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Maurer SJ, Petrarca de Albuquerque JL, McCallum ME. Recent Developments in the Biosynthesis of Aziridines. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400295. [PMID: 38830838 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400295] [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: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Only 0.016 % of all known natural products contain an aziridine ring, but this unique structural feature imparts high reactivity and cytotoxicity to the compounds in which it is found. Until 2021, no naturally occurring aziridine-forming enzymes had been identified. Since 2021, the biosynthetic enzymes for ~10 % of known aziridine containing natural products have been identified and characterized. This article describes the recent advances in our understanding of enzyme-catalyzed aziridine formation in the context of historical methods for aziridine formation through synthetic chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina J Maurer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Monica E McCallum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 231 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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2
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Ehinger FJ, Hertweck C. Biosynthesis and recruitment of reactive amino acids in nonribosomal peptide assembly lines. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2024; 81:102494. [PMID: 38936328 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.102494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Reactive amino acid side chains play important roles in the binding of peptides to specific targets. In addition, their reactivity enables selective peptide conjugation and functionalization for pharmaceutical purposes. Diverse reactive amino acids are incorporated into nonribosomal peptides, which serve as a source for drug candidates. Notable examples include (poly)unsaturated (enamine, alkyne, and furyl) and halogenated residues, strained carbacycles (cyclopropyl and cyclopropanol), small heterocycles (oxirane and aziridine), and reactive N-N functionalities (hydrazones, diazo compounds, and diazeniumdiolates). Their biosynthesis requires diverse biocatalysts for sophisticated reaction mechanisms. Several avenues have been identified for their incorporation into peptides, the recruitment by adenylation domains or ligases, on-line modifications, and enzymatic tailoring reactions. Combined with protein engineering approaches, this knowledge provides new opportunities in synthetic biology and bioorthogonal chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich Johannes Ehinger
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany; Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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3
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Abramson J, Adler J, Dunger J, Evans R, Green T, Pritzel A, Ronneberger O, Willmore L, Ballard AJ, Bambrick J, Bodenstein SW, Evans DA, Hung CC, O'Neill M, Reiman D, Tunyasuvunakool K, Wu Z, Žemgulytė A, Arvaniti E, Beattie C, Bertolli O, Bridgland A, Cherepanov A, Congreve M, Cowen-Rivers AI, Cowie A, Figurnov M, Fuchs FB, Gladman H, Jain R, Khan YA, Low CMR, Perlin K, Potapenko A, Savy P, Singh S, Stecula A, Thillaisundaram A, Tong C, Yakneen S, Zhong ED, Zielinski M, Žídek A, Bapst V, Kohli P, Jaderberg M, Hassabis D, Jumper JM. Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3. Nature 2024; 630:493-500. [PMID: 38718835 PMCID: PMC11168924 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07487-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
The introduction of AlphaFold 21 has spurred a revolution in modelling the structure of proteins and their interactions, enabling a huge range of applications in protein modelling and design2-6. Here we describe our AlphaFold 3 model with a substantially updated diffusion-based architecture that is capable of predicting the joint structure of complexes including proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules, ions and modified residues. The new AlphaFold model demonstrates substantially improved accuracy over many previous specialized tools: far greater accuracy for protein-ligand interactions compared with state-of-the-art docking tools, much higher accuracy for protein-nucleic acid interactions compared with nucleic-acid-specific predictors and substantially higher antibody-antigen prediction accuracy compared with AlphaFold-Multimer v.2.37,8. Together, these results show that high-accuracy modelling across biomolecular space is possible within a single unified deep-learning framework.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonas Adler
- Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK
| | - Jack Dunger
- Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK
| | | | - Tim Green
- Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Zachary Wu
- Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yousuf A Khan
- Google DeepMind, London, UK
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ellen D Zhong
- Google DeepMind, London, UK
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Demis Hassabis
- Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK.
- Core Contributor, Isomorphic Labs, London, UK.
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4
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Kries H, Trottmann F, Hertweck C. Novel Biocatalysts from Specialized Metabolism. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202309284. [PMID: 37737720 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309284] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Enzymes are increasingly recognized as valuable (bio)catalysts that complement existing synthetic methods. However, the range of biotransformations used in the laboratory is limited. Here we give an overview on the biosynthesis-inspired discovery of novel biocatalysts that address various synthetic challenges. Prominent examples from this dynamic field highlight remarkable enzymes for protecting-group-free amide formation and modification, control of pericyclic reactions, stereoselective hetero- and polycyclizations, atroposelective aryl couplings, site-selective C-H activations, introduction of ring strain, and N-N bond formation. We also explore unusual functions of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, radical SAM-dependent enzymes, flavoproteins, and enzymes recruited from primary metabolism, which offer opportunities for synthetic biology, enzyme engineering, directed evolution, and catalyst design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajo Kries
- Junior Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Felix Trottmann
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Hertweck
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
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5
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Ushimaru R. Three-membered ring formation catalyzed by α-ketoglutarate-dependent nonheme iron enzymes. J Nat Med 2024; 78:21-32. [PMID: 37980694 PMCID: PMC10764440 DOI: 10.1007/s11418-023-01760-4] [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: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Epoxides, aziridines, and cyclopropanes are found in various medicinal natural products, including polyketides, terpenes, peptides, and alkaloids. Many classes of biosynthetic enzymes are involved in constructing these ring structures during their biosynthesis. This review summarizes our current knowledge regarding how α-ketoglutarate-dependent nonheme iron enzymes catalyze the formation of epoxides, aziridines, and cyclopropanes in nature, with a focus on enzyme mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richiro Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
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6
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Cheng Y, Yi X, Zhang Y, He Q, Chen D, Cao W, Fang P, Liu W. Oxidase Heterotetramer Completes 1-Azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane Formation with the Association of a Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:8896-8907. [PMID: 37043819 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Ficellomycin, azinomycins, and vazabitide A are nonribosomal peptide natural products characterized by an amino acid unit that contains a similar 1-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane (ABCH) pharmacophore. This unit is derived from diamino-dihydroxy-heptanic acid (DADH); however, the process through which linear DADH is cyclized to furnish an ABCH ring system remains poorly understood. Based on the reconstitution of the route of the ABCH-containing unit by blending genes/enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of ficellomycin and azinomycins, we report that ABCH formation is completed by an oxidase heterotetramer with the association of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). The DADH precursor was prepared in Escherichia coli to produce a conjugate subjected to in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis for offloading from an amino-group carrier protein. To furnish an aziridine ring, DADH was processed by C7-hydroxyl sulfonation and sulfate elimination-coupled cyclization. Further cyclization leading to an azabicyclic hexane pharmacophore was proved to occur in the NRPS, where the oxidase heterotetramer functions in trans and catalyzes α,β-dehydrogenation to initiate the formation of a fused five-membered nitrogen heterocycle. The identity of ABCH was validated by utilization of the resultant ABCH-containing unit in the total biosynthesis of ficellomycin. Biochemical characterization, crystal structure, and site-specific mutagenesis rationalize the catalytic mechanism of the unusual oxidase heterotetramer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyuan Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xuan Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qingli He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Dandan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Weiguo Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Rd, Baoshan, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Pengfei Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Sub-lane Xiangshan, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Wen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioorganic and Natural Products Chemistry, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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7
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Cha L, Paris JC, Zanella B, Spletzer M, Yao A, Guo Y, Chang WC. Mechanistic Studies of Aziridine Formation Catalyzed by Mononuclear Non-Heme Iron Enzymes. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:6240-6246. [PMID: 36913534 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Aziridines are compounds with a nitrogen-containing three-membered ring. When it is incorporated into natural products, the reactivity of the strained ring often drives the biological activities of aziridines. Despite its importance, the enzymes and biosynthetic strategies deployed to install this reactive moiety remain understudied. Herein, we report the use of in silico methods to identify enzymes with potential aziridine-installing (aziridinase) functionality. To validate candidates, we reconstitute enzymatic activity in vitro and demonstrate that an iron(IV)-oxo species initiates aziridine ring closure by the C-H bond cleavage. Furthermore, we divert the reaction pathway from aziridination to hydroxylation using mechanistic probes. This observation, isotope tracing experiments using H218O and 18O2, and quantitative product analysis, provide evidence for the polar capture of a carbocation species by the amine in the pathway to aziridine installation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lide Cha
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Jared C Paris
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Brady Zanella
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Martha Spletzer
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Angela Yao
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Yisong Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Wei-Chen Chang
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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8
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Kurosawa S, Okamura H, Yoshida A, Tomita T, Sone Y, Hasebe F, Shinada T, Takikawa H, Kosono S, Nishiyama M. Mechanisms of Sugar Aminotransferase-like Enzymes to Synthesize Stereoisomers of Non-proteinogenic Amino Acids in Natural Product Biosynthesis. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:385-395. [PMID: 36669120 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
(2,6)-Diamino-(5,7)-dihydroxyheptanoic acid (DADH), a non-proteinogenic amino acid, is converted to 1-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane ring-containing amino acids that are subsequently incorporated into ficellomycin and vazabitide A. The present study revealed that the sugar aminotransferase-like enzymes Fic25 and Vzb9, with a high amino acid sequence identity (56%) to each other, synthesized stereoisomers of DADH with (6S) and (6R) configurations, respectively. The crystal structure of the Fic25 complex with a PLP-(6S)-N2-acetyl-DADH adduct indicated that Asn45 and Gln197 (Asn205 and Ala53 in Vzb9) were located at positions that affected the stereochemistry of DADH being synthesized. A modeling study suggested that amino acid substitutions between Fic25 and Vzb9 allowed the enzymes to bind to the substrate with almost 180° rotation in the C5-C7 portions of the DADH molecules, accompanied by a concomitant shift in their C1-C4 portions. In support of this result, the replacement of two corresponding residues in Fic25 and Vzb9 increased (6R) and (6S) stereoselectivities, respectively. The different stereochemistry at C6 of DADH resulted in a different stereochemistry/orientation of the aziridine portion of the 1-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane ring, which plays a crucial role in biological activity, between ficellomycin and vazabitide A. A phylogenic analysis suggested that Fic25 and Vzb9 evolved from sugar aminotransferases to produce unusual building blocks for expanding the structural diversity of secondary metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumire Kurosawa
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Hironori Okamura
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Ayako Yoshida
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Takeo Tomita
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sone
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Fumihito Hasebe
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Shinada
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Hirosato Takikawa
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Saori Kosono
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Makoto Nishiyama
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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9
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Tao H, Ushimaru R, Awakawa T, Mori T, Uchiyama M, Abe I. Stereoselectivity and Substrate Specificity of the Fe(II)/α-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Oxygenase TqaL. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:21512-21520. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c08116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Tao
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Richiro Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- ACT-X, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Awakawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takahiro Mori
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Masanobu Uchiyama
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Research Initiative for Supra-Materials (RISM), Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| | - Ikuro Abe
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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