Identification and properties of the covalently bound flavin of beta-cyclopiazonate oxidocyclase

Oxidative Cyclization in Natural Product Biosynthesis

Oxidative cyclizations are important transformations that occur widely during natural product biosynthesis. The transformations from acyclic precursors to cyclized products can afford morphed scaffolds, structural rigidity, and biological activities. Some of the most dramatic structural alterations in natural product biosynthesis occur through oxidative cyclization. In this Review, we examine the different strategies used by nature to create new intra(inter)molecular bonds via redox chemistry. This Review will cover both oxidation- and reduction-enabled cyclization mechanisms, with an emphasis on the former. Radical cyclizations catalyzed by P450, nonheme iron, α-KG-dependent oxygenases, and radical SAM enzymes are discussed to illustrate the use of molecular oxygen and S-adenosylmethionine to forge new bonds at unactivated sites via one-electron manifolds. Nonradical cyclizations catalyzed by flavin-dependent monooxygenases and NAD(P)H-dependent reductases are covered to show the use of two-electron manifolds in initiating cyclization reactions. The oxidative installations of epoxides and halogens into acyclic scaffolds to drive subsequent cyclizations are separately discussed as examples of "disappearing" reactive handles. Last, oxidative rearrangement of rings systems, including contractions and expansions, will be covered.

The single NqrB and NqrC subunits in the Na(+)-translocating NADH: quinone oxidoreductase (Na(+)-NQR) from Vibrio cholerae each carry one covalently attached FMN

The Na(+)-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (Na(+)-NQR) is the prototype of a novel class of flavoproteins carrying a riboflavin phosphate bound to serine or threonine by a phosphodiester bond to the ribityl side chain. This membrane-bound, respiratory complex also contains one non-covalently bound FAD, one non-covalently bound riboflavin, ubiquinone-8 and a [2Fe-2S] cluster. Here, we report the quantitative analysis of the full set of flavin cofactors in the Na(+)-NQR and characterize the mode of linkage of the riboflavin phosphate to the membrane-bound NqrB and NqrC subunits. Release of the flavin by β-elimination and analysis of the cofactor demonstrates that the phosphate group is attached at the 5'-position of the ribityl as in authentic FMN and that the Na(+)-NQR contains approximately 1.7mol covalently bound FMN per mol non-covalently bound FAD. Therefore, each of the single NqrB and NqrC subunits in the Na(+)-NQR carries a single FMN. Elimination of the phosphodiester bond yields a dehydro-2-aminobutyrate residue, which is modified with β-mercaptoethanol by Michael addition. Proteolytic digestion followed by mass determination of peptide fragments reveals exclusive modification of threonine residues, which carry FMN in the native enzyme. The described reactions allow quantification and localization of the covalently attached FMNs in the Na(+)-NQR and in related proteins belonging to the Rhodobacter nitrogen fixation (RNF) family of enzymes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 17th European Bioenergetics Conference (EBEC 2012).

Cyclopiazonic acid biosynthesis of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae

Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) is an indole-tetramic acid neurotoxin produced by some of the same strains of A. flavus that produce aflatoxins and by some Aspergillus oryzae strains. Despite its discovery 40 years ago, few reviews of its toxicity and biosynthesis have been reported. This review examines what is currently known about the toxicity of CPA to animals and humans, both by itself or in combination with other mycotoxins. The review also discusses CPA biosynthesis and the genetic diversity of CPA production in A. flavus/oryzae populations.

NAD(P)H dehydrogenase from rabbit and rat liver: purification and some properties

NAD(P)H dehydrogenase from rabbit liver was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using a procedure also found applicable for the rat liver enzyme. Rabbit and rat liver enzymes showed different behaviour in isoelectric focusing and different Km values and turnover numbers. Both enzymes were inhibited to similar extents by warfarin. The rabbit enzyme is composed of two subunits of mol. wt 27,000 and contained 1 FAD group per subunit. Some absorption and circular dichroism properties of the rat enzyme are shown.