Discovery of daspyromycins A and B, 2-aminovinyl-cysteine containing lanthipeptides, through a genomics-based approach

A novel fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift for colorimetric and selective detection of cysteine in water, milk, cucumber, pear and tomato

Cysteine is an important amino acid that is related to human health and food safety. How to effectively detect Cys in food has received widespread attention. Compared with other methods, fluorescent probes have the advantages of simple operation, high sensitivity, and good selectivity. Therefore, a selective fluorescence probe 2 for Cys in food was designed and synthesized. Probe 2 employed the acrylate group as a thiol-recognition site for Cys, which endowed probe 2 with better selectivity for Cys over Hcy and GSH. The recognition pathway underwent Michael addition, intramolecular cyclization, and concomitant release of the piperideine-based fluorophore, along with a chromogenic change from yellow to orange. This pathway was supported by 1H NMR analysis and DFT calculations. In addition, probe 2 displays a linear response to Cys concentrations (0-30 μM), low detection limit (0.89 μM), and large Stokes shift (125 nm). Overall, probe 2 showed great application potential for the quantitative determination of Cys in water, milk, cucumber, pear and tomato.

Discovery of Diverse Sesquiterpenoids from Crossiella cryophila through Genome Mining and NMR Tracking

Terpenoids, the largest and most structurally diverse natural product family, are predominantly found in fungi and plants, with bacterial terpenoids forming a minor fraction. Here, we established an efficient platform that integrates genome mining and NMR-tracking for prioritizing strains and tracking bacterial terpenoids. By employing this platform, we selected Crossiella cryophila for a comprehensive investigation of its capacity for terpenoid production, resulting in the characterization of 15 sesquiterpenoids. These compounds comprise nine new sesquiterpenoids (1-9), along with six known analogs (10-15), which are categorized into five distinctive carbon skeletons: bicyclogermacrane, maaliane, cadinane, eudesmane, and nor-eudesmane. Their chemical structures were determined through a combination of spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical calculations. Notably, the absolute configurations of compounds 1, 2, 5-7, 9, and 13-15 were determined via single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The selected compounds were evaluated for their anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory bioactivities; however, none of these compounds displayed any significant bioactivity. This study enriches the repertoire of bacterial terpenoids, offers a practical process for prioritizing strains for bacterial terpenoids discovery, and establishes a foundation for exploring terpenoid biosynthesis.

Discovery and engineering of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) represent a diverse superfamily of natural products with immense potential for drug development. This review provides a concise overview of the recent advances in the discovery of RiPP natural products, focusing on rational strategies such as bioactivity guided screening, enzyme or precursor-based genome mining, and biosynthetic engineering. The challenges associated with activating silent biosynthetic gene clusters and the development of elaborate catalytic systems are also discussed. The logical frameworks emerging from these research studies offer valuable insights into RiPP biosynthesis and engineering, paving the way for broader pharmaceutic applications of these peptide natural products.

Cytochromes P450 Associated with the Biosyntheses of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptides

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a class of exponentially increased natural products with characteristic chemical structures, topologies, and biosynthetic mechanisms as well as exceptional bioactivities including antibacteria, antitumors, and antiviruses. The biosynthesis of RiPP proceeds via a ribosomally assembled precursor peptide that undergoes varied post-translational modifications to generate a mature peptide. Cytochrome P450 (CYP or P450) monooxygenases are a superfamily of heme-containing enzymes that span a wide range of secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways due to their broad substrate scopes and excellent catalytic versatility. In contrast to the enormous quantities of RiPPs and P450s, the P450 associated RiPP biosynthesis is comparatively limited, with most of their functions and timings remaining mysterious. Herein, this Review aims to provide an overview on the striking roles of P450s in RiPP biosyntheses uncovered to date and to illustrate their remarkable functions, mechanisms, as well as remaining challenges. This will shed light on novel P450 discovery and characterizations in RiPP biosyntheses.

Recent Advances in Discovery, Bioengineering, and Bioactivity-Evaluation of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptides

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are of increasing interest in natural products as well as drug discovery. This empowers not only the unique chemical structures and topologies in natural products but also the excellent bioactivities such as antibacteria, antifungi, antiviruses, and so on. Advances in genomics, bioinformatics, and chemical analytics have promoted the exponential increase of RiPPs as well as the evaluation of biological activities thereof. Furthermore, benefiting from their relatively simple and conserved biosynthetic logic, RiPPs are prone to be engineered to obtain diverse analogues that exhibit distinct physiological activities and are difficult to synthesize. This Review aims to systematically address the variety of biological activities and/or the mode of mechanisms of novel RiPPs discovered in the past decade, albeit the characteristics of selective structures and biosynthetic mechanisms are briefly covered as well. Almost one-half of the cases are involved in anti-Gram-positive bacteria. Meanwhile, an increasing number of RiPPs related to anti-Gram-negative bacteria, antitumor, antivirus, etc., are also discussed in detail. Last but not least, we sum up some disciplines of the RiPPs' biological activities to guide genome mining as well as drug discovery and optimization in the future.

Aminovinyl Cysteine Containing Peptides: A Unique Motif That Imparts Key Biological Activity

Natural products that contain distinctive chemical functionality can serve as useful starting points to develop Nature's compounds into viable therapeutics. Peptide natural products, an under-represented class of medicines, such as ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), often contain noncanonical amino acids and structural motifs that give rise to potent biological activity. However, these motifs can be difficult to obtain synthetically, thereby limiting the transition of RiPPs to the clinic. Aminovinyl cysteine containing peptides, which display potent antimicrobial or anticancer activity, possess an intricate C-terminal ring that is critical for bioactivity. To date, successful methods for the total chemical synthesis of such peptides are yet to be realized, although several advancements have been achieved. In this perspective, we review this burgeoning class of aminovinyl cysteine peptides and critically evaluate the chemical strategies to install the distinct aminovinyl cysteine motif.