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Han J, Miller EP, Li S. Cutting-edge plant natural product pathway elucidation. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 87:103137. [PMID: 38677219 PMCID: PMC11192039 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Plant natural products (PNPs) play important roles in plant physiology and have been applied across diverse fields of human society. Understanding their biosynthetic pathways informs plant evolution and meanwhile enables sustainable production through metabolic engineering. However, the discovery of PNP biosynthetic pathways remains challenging due to the diversity of enzymes involved and limitations in traditional gene mining approaches. In this review, we will summarize state-of-the-art strategies and recent examples for predicting and characterizing PNP biosynthetic pathways, respectively, with multiomics-guided tools and heterologous host systems and share our perspectives on the systematic pipelines integrating these various bioinformatic and biochemical approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Han
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Emma Parker Miller
- Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Sijin Li
- Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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2
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Zigová M, Michalková R, Mojžiš J. Anticancer Potential of Indole Phytoalexins and Their Analogues. Molecules 2024; 29:2388. [PMID: 38792249 PMCID: PMC11124384 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29102388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Indole phytoalexins, found in economically significant Cruciferae family plants, are synthesized in response to pathogen attacks or stress, serving as crucial components of plant defense mechanisms against bacterial and fungal infections. Furthermore, recent research indicates that these compounds hold promise for improving human health, particularly in terms of potential anticancer effects that have been observed in various studies. Since our last comprehensive overview in 2016 focusing on the antiproliferative effects of these substances, brassinin and camalexin have been the most extensively studied. This review analyses the multifaceted pharmacological effects of brassinin and camalexin, highlighting their anticancer potential. In this article, we also provide an overview of the antiproliferative activity of new synthetic analogs of indole phytoalexins, which were synthesized and tested at our university with the aim of enhancing efficacy compared to the parent compound.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Radka Michalková
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Ján Mojžiš
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia;
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3
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Dixon RA, Dickinson AJ. A century of studying plant secondary metabolism-From "what?" to "where, how, and why?". PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:48-66. [PMID: 38163637 PMCID: PMC11060662 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Over the past century, early advances in understanding the identity of the chemicals that collectively form a living plant have led scientists to deeper investigations exploring where these molecules localize, how they are made, and why they are synthesized in the first place. Many small molecules are specific to the plant kingdom and have been termed plant secondary metabolites, despite the fact that they can play primary and essential roles in plant structure, development, and response to the environment. The past 100 yr have witnessed elucidation of the structure, function, localization, and biosynthesis of selected plant secondary metabolites. Nevertheless, many mysteries remain about the vast diversity of chemicals produced by plants and their roles in plant biology. From early work characterizing unpurified plant extracts, to modern integration of 'omics technology to discover genes in metabolite biosynthesis and perception, research in plant (bio)chemistry has produced knowledge with substantial benefits for society, including human medicine and agricultural biotechnology. Here, we review the history of this work and offer suggestions for future areas of exploration. We also highlight some of the recently developed technologies that are leading to ongoing research advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Dixon
- BioDiscovery Institute and Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Alexandra Jazz Dickinson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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4
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Dong H, Ge H. Carbonic anhydrase-like enzymes in the formation of Lycopodium alkaloid. Chin J Nat Med 2024; 22:193-194. [PMID: 38553187 DOI: 10.1016/s1875-5364(24)60579-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Huiwen Dong
- State key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Functional Biomolecules, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Huiming Ge
- State key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Functional Biomolecules, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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5
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Nett RS, Dho Y, Tsai C, Passow D, Martinez Grundman J, Low YY, Sattely ES. Plant carbonic anhydrase-like enzymes in neuroactive alkaloid biosynthesis. Nature 2023; 624:182-191. [PMID: 37938780 PMCID: PMC10700139 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06716-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Plants synthesize numerous alkaloids that mimic animal neurotransmitters1. The diversity of alkaloid structures is achieved through the generation and tailoring of unique carbon scaffolds2,3, yet many neuroactive alkaloids belong to a scaffold class for which no biosynthetic route or enzyme catalyst is known. By studying highly coordinated, tissue-specific gene expression in plants that produce neuroactive Lycopodium alkaloids4, we identified an unexpected enzyme class for alkaloid biosynthesis: neofunctionalized α-carbonic anhydrases (CAHs). We show that three CAH-like (CAL) proteins are required in the biosynthetic route to a key precursor of the Lycopodium alkaloids by catalysing a stereospecific Mannich-like condensation and subsequent bicyclic scaffold generation. Also, we describe a series of scaffold tailoring steps that generate the optimized acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity of huperzine A5. Our findings suggest a broader involvement of CAH-like enzymes in specialized metabolism and demonstrate how successive scaffold tailoring can drive potency against a neurological protein target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Nett
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Yaereen Dho
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chun Tsai
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Daria Passow
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Yun-Yee Low
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Elizabeth S Sattely
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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6
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Liu Y, Singh SK, Pattanaik S, Wang H, Yuan L. Light regulation of the biosynthesis of phenolics, terpenoids, and alkaloids in plants. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1055. [PMID: 37853112 PMCID: PMC10584869 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05435-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Biosynthesis of specialized metabolites (SM), including phenolics, terpenoids, and alkaloids, is stimulated by many environmental factors including light. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the regulatory mechanisms involved in light-stimulated SM biosynthesis at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and posttranslational levels of regulation. While several excellent recent reviews have primarily focused on the impacts of general environmental factors, including light, on biosynthesis of an individual class of SM, here we highlight the regulation of three major SM biosynthesis pathways by light-responsive gene expression, microRNA regulation, and posttranslational modification of regulatory proteins. In addition, we present our future perspectives on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongliang Liu
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Sanjay K Singh
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Sitakanta Pattanaik
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
| | - Hongxia Wang
- Shanghai Chenshan Plant Science Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences Chenshan Botanical Garden, 3888 Chenhua Road, 201602, Songjiang, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ling Yuan
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
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7
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Zhao D, Zhang Y, Ren H, Shi Y, Dong D, Li Z, Cui G, Shen Y, Mou Z, Kennelly EJ, Huang L, Ruan J, Chen S, Yu D, Cun Y. Multi-omics analysis reveals the evolutionary origin of diterpenoid alkaloid biosynthesis pathways in Aconitum. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 65:2320-2335. [PMID: 37688324 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs) have been often utilized in clinical practice due to their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Natural DAs are prevalent in the family Ranunculaceae, notably in the Aconitum genus. Nevertheless, the evolutionary origin of the biosynthesis pathway responsible for DA production remains unknown. In this study, we successfully assembled a high-quality, pseudochromosome-level genome of the DA-rich species Aconitum vilmorinianum (A. vilmorinianum) (5.76 Gb). An A. vilmorinianum-specific whole-genome duplication event was discovered using comparative genomic analysis, which may aid in the evolution of the DA biosynthesis pathway. We identified several genes involved in DA biosynthesis via integrated genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses. These genes included enzymes encoding target ent-kaurene oxidases and aminotransferases, which facilitated the activation of diterpenes and insertion of nitrogen atoms into diterpene skeletons, thereby mediating the transformation of diterpenes into DAs. The divergence periods of these genes in A. vilmorinianum were further assessed, and it was shown that two major types of genes were involved in the establishment of the DA biosynthesis pathway. Our integrated analysis offers fresh insights into the evolutionary origin of DAs in A. vilmorinianum as well as suggestions for engineering the biosynthetic pathways to obtain desired DAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dake Zhao
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Ya Zhang
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Huanxing Ren
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Pediatric Research Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Yana Shi
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Ding Dong
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Zonghang Li
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Guanghong Cui
- National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Yong Shen
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Zongmin Mou
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Edward J Kennelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, 10468, New York, USA
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, Bronx, 10468, New York, USA
| | - Luqi Huang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
- National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Jue Ruan
- Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Suiyun Chen
- School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Diqiu Yu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Yupeng Cun
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Pediatric Research Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400014, China
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
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8
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Shoji T, Sugawara S, Mori T, Kobayashi M, Kusano M, Saito K. Induced production of specialized steroids by transcriptional reprogramming in Petunia hybrida. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad326. [PMID: 37920550 PMCID: PMC10619512 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce specialized metabolites with defensive properties that are often synthesized through the coordinated regulation of metabolic genes by transcription factors in various biological contexts. In this study, we investigated the regulatory function of the transcription factor PhERF1 from petunia (Petunia hybrida), which belongs to a small group of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) family members that regulate the biosynthesis of bioactive alkaloids and terpenoids in various plant lineages. We examined the effects of transiently overexpressing PhERF1 in petunia leaves on the transcriptome and metabolome, demonstrating the production of a class of specialized steroids, petuniolides, and petuniasterones in these leaves. We also observed the activation of many metabolic genes, including those involved in sterol biosynthesis, as well as clustered genes that encode new metabolic enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 oxidoreductases, 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, and BAHD acyltransferases. Furthermore, we determined that PhERF1 transcriptionally induces downstream metabolic genes by recognizing specific cis-regulatory elements in their promoters. This study highlights the potential of evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulators to induce the production of specialized products through transcriptional reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Shoji
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
- Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Satoko Sugawara
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Mori
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Makoto Kobayashi
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Miyako Kusano
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center (T-PIRC), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Kazuki Saito
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
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9
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Bitchagno GTM, Nchiozem-Ngnitedem VA, Melchert D, Fobofou SA. Demystifying racemic natural products in the homochiral world. Nat Rev Chem 2022; 6:806-822. [PMID: 36259059 PMCID: PMC9562063 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-022-00431-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Natural products possess structural complexity, diversity and chirality with attractive functions and biological activities that have significantly impacted drug discovery initiatives. Chiral natural products are abundant in nature but rarely occur as racemates. The occurrence of natural products as racemates is very intriguing from a biosynthetic point of view; as enzymes are chiral molecules, enzymatic reactions generating natural products should be stereospecific and lead to single-enantiomer products. Despite several reports in the literature describing racemic mixtures of stereoisomers isolated from natural sources, there has not been a comprehensive review of these intriguing racemic natural products. The discovery of many more natural racemates and their potential enzymatic sources in recent years allows us to describe the distribution and chemical diversity of this 'class of natural products' to enrich discussions on biosynthesis. In this Review, we describe the chemical classes, occurrence and distribution of pairs of enantiomers in nature and provide insights about recent advances in analytical methods used for their characterization. Special emphasis is on the biosynthesis, including plausible enzymatic and non-enzymatic formation of natural racemates, and their pharmacological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabin Thierry M. Bitchagno
- Agrobiosciences, Mohamed IV Polytechnic University, Ben-Guerir, Morocco
- Plant Sciences and Bioeconomy, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon
| | - Vaderament-A. Nchiozem-Ngnitedem
- Department of Chemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Dennis Melchert
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Serge Alain Fobofou
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX USA
- Texas Children’s Microbiome Center, Department of Pathology, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX USA
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10
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De novo biosynthesis of diverse plant-derived styrylpyrones in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metab Eng Commun 2022; 14:e00195. [PMID: 35287355 PMCID: PMC8917298 DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant styrylpyrones exerting well-established neuroprotective properties have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The ability to synthesize each individual styrylpyrone in engineered microorganisms is important to understanding the biological activity of medicinal plants and the complex mixtures they produce. Microbial biomanufacturing of diverse plant-derived styrylpyrones also provides a sustainable and efficient approach for the production of valuable plant styrylpyrones as daily supplements or potential drugs complementary to the prevalent agriculture-based approach. In this study, we firstly demonstrated the heterogenous biosynthesis of two 7,8-saturated styrylpyrones (7,8-dihydro-5,6-dehydrokavain (DDK) and 7,8-dihydroyangonin (DHY)) and two 7,8-unsaturated styrylpyrones (desmethoxyyangonin (DMY) and yangonin (Y)), in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although plant styrylpyrone biosynthetic pathways have not been fully elucidated, we functionally reconstructed the recently discovered kava styrylpyrone biosynthetic pathway that has high substrate promiscuity in yeast, and combined it with upstream hydroxycinnamic acid biosynthetic pathways to produce diverse plant-derived styrylpyrones without the native plant enzymes. We optimized the de novo pathways by engineering yeast endogenous aromatic amino acid metabolism and endogenous double bond reductases and by CRISPR-mediated δ-integration to overexpress the rate-limiting pathway genes. These combinatorial engineering efforts led to the first three yeast strains that can produce diverse plant-derived styrylpyrones de novo, with the titers of DDK, DMY and Y at 4.40 μM, 1.28 μM and 0.10 μM, respectively. This work has laid the foundation for larger-scale styrylpyrone biomanufacturing and the complete biosynthesis of more complicated plant styrylpyrones. Complete biosynthesis of plant styrylpyrones was firstly achieved in yeast. Yeast enzyme replaces unknown plant enzymes to produce 7,8-saturated styrylpyrones. CRISPR-based δ-integration led to stable styrylpyrone overproduction in rich medium.
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11
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Mohanty I, Tapadar S, Moore SG, Biggs JS, Freeman CJ, Gaul DA, Garg N, Agarwal V. Presence of Bromotyrosine Alkaloids in Marine Sponges Is Independent of Metabolomic and Microbiome Architectures. mSystems 2021; 6:e01387-20. [PMID: 33727403 PMCID: PMC8547014 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01387-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine sponge holobionts are prolific sources of natural products. One of the most geographically widespread classes of sponge-derived natural products is the bromotyrosine alkaloids. A distinguishing feature of bromotyrosine alkaloids is that they are present in phylogenetically disparate sponges. In this study, using sponge specimens collected from Guam, the Solomon Islands, the Florida Keys, and Puerto Rico, we queried whether the presence of bromotyrosine alkaloids potentiates metabolomic and microbiome conservation among geographically distant and phylogenetically different marine sponges. A multi-omic characterization of sponge holobionts revealed vastly different metabolomic and microbiome architectures among different bromotyrosine alkaloid-harboring sponges. However, we find statistically significant correlations between the microbiomes and metabolomes, signifying that the microbiome plays an important role in shaping the overall metabolome, even in low-microbial-abundance sponges. Molecules mined from the polar metabolomes of these sponges revealed conservation of biosynthetic logic between bromotyrosine alkaloids and brominated pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids, another class of marine sponge-derived natural products. In light of prior findings postulating the sponge host itself to be the biosynthetic source of bromotyrosine alkaloids, our data now set the stage for investigating the causal relationships that dictate the microbiome-metabolome interconnectedness for marine sponges in which the microbiome may not contribute to natural product biogenesis.IMPORTANCE Our work demonstrates that phylogenetically and geographically distant sponges with very different microbiomes can harbor natural product chemical classes that are united in their core chemical structures and biosynthetic logic. Furthermore, we show that independent of geographical dispersion, natural product chemistry, and microbial abundance, overall sponge metabolomes tightly correlate with their microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ipsita Mohanty
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Subhasish Tapadar
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Samuel G Moore
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jason S Biggs
- University of Guam Marine Laboratory, UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam
| | - Christopher J Freeman
- Department of Biology, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Smithsonian Marine Station, Ft. Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - David A Gaul
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Neha Garg
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Vinayak Agarwal
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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12
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Shoji T, Yuan L. ERF Gene Clusters: Working Together to Regulate Metabolism. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 26:23-32. [PMID: 32883605 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce structurally diverse specialized metabolites, including bioactive alkaloids and terpenoids, in response to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. The APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) family of transcription factors (TFs) play key roles in regulating biosynthesis of specialized metabolites. Increasing genomic and functional evidence shows that a subset of the ERF genes occurs in clusters on the chromosomes. These jasmonate-responsive ERF TF gene clusters control the biosynthesis of many important metabolites, from natural products, such as nicotine and steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), to pharmaceuticals, such as artemisinin, vinblastine, and vincristine. Here, we review the function, regulation, and evolution of ERF clusters and highlight recent advances in understanding the distinct roles of clustered ERF genes and their possible application in metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Shoji
- Department of Biological Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan.
| | - Ling Yuan
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
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13
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Barnum CR, Endelman BJ, Shih PM. Utilizing Plant Synthetic Biology to Improve Human Health and Wellness. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:691462. [PMID: 34504505 PMCID: PMC8421571 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.691462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Plants offer a vast source of bioactive chemicals with the potential to improve human health through the prevention and treatment of disease. However, many potential therapeutics are produced in small amounts or in species that are difficult to cultivate. The rapidly evolving field of plant synthetic biology provides tools to capitalize on the inventive chemistry of plants by transferring metabolic pathways for therapeutics into far more tenable plants, increasing our ability to produce complex pharmaceuticals in well-studied plant systems. Plant synthetic biology also provides methods to enhance the ability to fortify crops with nutrients and nutraceuticals. In this review, we discuss (1) the potential of plant synthetic biology to improve human health by generating plants that produce pharmaceuticals, nutrients, and nutraceuticals and (2) the technological challenges hindering our ability to generate plants producing health-promoting small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin R. Barnum
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Benjamin J. Endelman
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Patrick M. Shih
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, United States
- Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Patrick M. Shih,
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14
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Maffei ME. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP): Natural Occurrence, Analysis, Biosynthesis, Biotechnology, Physiology and Toxicology. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:E181. [PMID: 33375373 PMCID: PMC7796270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
L-5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is both a drug and a natural component of some dietary supplements. 5-HTP is produced from tryptophan by tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), which is present in two isoforms (TPH1 and TPH2). Decarboxylation of 5-HTP yields serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) that is further transformed to melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine). 5-HTP plays a major role both in neurologic and metabolic diseases and its synthesis from tryptophan represents the limiting step in serotonin and melatonin biosynthesis. In this review, after an look at the main natural sources of 5-HTP, the chemical analysis and synthesis, biosynthesis and microbial production of 5-HTP by molecular engineering will be described. The physiological effects of 5-HTP are discussed in both animal studies and human clinical trials. The physiological role of 5-HTP in the treatment of depression, anxiety, panic, sleep disorders, obesity, myoclonus and serotonin syndrome are also discussed. 5-HTP toxicity and the occurrence of toxic impurities present in tryptophan and 5-HTP preparations are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo E Maffei
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Quarello 15/a, 10135 Turin, Italy
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15
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Rajabi F, Gusbeth C, Frey W, Maisch J, Nick P. Nanosecond pulsed electrical fields enhance product recovery in plant cell fermentation. PROTOPLASMA 2020; 257:1585-1594. [PMID: 32651872 PMCID: PMC7567687 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-020-01534-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The potential of pharmacologically active secondary plant metabolites is limited by the low yield from often rare plants, and the lack of economically feasible chemical synthesis of these complex compounds. Plant cell fermentation offers an alternative strategy to overcome these constraints. However, the efficiency of this approach is limited by intracellular sequestration of the products, such that continuous bioprocessing is not possible. As a precondition for such a, more attractive, continuous process, it is of great importance to stimulate the export of the product into the medium without impairing viability and, thus, the productivity of the cells. Using nicotine alkaloids of tobacco as a case study, an alternative strategy is explored, where nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) are applied for the efficient downstream recovery of the products. To maintain cell viability and allow for the further use of biomass, cells were exposed to strong (1-20 kV·cm-1), but very short (10-100 ns) electric pulses, which leads to a temporary permeabilisation of cell membranes. Using two transgenic cell lines, where two key genes involved in the metabolism of the anti-Alzheimer compound nornicotine were overexpressed, we could show that this nsPEF treatment improved the partitioning of some nicotine alkaloids to the culture medium without impairing viability, nor the synthesis of alkaloids. However, this release was only partial and did not work for nornicotine. Thus, nsPEFs produced a fractionation of alkaloids. We explain this electrofractionation by a working model considering the differential intracellular compartmentalization of nicotineic alkaloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Rajabi
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Christian Gusbeth
- Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology (IHM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Frey
- Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology (IHM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jan Maisch
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Peter Nick
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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16
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Lichman BR. The scaffold-forming steps of plant alkaloid biosynthesis. Nat Prod Rep 2020; 38:103-129. [PMID: 32745157 DOI: 10.1039/d0np00031k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Alkaloids from plants are characterised by structural diversity and bioactivity, and maintain a privileged position in both modern and traditional medicines. In recent years, there have been significant advances in elucidating the biosynthetic origins of plant alkaloids. In this review, I will describe the progress made in determining the metabolic origins of the so-called true alkaloids, specialised metabolites derived from amino acids containing a nitrogen heterocycle. By identifying key biosynthetic steps that feature in the majority of pathways, I highlight the key roles played by modifications to primary metabolism, iminium reactivity and spontaneous reactions in the molecular and evolutionary origins of these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Lichman
- Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
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17
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Tiedge K, Muchlinski A, Zerbe P. Genomics-enabled analysis of specialized metabolism in bioenergy crops: current progress and challenges. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2020; 5:ysaa005. [PMID: 32995549 PMCID: PMC7445794 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysaa005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants produce a staggering diversity of specialized small molecule metabolites that play vital roles in mediating environmental interactions and stress adaptation. This chemical diversity derives from dynamic biosynthetic pathway networks that are often species-specific and operate under tight spatiotemporal and environmental control. A growing divide between demand and environmental challenges in food and bioenergy crop production has intensified research on these complex metabolite networks and their contribution to crop fitness. High-throughput omics technologies provide access to ever-increasing data resources for investigating plant metabolism. However, the efficiency of using such system-wide data to decode the gene and enzyme functions controlling specialized metabolism has remained limited; due largely to the recalcitrance of many plants to genetic approaches and the lack of 'user-friendly' biochemical tools for studying the diverse enzyme classes involved in specialized metabolism. With emphasis on terpenoid metabolism in the bioenergy crop switchgrass as an example, this review aims to illustrate current advances and challenges in the application of DNA synthesis and synthetic biology tools for accelerating the functional discovery of genes, enzymes and pathways in plant specialized metabolism. These technologies have accelerated knowledge development on the biosynthesis and physiological roles of diverse metabolite networks across many ecologically and economically important plant species and can provide resources for application to precision breeding and natural product metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Tiedge
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrew Muchlinski
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Philipp Zerbe
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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18
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Chu L, Huang J, Muhammad M, Deng Z, Gao J. Genome mining as a biotechnological tool for the discovery of novel marine natural products. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2020; 40:571-589. [PMID: 32308042 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2020.1751056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Compared to terrestrial environments, the oceans harbor a variety of environments, creating higher biodiversity, which gives marine natural products a high occurrence of significant biology and novel chemistry. However, traditional bioassay-guided isolation and purification strategies are severely limiting the discovery of additional novel natural products from the ocean. With an increasing number of marine microorganisms being sequenced, genome mining is gradually becoming a powerful tool to retrieve novel marine natural products. In this review, we have summarized genome mining approaches used to analyze key enzymes of biosynthetic pathways and predict the chemical structure of new gene clusters by introducing successful stories that used genome mining strategy to identify new marine-derived compounds. Furthermore, we also put forward challenges for genome mining techniques and their proposed solutions. The detailed analysis of the genome mining strategy will help researchers to understand this novel technique and its application. With the development of a genome sequence, genome mining strategies will be applied more widely, which will drive rapid development in the field of marine natural product development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leixia Chu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jinping Huang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mustafa Muhammad
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiangtao Gao
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
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19
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Torrens-Spence MP, Liu CT, Weng JK. Engineering New Branches of the Kynurenine Pathway To Produce Oxo-(2-aminophenyl) and Quinoline Scaffolds in Yeast. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:2735-2745. [PMID: 31714755 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The kynurenine pathway, named after its nonproteinogenic amino acid precursor l-kynurenine, is responsible for the de novo biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in eukaryotes. Oxo-(2-aminophenyl) and quinoline molecules downstream from l-kynurenine also serve as antagonists of several receptors of the central nervous system in mammals. In this study, we engineered new biosynthetic routes in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce a suite of l-kynurenine-derived natural products. Overexpression of Homo sapiens l-tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (HsTDO2) in S. cerevisiae led to a marked increase in the production of l-kynurenine and downstream metabolites. Using this background, new branch points to the kynurenine pathway were added through the incorporation of a Psilocybe cubensis noncanonical L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (PcncAAAD) capable of catalyzing both decarboxylation and decarboxylation-dependent oxidative-deamination reactions of l-kynurenine and 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to yield their corresponding monoamines, aldehydes, and downstream nonenzymatically cyclized quinolines. The PcncAAAD-catalyzed decarboxylation products, kynuramine and 3-hydroxykynuramine, could further be converted to quinoline scaffolds through the addition of H. sapiens monoamine oxidase A (HsMAO-A). Finally, by incorporating upstream regiospecific l-tryptophan halogenases into the engineering scheme, we produced a number of halogenated oxo-(2-aminophenyl) and quinoline compounds. This work illustrates a synthetic biology approach to expand primary metabolic pathways in the production of novel natural-product-like scaffolds amenable for downstream functionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chun-Ting Liu
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jing-Ke Weng
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 455 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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20
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Pluskal T, Torrens-Spence MP, Fallon TR, De Abreu A, Shi CH, Weng JK. The biosynthetic origin of psychoactive kavalactones in kava. NATURE PLANTS 2019; 5:867-878. [PMID: 31332312 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-019-0474-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Kava (Piper methysticum) is an ethnomedicinal shrub native to the Polynesian islands with well-established anxiolytic and analgesic properties. Its main psychoactive principles, kavalactones, form a unique class of polyketides that interact with the human central nervous system through mechanisms distinct from those of conventional psychiatric drugs. However, an unknown biosynthetic machinery and difficulty in chemical synthesis hinder the therapeutic use of kavalactones. In addition, kava also produces flavokavains, which are chalconoids with anticancer properties structurally related to kavalactones. Here, we report de novo elucidation of the key enzymes of the kavalactone and flavokavain biosynthetic network. We present the structural basis for the evolutionary development of a pair of paralogous styrylpyrone synthases that establish the kavalactone scaffold and the catalytic mechanism of a regio- and stereo-specific kavalactone reductase that produces a subset of chiral kavalactones. We further demonstrate the feasibility of engineering styrylpyrone production in heterologous hosts, thus opening a way to develop kavalactone-based non-addictive psychiatric therapeutics through synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Pluskal
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Timothy R Fallon
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrea De Abreu
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Cindy H Shi
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jing-Ke Weng
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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21
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Argueso CT, Assmann SM, Birnbaum KD, Chen S, Dinneny JR, Doherty CJ, Eveland AL, Friesner J, Greenlee VR, Law JA, Marshall‐Colón A, Mason GA, O'Lexy R, Peck SC, Schmitz RJ, Song L, Stern D, Varagona MJ, Walley JW, Williams CM. Directions for research and training in plant omics: Big Questions and Big Data. PLANT DIRECT 2019; 3:e00133. [PMID: 31245771 PMCID: PMC6589541 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
A key remit of the NSF-funded "Arabidopsis Research and Training for the 21st Century" (ART-21) Research Coordination Network has been to convene a series of workshops with community members to explore issues concerning research and training in plant biology, including the role that research using Arabidopsis thaliana can play in addressing those issues. A first workshop focused on training needs for bioinformatic and computational approaches in plant biology was held in 2016, and recommendations from that workshop have been published (Friesner et al., Plant Physiology, 175, 2017, 1499). In this white paper, we provide a summary of the discussions and insights arising from the second ART-21 workshop. The second workshop focused on experimental aspects of omics data acquisition and analysis and involved a broad spectrum of participants from academics and industry, ranging from graduate students through post-doctorates, early career and established investigators. Our hope is that this article will inspire beginning and established scientists, corporations, and funding agencies to pursue directions in research and training identified by this workshop, capitalizing on the reference species Arabidopsis thaliana and other valuable plant systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiana T. Argueso
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest ManagementColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColorado
| | - Sarah M. Assmann
- Biology DepartmentPenn State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvania
| | - Kenneth D. Birnbaum
- Department of BiologyCenter for Genomics and Systems BiologyNew York UniversityNew YorkNew York
| | - Sixue Chen
- Department of BiologyGenetics InstitutePlant Molecular and Cellular Biology ProgramUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida
- Proteomics and Mass SpectrometryInterdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology ResearchUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFlorida
| | | | - Colleen J. Doherty
- Department of Molecular and Structural BiochemistryNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth Carolina
| | | | | | - Vanessa R. Greenlee
- International ProgramsCollege of Agriculture and Life SciencesCornell UniversityIthacaNew York
| | - Julie A. Law
- Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology LaboratorySalk Institute for Biological StudiesLa JollaCalifornia
- Division of Biological SciencesUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCalifornia
| | - Amy Marshall‐Colón
- Department of Plant BiologyUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinois
| | - Grace Alex Mason
- Department of Plant Biology and Genome CenterUC DavisDavisCalifornia
| | - Ruby O'Lexy
- Coriell Institute for Medical ResearchCamdenNew Jersey
| | - Scott C. Peck
- Division of BiochemistryChristopher S. Bond Life Sciences CenterInterdisciplinary Plant GroupUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMissouri
| | | | - Liang Song
- Department of BotanyThe University of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | | | | | - Justin W. Walley
- Department of Plant Pathology and MicrobiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowa
| | - Cranos M. Williams
- Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth Carolina
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22
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Yahyaa M, Berim A, Nawade B, Ibdah M, Dudareva N, Ibdah M. Biosynthesis of methyleugenol and methylisoeugenol in Daucus carota leaves: Characterization of eugenol/isoeugenol synthase and O-Methyltransferase. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2019; 159:179-189. [PMID: 30634080 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2018] [Revised: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a widely cultivated root vegetable of high economic importance. The aroma of carrot roots and aboveground organs is mainly defined by terpenes. We found that leaves of orange carrot cultivar also produce considerable amounts of the phenylpropenes methyleugenol and methylisoeugenol. Notably, methyleugenol is most abundant in young leaves, while methylisoeugenol is the dominant phenylpropene in mature leaf tissue. The goal of the present study was to shed light on the biochemistry and molecular biology of these compounds' biosynthesis and accumulation. Using the available genomic and transcriptomic data, we isolated a cDNA encoding eugenol/isoeugenol synthase (DcE(I)GS1), an NADPH-dependent enzyme that converts coniferyl acetate to eugenol. This enzyme exhibits dual product specificity and yields propenylphenol isoeugenol alongside allylphenol eugenol. Furthermore, we identified a cDNA encoding S-adenosyl-L-methionine:eugenol/isoeugenol O-methyltransferase 1 (DcE(I)OMT1) that produces methyleugenol and methylisoeugenol via methylation of the para-OH-group of their respective precursors. Both DcE(I)GS1 and DcE(I)OMT1 were expressed in seeds, roots, young and mature leaves, and the DcE(I)OMT1 transcript levels were the highest in leaves. The DcE(I)GS1 protein is 67% identical to anise t-anol/isoeugenol synthase and displays an apparent Km of 247 μM for coniferyl acetate. The catalytic efficiency of DcEOMT1 with eugenol is more than five-fold higher than that with isoeugenol, with Km values of 40 μM for eugenol, and of 115 μM for isoeugenol. This work expands the current knowledge of the enzymes involved in phenylpropene biosynthesis and would enable studies into structural elements defining the regioselectivity of phenylpropene synthases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mosaab Yahyaa
- Newe Yaar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P. O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Anna Berim
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, P. O. Box 646340, Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
| | - Bhagwat Nawade
- Newe Yaar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P. O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel
| | - Muhammad Ibdah
- Sakhnin College Academic College for Teacher Education, Sakhnin, Israel
| | - Natalia Dudareva
- Purdue University, Department of Biochemistry, 175 S. University Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2063, USA
| | - Mwafaq Ibdah
- Newe Yaar Research Center, Agricultural Research Organization, P. O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel.
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23
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Karunanithi PS, Zerbe P. Terpene Synthases as Metabolic Gatekeepers in the Evolution of Plant Terpenoid Chemical Diversity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:1166. [PMID: 31632418 PMCID: PMC6779861 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Terpenoids comprise tens of thousands of small molecule natural products that are widely distributed across all domains of life. Plants produce by far the largest array of terpenoids with various roles in development and chemical ecology. Driven by selective pressure to adapt to their specific ecological niche, individual species form only a fraction of the myriad plant terpenoids, typically representing unique metabolite blends. Terpene synthase (TPS) enzymes are the gatekeepers in generating terpenoid diversity by catalyzing complex carbocation-driven cyclization, rearrangement, and elimination reactions that enable the transformation of a few acyclic prenyl diphosphate substrates into a vast chemical library of hydrocarbon and, for a few enzymes, oxygenated terpene scaffolds. The seven currently defined clades (a-h) forming the plant TPS family evolved from ancestral triterpene synthase- and prenyl transferase-type enzymes through repeated events of gene duplication and subsequent loss, gain, or fusion of protein domains and further functional diversification. Lineage-specific expansion of these TPS clades led to variable family sizes that may range from a single TPS gene to families of more than 100 members that may further function as part of modular metabolic networks to maximize the number of possible products. Accompanying gene family expansion, the TPS family shows a profound functional plasticity, where minor active site alterations can dramatically impact product outcome, thus enabling the emergence of new functions with minimal investment in evolving new enzymes. This article reviews current knowledge on the functional diversity and molecular evolution of the plant TPS family that underlies the chemical diversity of bioactive terpenoids across the plant kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prema S Karunanithi
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Philipp Zerbe
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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24
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Gene-guided discovery and engineering of branched cyclic peptides in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E10961-E10969. [PMID: 30373830 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1813993115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The plant kingdom contains vastly untapped natural product chemistry, which has been traditionally explored through the activity-guided approach. Here, we describe a gene-guided approach to discover and engineer a class of plant ribosomal peptides, the branched cyclic lyciumins. Initially isolated from the Chinese wolfberry Lycium barbarum, lyciumins are protease-inhibiting peptides featuring an N-terminal pyroglutamate and a macrocyclic bond between a tryptophan-indole nitrogen and a glycine α-carbon. We report the identification of a lyciumin precursor gene from L. barbarum, which encodes a BURP domain and repetitive lyciumin precursor peptide motifs. Genome mining enabled by this initial finding revealed rich lyciumin genotypes and chemotypes widespread in flowering plants. We establish a biosynthetic framework of lyciumins and demonstrate the feasibility of producing diverse natural and unnatural lyciumins in transgenic tobacco. With rapidly expanding plant genome resources, our approach will complement bioactivity-guided approaches to unlock and engineer hidden plant peptide chemistry for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications.
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25
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Confortin TC, Todero I, Luft L, Soares JF, Mazutti MA, Zabot GL, Tres MV. Importance of Lupinus albescens in agricultural and food-related areas: A review. 3 Biotech 2018; 8:448. [PMID: 30333950 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-018-1474-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to assist readers in understanding the importance of Lupinus albescens to nature, farmers, and scientists. L. albescens is mostly found in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and in "Campanha, Litoral and Missões" regions of State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Therefore, this review presents information and discussion on this plant that can encourage novel studies in a near future for exploring evermore the biological and physicochemical properties of L. albescens. The plant presents adaptive characteristics of soils with low content of nutrients, being an important plant for the recovering of degraded areas. In the last few years, there was an increase in scientific interest for exploring its chemical composition and biological activities. All plant matrices (i.e., roots, leaves, seeds, and stalks) are rich in antioxidant and antifungal compounds, especially stigmasterol. For example, the extracts obtained from the roots are reported with more than 50 wt% stigmasterol and 25 wt% ergosterol. Furthermore, the extracts present remarkable fungicide effects, especially against Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium verticillioides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tássia Carla Confortin
- 1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
- 3Laboratory of Agroindustrial Processes Engineering (LAPE), Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Presidente Vargas, 1958, Cachoeira do Sul, 96506-302 Brazil
| | - Izelmar Todero
- 1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
| | - Luciana Luft
- 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
| | - Juliana Ferreira Soares
- 1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
| | - Marcio Antonio Mazutti
- 1Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
- 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Santa Maria, 97105-900 Brazil
| | - Giovani Leone Zabot
- 3Laboratory of Agroindustrial Processes Engineering (LAPE), Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Presidente Vargas, 1958, Cachoeira do Sul, 96506-302 Brazil
| | - Marcus Vinícius Tres
- 3Laboratory of Agroindustrial Processes Engineering (LAPE), Federal University of Santa Maria, Av. Presidente Vargas, 1958, Cachoeira do Sul, 96506-302 Brazil
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26
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Eudesmane-type sesquiterpene diols directly synthesized by a sesquiterpene cyclase in Tripterygium wilfordii. Biochem J 2018; 475:2713-2725. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cryptomeridiol, a typical eudesmane diol, is the active principle component of the antispasmodic Proximol. Although it has been used for many years, the biosynthesis pathway of cryptomeridiol has remained blur. Among terpenoid natural products, terpenoid cyclases are responsible for cyclization and generation of hydrocarbon backbones. The cyclization is mediated by carbocationic cascades and ultimately terminated via deprotonation or nucleophilic capture. Isoprene precursors are, respectively, converted into hydrocarbons or hydroxylated backbones. A sesquiterpene cyclase in Tripterygium wilfordii (TwCS) was determined to directly catalyze (E,E)-farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) to unexpected eudesmane diols, primarily cryptomeridiol. The function of TwCS was characterized by a modular pathway engineering system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The major product determined by NMR spectroscopy turned out to be cryptomeridiol. This unprecedented production was further investigated in vitro, which verified that TwCS can directly produce eudesmane diols from FPP. Some key residues for TwCS catalysis were screened depending on the molecular model of TwCS and mutagenesis studies. As cryptomeridiol showed a small amount of volatile and medicinal properties, the biosynthesis of cryptomeridiol was reconstructed in S. cerevisiae. Optimized assays including modular pathway engineering and the CRISPR–cas9 system were successfully used to improve the yield of cryptomeridiol in the S. cerevisiae. The best engineered strain TE9 (BY4741 erg9::Δ-200-176 rox1::mut/pYX212-IDI + TwCS/p424-tHMG1) ultimately produced 19.73 mg/l cryptomeridiol in a shake flask culture.
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27
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Production of methoxylated flavonoids in yeast using ring A hydroxylases and flavonoid O-methyltransferases from sweet basil. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:5585-5598. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9043-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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28
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Colinas M, Goossens A. Combinatorial Transcriptional Control of Plant Specialized Metabolism. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 23:324-336. [PMID: 29395832 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce countless specialized compounds of diverse chemical nature and biological activities. Their biosynthesis often exclusively occurs either in response to environmental stresses or is limited to dedicated anatomical structures. In both scenarios, regulation of biosynthesis appears to be mainly controlled at the transcriptional level, which is generally dependent on a combined interplay of DNA-related mechanisms and the activity of transcription factors that may act in a combinatorial manner. How environmental and developmental cues are integrated into a coordinated cell type-specific stress response has only partially been unraveled so far. Building on the available examples from (metabolic) gene expression, here we propose theoretical models of how this integration of signals may occur at the level of transcriptional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maite Colinas
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Alain Goossens
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
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29
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Pedras MSC, To QH. Interrogation of biosynthetic pathways of the cruciferous phytoalexins nasturlexins with isotopically labelled compounds. Org Biomol Chem 2018; 16:3625-3638. [DOI: 10.1039/c8ob00673c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A biosynthetic map of the precursors of the phytoalexins nasturlexins and cyclonasturlexin is established.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Q. Huy To
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Saskatchewan
- Saskatoon
- Canada
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30
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Proteomic approaches in microalgae: perspectives and applications. 3 Biotech 2017; 7:197. [PMID: 28667637 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-017-0831-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofuels are the promising sources which are produced by various microalgae or in the form of metabolic by-products from organic or food waste products. Microalgae have been widely reported for the production of biofuels since these have a high storage of lipids as triacylglycerides, which can mainly be converted into biofuels. Recently, products such as biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas have renewed the interest toward the microalgae. The proteomics alone will not pave the way toward finding an ideal alga which will fulfill the current energy demands, but a combined approach of proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics can be pivotal for a sustainable solution. The present review emphasizes various technologies currently involved in algal proteomics for the efficient production of biofuels.
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31
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Reed J, Stephenson MJ, Miettinen K, Brouwer B, Leveau A, Brett P, Goss RJM, Goossens A, O'Connell MA, Osbourn A. A translational synthetic biology platform for rapid access to gram-scale quantities of novel drug-like molecules. Metab Eng 2017; 42:185-193. [PMID: 28687337 PMCID: PMC5555447 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2017.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Plants are an excellent source of drug leads. However availability is limited by access to source species, low abundance and recalcitrance to chemical synthesis. Although plant genomics is yielding a wealth of genes for natural product biosynthesis, the translation of this genetic information into small molecules for evaluation as drug leads represents a major bottleneck. For example, the yeast platform for artemisinic acid production is estimated to have taken >150 person years to develop. Here we demonstrate the power of plant transient transfection technology for rapid, scalable biosynthesis and isolation of triterpenes, one of the largest and most structurally diverse families of plant natural products. Using pathway engineering and improved agro-infiltration methodology we are able to generate gram-scale quantities of purified triterpene in just a few weeks. In contrast to heterologous expression in microbes, this system does not depend on re-engineering of the host. We next exploit agro-infection for quick and easy combinatorial biosynthesis without the need for generation of multi-gene constructs, so affording an easy entrée to suites of molecules, some new-to-nature, that are recalcitrant to chemical synthesis. We use this platform to purify a suite of bespoke triterpene analogs and demonstrate differences in anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activity in bioassays, providing proof of concept of this system for accessing and evaluating medicinally important bioactives. Together with new genome mining algorithms for plant pathway discovery and advances in plant synthetic biology, this advance provides new routes to synthesize and access previously inaccessible natural products and analogs and has the potential to reinvigorate drug discovery pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Reed
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Michael J Stephenson
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Karel Miettinen
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Bastiaan Brouwer
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Aymeric Leveau
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Paul Brett
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Rebecca J M Goss
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK; School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Alain Goossens
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, B-9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Maria A O'Connell
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Anne Osbourn
- Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
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32
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Abstract
Brassica crop species are prolific producers of indole-sulfur phytoalexins that are thought to have an important role in plant disease resistance. These molecules are conspicuously absent in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and little is known about the enzymatic steps that assemble the key precursor brassinin. Here, we report the minimum set of biosynthetic genes required to generate cruciferous phytoalexins starting from the well-studied glucosinolate pathway. In vitro biochemical characterization revealed an additional role for the previously described carbon-sulfur lyase SUR1 in processing cysteine-isothiocyanate conjugates, as well as the S-methyltransferase DTCMT that methylates the resulting dithiocarbamate, together completing a pathway to brassinin. Additionally, the β-glucosidase BABG that is present in Brassica rapa but absent in Arabidopsis was shown to act as a myrosinase and may be a determinant of plants that synthesize phytoalexins from indole glucosinolate. Transient expression of the entire pathway in Nicotiana benthamiana yields brassinin, demonstrating that the biosynthesis of indole-sulfur phytoalexins can be engineered into noncruciferous plants. The identification of these biosynthetic enzymes and the heterologous reconstitution of the indole-sulfur phytoalexin pathway sheds light on an important pathway in an edible plant and opens the door to using metabolic engineering to systematically quantify the impact of cruciferous phytoalexins on plant disease resistance and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Klein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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33
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Rajabi F, Heene E, Maisch J, Nick P. Combination of Plant Metabolic Modules Yields Synthetic Synergies. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0169778. [PMID: 28081182 PMCID: PMC5231347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The great potential of pharmacologically active secondary plant metabolites is often limited by low yield and availability of the producing plant. Chemical synthesis of these complex compounds is often too expensive. Plant cell fermentation offers an alternative strategy to overcome these limitations. However, production in batch cell cultures remains often inefficient. One reason might be the fact that different cell types have to interact for metabolite maturation, which is poorly mimicked in suspension cell lines. Using alkaloid metabolism of tobacco, we explore an alternative strategy, where the metabolic interactions of different cell types in a plant tissue are technically mimicked based on different plant-cell based metabolic modules. In this study, we simulate the interaction found between the nicotine secreting cells of the root and the nicotine-converting cells of the senescent leaf, generating the target compound nornicotine in the model cell line tobacco BY-2. When the nicotine demethylase NtomCYP82E4 was overexpressed in tobacco BY-2 cells, nornicotine synthesis was triggered, but only to a minor extent. However, we show here that we can improve the production of nornicotine in this cell line by feeding the precursor, nicotine. Engineering of another cell line overexpressing the key enzyme NtabMPO1 allows to stimulate accumulation and secretion of this precursor. We show that the nornicotine production of NtomCYP82E4 cells can be significantly stimulated by feeding conditioned medium from NtabMPO1 overexpressors without any negative effect on the physiology of the cells. Co-cultivation of NtomCYP82E4 with NtabMPO1 stimulated nornicotine accumulation even further, demonstrating that the physical presence of cells was superior to just feeding the conditioned medium collected from the same cells. These results provide a proof of concept that combination of different metabolic modules can improve the productivity for target compounds in plant cell fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Rajabi
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
| | - Ernst Heene
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
| | - Jan Maisch
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
| | - Peter Nick
- Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
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34
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Zhang X, Li S. Expansion of chemical space for natural products by uncommon P450 reactions. Nat Prod Rep 2017; 34:1061-1089. [DOI: 10.1039/c7np00028f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on unusual P450 reactions related to new chemistry, skeleton construction, structure re-shaping, and protein–protein interactions in natural product biosynthesis, which play significant roles in chemical space expansion for natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingwang Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels at Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Qingdao
- China
| | - Shengying Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology
- CAS Key Laboratory of Biofuels at Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Qingdao
- China
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35
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Medema MH, Osbourn A. Computational genomic identification and functional reconstitution of plant natural product biosynthetic pathways. Nat Prod Rep 2016; 33:951-62. [PMID: 27321668 PMCID: PMC4987707 DOI: 10.1039/c6np00035e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Covering: 2003 to 2016The last decade has seen the first major discoveries regarding the genomic basis of plant natural product biosynthetic pathways. Four key computationally driven strategies have been developed to identify such pathways, which make use of physical clustering, co-expression, evolutionary co-occurrence and epigenomic co-regulation of the genes involved in producing a plant natural product. Here, we discuss how these approaches can be used for the discovery of plant biosynthetic pathways encoded by both chromosomally clustered and non-clustered genes. Additionally, we will discuss opportunities to prioritize plant gene clusters for experimental characterization, and end with a forward-looking perspective on how synthetic biology technologies will allow effective functional reconstitution of candidate pathways using a variety of genetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marnix H. Medema
- Bioinformatics Group , Wageningen University , Wageningen , The Netherlands .
| | - Anne Osbourn
- Department of Metabolic Biology , John Innes Centre , Norwich Research Park , Norwich , UK .
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36
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Biggs BW, Rouck JE, Kambalyal A, Arnold W, Lim CG, De Mey M, O’Neil-Johnson M, Starks CM, Das A, Ajikumar PK. Orthogonal Assays Clarify the Oxidative Biochemistry of Taxol P450 CYP725A4. ACS Chem Biol 2016; 11:1445-51. [PMID: 26930136 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.5b00968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Natural product metabolic engineering potentially offers sustainable and affordable access to numerous valuable molecules. However, challenges in characterizing and assembling complex biosynthetic pathways have prevented more rapid progress in this field. The anticancer agent Taxol represents an excellent case study. Assembly of a biosynthetic pathway for Taxol has long been stalled at its first functionalization, putatively an oxygenation performed by the cytochrome P450 CYP725A4, due to confounding characterizations. Here, through combined in vivo (Escherichia coli), in vitro (lipid nanodisc), and metabolite stability assays, we verify the presence and likely cause of this enzyme's inherent promiscuity. Thereby, we remove the possibility that promiscuity simply existed as an artifact of previous metabolic engineering approaches. Further, spontaneous rearrangement and the stabilizing effect of a hydrophobic overlay suggest a potential role for nonenzymatic chemistry in Taxol's biosynthesis. Taken together, this work confirms taxadiene-5α-ol as a primary enzymatic product of CYP725A4 and provides direction for future Taxol metabolic and protein engineering efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Walters Biggs
- Manus Biosynthesis, 1030 Massachusetts
Avenue, Suite 300, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Masters in Biotechnology Program), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - John Edward Rouck
- Department
of Comparative Biosciences, Department of Biochemistry, Department
of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Amogh Kambalyal
- Department
of Comparative Biosciences, Department of Biochemistry, Department
of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - William Arnold
- Department
of Comparative Biosciences, Department of Biochemistry, Department
of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Chin Giaw Lim
- Manus Biosynthesis, 1030 Massachusetts
Avenue, Suite 300, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Marjan De Mey
- Manus Biosynthesis, 1030 Massachusetts
Avenue, Suite 300, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Centre
for Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis, Ghent University, Coupure
Links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Mark O’Neil-Johnson
- Sequoia Sciences, 1912 Innerbelt
Business Center Dr., Saint Louis, Missouri 63114, United States
| | - Courtney M. Starks
- Sequoia Sciences, 1912 Innerbelt
Business Center Dr., Saint Louis, Missouri 63114, United States
| | - Aditi Das
- Department
of Comparative Biosciences, Department of Biochemistry, Department
of Bioengineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Parayil Kumaran Ajikumar
- Manus Biosynthesis, 1030 Massachusetts
Avenue, Suite 300, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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37
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Biocatalysts from alkaloid producing plants. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2016; 31:22-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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38
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Overcoming heterologous protein interdependency to optimize P450-mediated Taxol precursor synthesis in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:3209-14. [PMID: 26951651 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515826113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in metabolic engineering have demonstrated the potential to exploit biological chemistry for the synthesis of complex molecules. Much of the progress to date has leveraged increasingly precise genetic tools to control the transcription and translation of enzymes for superior biosynthetic pathway performance. However, applying these approaches and principles to the synthesis of more complex natural products will require a new set of tools for enabling various classes of metabolic chemistries (i.e., cyclization, oxygenation, glycosylation, and halogenation) in vivo. Of these diverse chemistries, oxygenation is one of the most challenging and pivotal for the synthesis of complex natural products. Here, using Taxol as a model system, we use nature's favored oxygenase, the cytochrome P450, to perform high-level oxygenation chemistry in Escherichia coli. An unexpected coupling of P450 expression and the expression of upstream pathway enzymes was discovered and identified as a key obstacle for functional oxidative chemistry. By optimizing P450 expression, reductase partner interactions, and N-terminal modifications, we achieved the highest reported titer of oxygenated taxanes (∼570 ± 45 mg/L) in E. coli. Altogether, this study establishes E. coli as a tractable host for P450 chemistry, highlights the potential magnitude of protein interdependency in the context of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, and points to a promising future for the microbial synthesis of complex chemical entities.
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39
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Probing the promiscuity of ent-kaurene oxidases via combinatorial biosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:2526-31. [PMID: 26884192 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1512096113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The substrate specificity of enzymes from natural products' metabolism is a topic of considerable interest, with potential biotechnological use implicit in the discovery of promiscuous enzymes. However, such studies are often limited by the availability of substrates and authentic standards for identification of the resulting products. Here, a modular metabolic engineering system is used in a combinatorial biosynthetic approach toward alleviating this restriction. In particular, for studies of the multiply reactive cytochrome P450, ent-kaurene oxidase (KO), which is involved in production of the diterpenoid plant hormone gibberellin. Many, but not all, plants make a variety of related diterpenes, whose structural similarity to ent-kaurene makes them potential substrates for KO. Use of combinatorial biosynthesis enabled analysis of more than 20 such potential substrates, as well as structural characterization of 12 resulting unknown products, providing some insight into the underlying structure-function relationships. These results highlight the utility of this approach for investigating the substrate specificity of enzymes from complex natural products' biosynthesis.
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40
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Harvesting the biosynthetic machineries that cultivate a variety of indispensable plant natural products. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2016; 31:66-73. [PMID: 26851514 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2015] [Revised: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Plants are a sustainable resource for valuable natural chemicals best illustrated by large-scale farming centered on specific products. Here, we review recent discoveries of plant metabolic pathways producing natural products with unconventional biomolecular structures. Prenylation of polyketides by aromatic prenyltransferases (aPTases) ties together two of the major groups of plant specialized chemicals, terpenoids and polyketides, providing a core modification leading to new bioactivities and downstream metabolic processing. Moreover, PTases that biosynthesize Z-terpenoid precursors for small molecules such as lycosantalene have recently been found in the tomato family. Gaps in our understanding of how economically important compounds such as cannabinoids are produced are being identified using next-generation 'omics' to rapidly advance biochemical breakthroughs at an unprecedented rate. For instance, olivetolic acid cyclase, a polyketide synthase (PKS) co-factor from Cannabis sativa, directs the proper cyclization of a polyketide intermediate. Elucidations of spatial and temporal arrangements of biosynthetic enzymes into metabolons, such as those used to control the efficient production of natural polymers such as rubber and defensive small molecules such as linamarin and lotaustralin, provide blueprints for engineering streamlined production of plant products.
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41
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Banerjee C, Singh PK, Shukla P. Microalgal bioengineering for sustainable energy development: Recent transgenesis and metabolic engineering strategies. Biotechnol J 2016; 11:303-14. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201500284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chiranjib Banerjee
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering; Indian School of Mines; Dhanbad Jharkhand India
| | - Puneet Kumar Singh
- Enzyme Technology and Protein Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Microbiology; Maharshi Dayanand University; Rohtak Haryana India
| | - Pratyoosh Shukla
- Enzyme Technology and Protein Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Microbiology; Maharshi Dayanand University; Rohtak Haryana India
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42
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Hlavova M, Turoczy Z, Bisova K. Improving microalgae for biotechnology — From genetics to synthetic biology. Biotechnol Adv 2015; 33:1194-203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Revised: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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43
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Naeem ul Hassan M, Zainal Z, Ismail I. Plant kelch containing F-box proteins: structure, evolution and functions. RSC Adv 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra01875g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Kelch repeat containing F-box proteins; a review on the progress of the research on these plant specific signalling proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Naeem ul Hassan
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology
- Faculty of Science and Technology
- University Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Bangi, 43600
- Malaysia
| | - Zamri Zainal
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology
- Faculty of Science and Technology
- University Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Bangi, 43600
- Malaysia
| | - Ismanizan Ismail
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology
- Faculty of Science and Technology
- University Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Bangi, 43600
- Malaysia
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44
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Yuan L, Grotewold E. Metabolic engineering to enhance the value of plants as green factories. Metab Eng 2014; 27:83-91. [PMID: 25461830 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2014.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 11/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The promise of plants to serve as the green factories of the future is ever increasing. Plants have been used traditionally for construction, energy, food and feed. Bioactive compounds primarily derived from specialized plant metabolism continue to serve as important scaffold molecules for pharmaceutical drug production. Yet, the past few years have witnessed a growing interest on plants as the ultimate harvesters of carbon and energy from the sun, providing carbohydrate and lipid biofuels that would contribute to balancing atmospheric carbon. How can the metabolic output from plants be increased even further, and what are the bottlenecks? Here, we present what we perceive to be the main opportunities and challenges associated with increasing the efficiency of plants as chemical factories. We offer some perspectives on when it makes sense to use plants as production systems because the amount of biomass needed makes any other system unfeasible. However, there are other instances in which plants serve as great sources of biological catalysts, yet are not necessarily the best-suited systems for production. We also present emerging opportunities for manipulating plant genomes to make plant synthetic biology a reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Yuan
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, 1401 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40546, United States
| | - Erich Grotewold
- Center for Applied Plant Sciences (CAPS), Department of Molecular Genetics and Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, 012 Rightmire Hall, 1060 Carmack Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, United States.
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