proteases that cleave precursor peptides during the maturation process. The B2 proteins are poorly soluble, and no experimentally solved structures are available. Here, we performed a rapid semicomprehensive mutational analysis of the B2 protein from the thermophilic actinobacterium, Thermobifida fusca (FusB2), using a cell-free transcription/translation system, and compared the results with the structure prediction by AlphaFold2. Analysis of 34 FusB2 mutants with substitutions of hydrophobic residues confirmed the accuracy of the predicted structure, and revealed a hydrophobic patch on the protein surface, which likely serves as the binding site of the partner protein, FusB1. Our results suggest that the combination of rapid cell-free mutant analyses with precise structure predictions can greatly accelerate structure-function research of proteins for which no structures are available.

Cellulonodin-2 and Lihuanodin: Lasso Peptides with an Aspartimide Post-Translational Modification

Lasso peptides are a family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) defined by their threaded structure. Besides the class-defining isopeptide bond, other post-translational modifications (PTMs) that further tailor lasso peptides have been previously reported. Using genome mining tools, we identified a subset of lasso peptide biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that are colocalized with genes encoding protein l-isoaspartyl methyltransferase (PIMT) homologues. PIMTs have an important role in protein repair, restoring isoaspartate residues formed from asparagine deamidation to aspartate. Here we report a new function for PIMT enzymes in the post-translational modification of lasso peptides. The PIMTs associated with lasso peptide BGCs first methylate an l-aspartate side chain found within the ring of the lasso peptide. The methyl ester is then converted into a stable aspartimide moiety, endowing the lasso peptide ring with rigidity relative to its unmodified counterpart. We describe the heterologous expression and structural characterization of two examples of aspartimide-modified lasso peptides from thermophilic Gram-positive bacteria. The lasso peptide cellulonodin-2 is encoded in the genome of actinobacterium Thermobifida cellulosilytica, while lihuanodin is encoded in the genome of firmicute Lihuaxuella thermophila. Additional genome mining revealed PIMT-containing lasso peptide BGCs in 48 organisms. In addition to heterologous expression, we have reconstituted PIMT-mediated aspartimide formation in vitro, showing that lasso peptide-associated PIMTs transfer methyl groups very rapidly as compared to canonical PIMTs. Furthermore, in stark contrast to other characterized lasso peptide PTMs, the methyltransferase functions only on lassoed substrates.

How to harness biosynthetic gene clusters of lasso peptides

Lasso peptides produced by bacteria have a very unique cyclic structure (“lasso” structure) and are resistant to protease. To date, a number of lasso peptides have been isolated from proteobacteria and actinobacteria. Many lasso peptides exhibit various biological activities, such as antibacterial activity, and are expected to have various applications. Based on study of genome mining, large numbers of biosynthetic gene cluster of lasso peptides are revealed to distribute over genomes of proteobacteria and actinobacteria. However, the biosynthetic gene clusters are cryptic in most cases. Therefore, the combination of genome mining and heterologous production is efficient method for the production of lasso peptides. To utilize lasso peptide as fine chemical, there have been several attempts to add new function to lasso peptide by genetic engineering. Currently, a more efficient lasso peptide production system is being developed to harness cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters of lasso peptide. In this review, the overview of lasso peptide study is discussed.

Lasso Peptides: Heterologous Production and Potential Medical Application

Lasso peptides are natural products found in bacteria. They belong to a specific family of ribosomally-synthesized and posttranslationally-modified peptides with an unusual lasso structure. Lasso peptides possess remarkable thermal and proteolytic stability and various biological activities, such as antimicrobial activity, enzyme inhibition, receptor blocking, anticancer properties and HIV antagonism. They have promising potential therapeutic effects on gastrointestinal diseases, tuberculosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, fungal infections and cancer. Lasso peptides with high stability have been shown to be good carriers for other bioactive peptides. These make them attractive candidates for pharmaceutical research. This review aimed to describe the strategies used for the heterologous production of lasso peptides. Also, it indicated their therapeutical potential and their capacity to use as an efficient scaffold for epitope grafting.

Bacteriocins, Antimicrobial Peptides from Bacterial Origin: Overview of Their Biology and Their Impact against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

Currently, the emergence and ongoing dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among bacteria are critical health and economic issue, leading to increased rates of morbidity and mortality related to bacterial infections. Research and development for new antimicrobial agents is currently needed to overcome this problem. Among the different approaches studied, bacteriocins seem to be a promising possibility. These molecules are peptides naturally synthesized by ribosomes, produced by both Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) and Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), which will allow these bacteriocin producers to survive in highly competitive polymicrobial environment. Bacteriocins exhibit antimicrobial activity with variable spectrum depending on the peptide, which may target several bacteria. Already used in some areas such as agro-food, bacteriocins may be considered as interesting candidates for further development as antimicrobial agents used in health contexts, particularly considering the issue of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this review is to present an updated global report on the biology of bacteriocins produced by GPB and GNB, as well as their antibacterial activity against relevant bacterial pathogens, and especially against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Pandonodin: A Proteobacterial Lasso Peptide with an Exceptionally Long C-Terminal Tail

Lasso peptides are a family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) defined by their threaded-ring topology. The N-terminus of the peptide forms an isopeptide bond with an aspartate or glutamate side chain to create a 7-9 amino acid (aa) macrocyclic ring through which the rest of the peptide is threaded. The result is a highly constrained three-dimensional structure. Even though they share a threaded-ring feature, characterized lasso peptides vary greatly in sequence and size, ranging from 14 to 26 aa. Using genome mining, we identified a new lasso peptide gene cluster with a predicted lasso peptide that is 33 aa long. Here we report the heterologous expression of this new peptide, pandonodin, its NMR structure, and its unusual biophysical properties. Pandonodin has a long, proteolytically resistant 18-residue tail of low sequence complexity, which limits its water solubility. Within this tail is a 6 aa disulfide-bonded macrocycle that serves as a steric lock to maintain the lasso structure. This disulfide bond is unusually stable, requiring both heat and high concentrations of reductants for cleavage. Finally, we also show that segments of the C-terminal tail of pandonodin can be replaced with arbitrary sequences, allowing for the construction of pandonodin-protein fusions.

Heterologous and in Vitro Reconstitution of Fuscanodin, a Lasso Peptide from Thermobifida fusca

Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally derived natural products typified by their threaded rotaxane structure. The conversion of a linear precursor peptide into a lasso peptide structure requires two enzymatic activities: cleavage of the precursor via a cysteine protease and cyclization via isopeptide bond formation. In vitro studies of lasso peptide enzymology have been hampered by difficulties in obtaining pure, soluble enzymes. We reasoned that thermophilic bacteria would be a good source for well-behaved lasso peptide biosynthetic enzymes. The genome of the thermophilic actinobacterium Thermobifida fusca encodes for a lasso peptide with an unprecedented Trp residue at its N-terminus, a peptide we have named fuscanodin. Here we reconstitute fuscanodin biosynthesis in vitro with purified components, establishing a minimal fuscanodin synthetase. These experiments have allowed us to probe the kinetics of lasso peptide biosynthesis for the first time, and we report initial rates of fuscanodin biosynthesis. The fuscanodin biosynthetic enzymes are insensitive to substrate concentration and operate in a near single-turnover regime in vitro. While lasso peptides are often touted for their stability to both chaotropic and thermal challenges, fuscanodin is found to undergo a conformational change consistent with lasso peptide unthreading in organic solvents at room temperature.

Albusnodin: an acetylated lasso peptide from Streptomyces albus

We describe a lasso peptide, albusnodin, that is post-translationally modified with an acetyl group, the first example of a lasso peptide with this modification. Using heterologous expression, we further show that the acetyltransferase colocalized with the albusnodin gene cluster is required for the biosynthesis of this lasso peptide. This type of lasso peptide is widespread in Actinobacteria with 44 examples found in currently sequenced genomes.

The 'gifted' actinomycete Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii

Streptomyces leeuwenhoekii strains C34^T, C38, C58 and C79 were isolated from a soil sample collected from the Chaxa Lagoon, located in the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile. These streptomycetes produce a variety of new specialised metabolites with antibiotic, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Moreover, genome mining performed on two of these strains has revealed the presence of biosynthetic gene clusters with the potential to produce new specialised metabolites. This review focusses on this new clade of Streptomyces strains, summarises the literature and presents new information on strain C34^T.

Lasso peptides: chemical approaches and structural elucidation

The diverse functionality and the extraordinary stability of lasso peptides make these molecules attractive scaffolds for drug discovery. The ability to generate lasso peptides chemically remains a challenging endeavor.

Lasso Peptide Benenodin-1 Is a Thermally Actuated [1]Rotaxane Switch

Mechanically interlocked molecules that change their conformation in response to stimuli have been developed by synthetic chemists as building blocks for molecular machines. Here we describe a natural product, the lasso peptide benenodin-1, which exhibits conformational switching between two distinct threaded conformers upon actuation by heat. We have determined the structures of both conformers and have characterized the kinetics and energetics of the conformational switch. Single amino acid substitutions to benenodin-1 generate peptides that are biased to a single conformer, showing that the switching behavior is potentially an evolvable trait in these peptides. Lasso peptides such as benenodin-1 can be recognized and cleaved by enzymes called lasso peptide isopeptidases. We show that only the native conformer of benenodin-1 is cleaved by its cognate isopeptidase. Thus, thermally induced conformational switching of benenodin-1 may also be relevant to the biological function of these molecules.

New Insights into the Biosynthetic Logic of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptide Natural Products

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a large group of structurally diverse natural products. Their biological activities and unique biosynthetic pathways have sparked a growing interest in RiPPs. Furthermore, the relatively low genetic complexity associated with RiPP biosynthesis makes them excellent candidates for synthetic biology applications. This Review highlights recent developments in the understanding of the biosynthesis of several bacterial RiPP family members, the use of the RiPP biosynthetic machinery for generating novel macrocyclic peptides, and the implementation of tools designed to guide the discovery and characterization of novel RiPPs.

Lasso Peptide Biosynthetic Protein LarB1 Binds Both Leader and Core Peptide Regions of the Precursor Protein LarA

Lasso peptides are a member of the superclass of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs). Like all RiPPs, lasso peptides are derived from a gene-encoded precursor protein. The biosynthesis of lasso peptides requires two enzymatic activities: proteolytic cleavage between the leader peptide and the core peptide in the precursor protein, accomplished by the B enzymes, and ATP-dependent isopeptide bond formation, accomplished by the C enzymes. In a subset of lasso peptide biosynthetic gene clusters from Gram-positive organisms, the B enzyme is split between two proteins. One such gene cluster is found in the organism Rhodococcus jostii, which produces the antimicrobial lasso peptide lariatin. The B enzyme in R. jostii is split between two open reading frames, larB1 and larB2, both of which are required for lariatin biosynthesis. While the cysteine catalytic triad is found within the LarB2 protein, LarB1 is a PqqD homologue expected to bind to the lariatin precursor LarA based on its structural homology to other RiPP leader peptide binding domains. We show that LarB1 binds to the leader peptide of the lariatin precursor protein LarA with a sub-micromolar affinity. We used photocrosslinking with the noncanonical amino acid p-azidophenylalanine and mass spectrometry to map the interaction of LarA and LarB1. This analysis shows that the LarA leader peptide interacts with a conserved motif within LarB1 and, unexpectedly, the core peptide of LarA also binds to LarB1 in several positions. A Rosetta model built from distance restraints from the photocrosslinking experiments shows that the scissile bond between the leader peptide and core peptide in LarA is in a solvent-exposed loop.

Structural basis for precursor protein-directed ribosomal peptide macrocyclization

Macrocyclization is a common feature of natural product biosynthetic pathways including the diverse family of ribosomal peptides. Microviridins are architecturally complex cyanobacterial ribosomal peptides whose members target proteases with potent reversible inhibition. The product structure is constructed by three macrocyclizations catalyzed sequentially by two members of the ATP-grasp family, a unique strategy for ribosomal peptide macrocyclization. Here, we describe the detailed structural basis for the enzyme-catalyzed macrocyclizations in the microviridin J pathway of Microcystis aeruginosa. The macrocyclases, MdnC and MdnB, interact with a conserved α-helix of the precursor peptide using a novel precursor peptide recognition mechanism. The results provide insight into the unique protein/protein interactions key to the chemistry, suggest an origin of the natural combinatorial synthesis of microviridin peptides and provide a framework for future engineering efforts to generate designed compounds.

Lasso peptide, a highly stable structure and designable multifunctional backbone

Lasso peptide belongs to a new class of natural product with highly compact and stable structure. It has varieties of biological activities, among which the most important one is its antibacterial efficacy. Novel lasso peptides have been constantly discovered and analyzed by advanced techniques, and the biosynthesis or even chemical synthesis of lasso peptide has been studied after learning its constituent amino acids and maturation process. Structural identification of lasso peptide provides information for elucidating the mechanisms of its antibacterial activity and basis for further modifications. Ring of lasso peptide is the key to both its highly compact and stable structure and its intrinsic antibacterial property. The loop has been considered as suitable modification region of lasso peptide, such as V11-S18 of MccJ25 being modifiable without disrupting the lasso structure in biosynthesis. The tail is the immunity protein that can export lasso peptide out of its produced strain and serve as a self-protection mechanism at the same time. Most of currently known lasso peptides are non-pathogenic, which implies that the modified lasso peptides are promising candidates for medical applications. Arginine, glycine, and aspartic acid as a ligands of cancer-specific receptor have been grafted to the loop of lasso peptide without losing its bioactivity, and many other targets are expected to be used for lasso peptide modification. Multi-molecular modification and large-scale production need to be studied and solved in future for designing and using multifunctional lasso peptide based on its extraordinary stable structure.

Construction of Lasso Peptide Fusion Proteins

Lasso peptides are a family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) typified by an isopeptide-bonded macrocycle between the peptide N-terminus and an aspartate or glutamate side chain. The C-terminal portion of the peptide threads through the N-terminal macrocycle to give the characteristic lasso fold. Because of the inherent stability, both proteolytic and often thermal, of lasso peptides, we became interested in whether proteins could be fused to the free C-terminus of lasso peptides. Here, we demonstrate fusion of two model proteins, the artificial leucine zipper A1 and the superfolder variant of GFP, to the C-terminus of the lasso peptide astexin-1. Successful lasso cyclization of the N-terminus of these fusion proteins requires a flexible linker in between the C-terminus of the lasso peptide and the N-terminus of the protein of interest. The ability to fuse lasso peptides to a protein of interest is an important step toward phage and bacterial display systems for the high-throughput screening of lasso peptide libraries for new functions.

Elucidating the Specificity Determinants of the AtxE2 Lasso Peptide Isopeptidase

Lasso peptide isopeptidase is an enzyme that specifically hydrolyzes the isopeptide bond of lasso peptides, rendering these peptides linear. To carry out a detailed structure-activity analysis of the lasso peptide isopeptidase AtxE2 from Asticcacaulis excentricus, we solved NMR structures of its substrates astexin-2 and astexin-3. Using in vitro enzyme assays, we show that the C-terminal tail portion of these peptides is dispensable with regards to isopeptidase activity. A collection of astexin-2 and astexin-3 variants with alanine substitutions at each position within the ring and the loop was constructed, and we showed that all of these peptides except for one were cleaved by the isopeptidase. Thus, much like the lasso peptide biosynthetic enzymes, lasso peptide isopeptidase has broad substrate specificity. Quantitative analysis of the cleavage reactions indicated that alanine substitutions in loop positions of these peptides led to reduced cleavage, suggesting that the loop is serving as a recognition element for the isopeptidase.

Expanding the chemical diversity of lasso peptide MccJ25 with genetically encoded noncanonical amino acids

Using the amber suppression approach, four noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) were used to replace existing amino acids at four positions in lasso peptide microcin J25 (MccJ25). The lasso peptide biosynthesis enzymes tolerated all four ncAAs and produced antibiotics with efficacy equivalent to wild-type in some cases. Given the rapid expansion of the genetically encoded ncAA pool, this study is the first to demonstrate an expedient method to significantly increase the chemical diversity of lasso peptides.

Prospecting genomes for lasso peptides

Genome mining has unlocked a veritable treasure chest of natural compounds. However, each family of natural products requires a genome-mining approach tailored to its unique features to be successful. Lasso peptides are ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified products with a unique three-dimensional structure. Advances in the understanding of these molecules have informed the design of strategies to identify new members of the class in sequenced genomes. This review presents the bioinformatic methods used to discover novel lasso peptides and describes how such analyses have afforded insights into the biosynthesis and evolution of this peptide class.

Characterization of caulonodin lasso peptides revealed unprecedented N-terminal residues and a precursor motif essential for peptide maturation

We report four new class II lasso peptides featuring alanine and serine at position 1, a bioinformatically identified leader motif and its mutational analysis revealing significant impact on precursor processing.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: new insights into the role of leader and core peptides during biosynthesis

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a major class of natural products with a high degree of structural diversity and a wide variety of bioactivities. Understanding the biosynthetic machinery of these RiPPs will benefit the discovery and development of new molecules with potential pharmaceutical applications. In this Concept article, we discuss the features of the biosynthetic pathways to different RiPP classes, and propose mechanisms regarding recognition of the precursor peptide by the post-translational modification enzymes. We propose that the leader peptides function as allosteric regulators that bind the active form of the biosynthetic enzymes in a conformational selection process. We also speculate how enzymes that generate polycyclic products of defined topologies may have been selected for during evolution.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature

This review presents recommended nomenclature for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a rapidly growing class of natural products. The current knowledge regarding the biosynthesis of the >20 distinct compound classes is also reviewed, and commonalities are discussed.

Precursor-centric genome-mining approach for lasso peptide discovery

Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized posttranslationally modified natural products found in bacteria. Currently known lasso peptides have a diverse set of pharmacologically relevant activities, including inhibition of bacterial growth, receptor antagonism, and enzyme inhibition. The biosynthesis of lasso peptides is specified by a cluster of three genes encoding a precursor protein and two enzymes. Here we develop a unique genome-mining algorithm to identify lasso peptide gene clusters in prokaryotes. Our approach involves pattern matching to a small number of conserved amino acids in precursor proteins, and thus allows for a more global survey of lasso peptide gene clusters than does homology-based genome mining. Of more than 3,000 currently sequenced prokaryotic genomes, we found 76 organisms that are putative lasso peptide producers. These organisms span nine bacterial phyla and an archaeal phylum. To provide validation of the genome-mining method, we focused on a single lasso peptide predicted to be produced by the freshwater bacterium Asticcacaulis excentricus. Heterologous expression of an engineered, minimal gene cluster in Escherichia coli led to the production of a unique lasso peptide, astexin-1. At 23 aa, astexin-1 is the largest lasso peptide isolated to date. It is also highly polar, in contrast to many lasso peptides that are primarily hydrophobic. Astexin-1 has modest antimicrobial activity against its phylogenetic relative Caulobacter crescentus. The solution structure of astexin-1 was determined revealing a unique topology that is stabilized by hydrogen bonding between segments of the peptide.

Lasso peptides: structure, function, biosynthesis, and engineering

Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally-synthesized and posttranslationally-modified natural products with diverse bioactivities. This review describes the structure and function of all known lasso peptides (as of mid-2012) and covers our current knowledge about the biosynthesis of those molecules. The isolation and characterization of lasso peptides are also covered as are bioinformatics strategies for the discovery of new lasso peptides from genomic sequence data. Several studies on the engineering of new or improved function into lasso peptides are highlighted, and unanswered questions in the field are also described.