1
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Pfeiffer IPM, Schröder MP, Mordhorst S. Opportunities and challenges of RiPP-based therapeutics. Nat Prod Rep 2024; 41:990-1019. [PMID: 38411278 DOI: 10.1039/d3np00057e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2024Ribosomally synthesised and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) comprise a substantial group of peptide natural products exhibiting noteworthy bioactivities ranging from antiinfective to anticancer and analgesic effects. Furthermore, RiPP biosynthetic pathways represent promising production routes for complex peptide drugs, and the RiPP technology is well-suited for peptide engineering to produce derivatives with specific functions. Thus, RiPP natural products possess features that render them potentially ideal candidates for drug discovery and development. Nonetheless, only a small number of RiPP-derived compounds have successfully reached the market thus far. This review initially outlines the therapeutic opportunities that RiPP-based compounds can offer, whilst subsequently discussing the limitations that require resolution in order to fully exploit the potential of RiPPs towards the development of innovative drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel P-M Pfeiffer
- University of Tübingen, Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Maria-Paula Schröder
- University of Tübingen, Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Silja Mordhorst
- University of Tübingen, Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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2
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Wang M, Wu M, Han M, Niu X, Fan A, Zhu S, Tong Y. Mining the Biosynthetic Landscape of Lactic Acid Bacteria Unearths a New Family of RiPPs Assembled by a Novel Type of ThiF-like Adenylyltransferases. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:30891-30903. [PMID: 39035879 PMCID: PMC11256085 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are chemically diverse natural products of ribosomal origin. These peptides, which frequently act as signals or antimicrobials, are biosynthesized by conserved enzymatic machinery, making genome mining a powerful strategy for unearthing previously uncharacterized members of their class. Herein, we investigate the untapped biosynthetic potential of Lactobacillales (i.e., lactic acid bacteria), an order of Gram-positive bacteria closely associated with human life, including pathogenic species and industrially relevant fermenters of dairy products. Through genome mining methods, we systematically explored the distribution and diversity of ThiF-like adenylyltransferase-utilizing RiPP systems in lactic acid bacteria and identified a number of unprecedented biosynthetic gene clusters. In one of these clusters, we found a previously undescribed group of macrocyclic imide biosynthetic pathways containing multiple transporters that may be involved in a potential quorum sensing (QS) system. Through in vitro assays, we determined that one such adenylyltransferase specifically catalyzes the intracyclization of its precursor peptide through macrocyclic imide formation. Incubating the enzyme with various primary amines revealed that it could effectively amidate the C-terminus of the precursor peptide. This new transformation adds to the growing list of Nature's peptide macrocyclization strategies and expands the impressive catalytic repertoire of the adenylyltransferase family. The diverse RiPP systems identified herein represent a vast, unexploited landscape for the discovery of a novel class of natural products and QS systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Wang
- College
of Life Science and Technology, Beijing
University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mengyue Wu
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Meng Han
- MOE
Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaogang Niu
- Beijing
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Center, College of Chemistry and Molecular
Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China
| | - Aili Fan
- State
Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Shaozhou Zhu
- National
Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yigang Tong
- College
of Life Science and Technology, Beijing
University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People’s Republic of China
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3
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Calvopina-Chavez DG, Bursey DM, Tseng YJ, Patil LM, Bewley KD, Bennallack PR, McPhie JM, Wagstaff KB, Daley A, Miller SM, Moody JD, Price JC, Griffitts JS. Micrococcin cysteine-to-thiazole conversion through transient interactions between the scaffolding protein TclI and the modification enzymes TclJ and TclN. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0024424. [PMID: 38780510 PMCID: PMC11218655 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00244-24] [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: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a broad group of compounds mediating microbial competition in nature. Azole/azoline heterocycle formation in the peptide backbone is a key step in the biosynthesis of many RiPPs. Heterocycle formation in RiPP precursors is often carried out by a scaffold protein, an ATP-dependent cyclodehydratase, and an FMN-dependent dehydrogenase. It has generally been assumed that the orchestration of these modifications is carried out by a stable complex including the scaffold, cyclodehydratase, and dehydrogenase. The antimicrobial RiPP micrococcin begins as a precursor peptide (TclE) with a 35-amino acid N-terminal leader and a 14-amino acid C-terminal core containing six Cys residues that are converted to thiazoles. The putative scaffold protein (TclI) presumably presents the TclE substrate to a cyclodehydratase (TclJ) and a dehydrogenase (TclN) to accomplish the two-step installation of the six thiazoles. In this study, we identify a minimal TclE leader region required for thiazole formation, demonstrate complex formation between TclI, TclJ, and TclN, and further define regions of these proteins required for complex formation. Our results point to a mechanism of thiazole installation in which TclI associates with the two enzymes in a mutually exclusive fashion, such that each enzyme competes for access to the peptide substrate in a dynamic equilibrium, thus ensuring complete modification of each Cys residue in the TclE core. IMPORTANCE Thiopeptides are a family of antimicrobial peptides characterized for having sulfur-containing heterocycles and for being highly post-translationally modified. Numerous thiopeptides have been identified; almost all of which inhibit protein synthesis in gram-positive bacteria. These intrinsic antimicrobial properties make thiopeptides promising candidates for the development of new antibiotics. The thiopeptide micrococcin is synthesized by the ribosome and undergoes several post-translational modifications to acquire its bioactivity. In this study, we identify key interactions within the enzymatic complex that carries out cysteine to thiazole conversion in the biosynthesis of micrococcin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devan M. Bursey
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Yi-Jie Tseng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Leena M. Patil
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Kathryn D. Bewley
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Philip R. Bennallack
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Josh M. McPhie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Kimberly B. Wagstaff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Anisha Daley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Susan M. Miller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - James D. Moody
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - John C. Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
| | - Joel S. Griffitts
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA
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4
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Han SW, Won HS. Advancements in the Application of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-Translationally Modified Peptides (RiPPs). Biomolecules 2024; 14:479. [PMID: 38672495 PMCID: PMC11048544 DOI: 10.3390/biom14040479] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) represent a significant potential for novel therapeutic applications because of their bioactive properties, stability, and specificity. RiPPs are synthesized on ribosomes, followed by intricate post-translational modifications (PTMs), crucial for their diverse structures and functions. PTMs, such as cyclization, methylation, and proteolysis, play crucial roles in enhancing RiPP stability and bioactivity. Advances in synthetic biology and bioinformatics have significantly advanced the field, introducing new methods for RiPP production and engineering. These methods encompass strategies for heterologous expression, genetic refactoring, and exploiting the substrate tolerance of tailoring enzymes to create novel RiPP analogs with improved or entirely new functions. Furthermore, the introduction and implementation of cutting-edge screening methods, including mRNA display, surface display, and two-hybrid systems, have expedited the identification of RiPPs with significant pharmaceutical potential. This comprehensive review not only discusses the current advancements in RiPP research but also the promising opportunities that leveraging these bioactive peptides for therapeutic applications presents, illustrating the synergy between traditional biochemistry and contemporary synthetic biology and genetic engineering approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Woo Han
- Department of Biotechnology, Research Institute (RIBHS) and College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea;
| | - Hyung-Sik Won
- Department of Biotechnology, Research Institute (RIBHS) and College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea;
- BK21 Project Team, Department of Applied Life Science, Graduate School, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
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5
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Nguyen DT, Mitchell DA, van der Donk WA. Genome Mining for New Enzyme Chemistry. ACS Catal 2024; 14:4536-4553. [PMID: 38601780 PMCID: PMC11002830 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c06322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
A revolution in the field of biocatalysis has enabled scalable access to compounds of high societal values using enzymes. The construction of biocatalytic routes relies on the reservoir of available enzymatic transformations. A review of uncharacterized proteins predicted from genomic sequencing projects shows that a treasure trove of enzyme chemistry awaits to be uncovered. This Review highlights enzymatic transformations discovered through various genome mining methods and showcases their potential future applications in biocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinh T. Nguyen
- Department
of Chemistry, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Douglas A. Mitchell
- Department
of Chemistry, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Wilfred A. van der Donk
- Department
of Chemistry, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Howard
Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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6
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Vinogradov AA, Zhang Y, Hamada K, Kobayashi S, Ogata K, Sengoku T, Goto Y, Suga H. A Compact Reprogrammed Genetic Code for De Novo Discovery of Proteolytically Stable Thiopeptides. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:8058-8070. [PMID: 38491946 PMCID: PMC10979747 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Thiopeptides make up a group of structurally complex peptidic natural products holding promise in bioengineering applications. The previously established thiopeptide/mRNA display platform enables de novo discovery of natural product-like thiopeptides with designed bioactivities. However, in contrast to natural thiopeptides, the discovered structures are composed predominantly of proteinogenic amino acids, which results in low metabolic stability in many cases. Here, we redevelop the platform and demonstrate that the utilization of compact reprogrammed genetic codes in mRNA display libraries can lead to the discovery of thiopeptides predominantly composed of nonproteinogenic structural elements. We demonstrate the feasibility of our designs by conducting affinity selections against Traf2- and NCK-interacting kinase (TNIK). The experiment identified a series of thiopeptides with high affinity to the target protein (the best KD = 2.1 nM) and kinase inhibitory activity (the best IC50 = 0.15 μM). The discovered compounds, which bore as many as 15 nonproteinogenic amino acids in an 18-residue macrocycle, demonstrated high metabolic stability in human serum with a half-life of up to 99 h. An X-ray cocrystal structure of TNIK in complex with a discovered thiopeptide revealed how nonproteinogenic building blocks facilitate the target engagement and orchestrate the folding of the thiopeptide into a noncanonical conformation. Altogether, the established platform takes a step toward the discovery of thiopeptides with high metabolic stability for early drug discovery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A. Vinogradov
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Keisuke Hamada
- Department
of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Kobayashi
- Department
of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Ogata
- Department
of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Toru Sengoku
- Department
of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan
| | - Yuki Goto
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department
of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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7
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Zhu W, Iavarone AT, Klinman JP. Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Identifies Local and Long-Distance Interactions within the Multicomponent Radical SAM Enzyme, PqqE. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2024; 10:251-263. [PMID: 38435514 PMCID: PMC10906245 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c01023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Interactions among proteins and peptides are essential for many biological activities including the tailoring of peptide substrates to produce natural products. The first step in the production of the bacterial redox cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) from its peptide precursor is catalyzed by a radical SAM (rSAM) enzyme, PqqE. We describe the use of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to characterize the structure and conformational dynamics in the protein-protein and protein-peptide complexes necessary for PqqE function. HDX-MS-identified hotspots can be discerned in binary and ternary complex structures composed of the peptide PqqA, the peptide-binding chaperone PqqD, and PqqE. Structural conclusions are supported by size-exclusion chromatography coupled to small-angle X-ray scattering (SEC-SAXS). HDX-MS further identifies reciprocal changes upon the binding of substrate peptide and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the PqqE/PqqD complex: long-range conformational alterations have been detected upon the formation of a quaternary complex composed of PqqA/PqqD/PqqE and SAM, spanning nearly 40 Å, from the PqqA binding site in PqqD to the PqqE active site Fe4S4. Interactions among the various regions are concluded to arise from both direct contact and distal communication. The described experimental approach can be readily applied to the investigation of protein conformational communication among a large family of peptide-modifying rSAM enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Zhu
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, United States
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Anthony T. Iavarone
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Judith P. Klinman
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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8
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Nguyen NA, Vidya FNU, Yennawar NH, Wu H, McShan AC, Agarwal V. Disordered regions in proteusin peptides guide post-translational modification by a flavin-dependent RiPP brominase. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1265. [PMID: 38341413 PMCID: PMC10858898 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45593-5] [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: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
To biosynthesize ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), enzymes recognize and bind to the N-terminal leader region of substrate peptides which enables catalytic modification of the C-terminal core. Our current understanding of RiPP leaders is that they are short and largely unstructured. Proteusins are RiPP precursor peptides that defy this characterization as they possess unusually long leaders. Proteusin peptides have not been structurally characterized, and we possess scant understanding of how these atypical leaders engage with modifying enzymes. Here, we determine the structure of a proteusin peptide which shows that unlike other RiPP leaders, proteusin leaders are preorganized into a rigidly structured region and a smaller intrinsically disordered region. With residue level resolution gained from NMR titration experiments, the intermolecular peptide-protein interactions between proteusin leaders and a flavin-dependent brominase are mapped onto the disordered region, leaving the rigidly structured region of the proteusin leader to be functionally dispensable. Spectroscopic observations are biochemically validated to identify a binding motif in proteusin peptides that is conserved among other RiPP leaders as well. This study provides a structural characterization of the proteusin peptides and extends the paradigm of RiPP modification enzymes using not only unstructured peptides, but also structured proteins as substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyet A Nguyen
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - F N U Vidya
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Neela H Yennawar
- The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Hongwei Wu
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Andrew C McShan
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
| | - Vinayak Agarwal
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
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9
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Lacerna N, Cong Y, Schmidt EW. An Autocatalytic Peptide Cyclase Improves Fidelity and Yield of Circular Peptides In Vivo and In Vitro. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:394-401. [PMID: 38194299 PMCID: PMC10804404 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00645] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Peptide cyclization improves conformational rigidity, providing favorable pharmacological properties, such as proteolytic resistance, target specificity, and membrane permeability. Thus, many synthetic and biosynthetic peptide circularization strategies have been developed. PatG and related natural macrocyclases process diverse peptide sequences, generating millions of cyclic derivatives. However, the application of these cyclases is limited by low yields and the potential presence of unwanted intermediates. Here, we designed a covalently fused G macrocyclase with substrates that efficiently and spontaneously release cyclic peptides. To increase the fidelity of synthesis, we developed an orthogonal control mechanism enabling precision synthesis in Escherichia coli. As a result, a library comprising 4.8 million cyclic derivatives was constructed, producing an estimated 2.6 million distinct cyclic peptides with an improved yield and fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noel Lacerna
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry,
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Ying Cong
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry,
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Eric W. Schmidt
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry,
College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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10
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Arias-Orozco P, Zhou L, Yi Y, Cebrián R, Kuipers OP. Uncovering the diversity and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters of prochlorosins and other putative RiPPs in marine Synechococcus strains. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0361123. [PMID: 38088546 PMCID: PMC10783134 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03611-23] [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: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Genome mining studies have revealed the remarkable combinatorial diversity of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) in marine bacteria, including prochlorosins. However, mining strategies also prove valuable in investigating the genomic landscape of associated genes within biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) specific to targeted RiPPs of interest. Our study contributes to the enrichment of knowledge regarding prochlorosin diversity. It offers insights into potential mechanisms involved in their biosynthesis and modification, such as hyper-modification, which may give rise to active lantibiotics. Additionally, our study uncovers putative novel promiscuous post-translational enzymes, thereby expanding the chemical space explored within the Synechococcus genus. Moreover, this research extends the applications of mining techniques beyond the discovery of new RiPP-like clusters, allowing for a deeper understanding of genomics and diversity. Furthermore, it holds the potential to reveal previously unknown functions within the intriguing RiPP families, particularly in the case of prochlorosins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Arias-Orozco
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lu Zhou
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yunhai Yi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rubén Cebrián
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, CIBERINFEC, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar P. Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh, Groningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Saad H, Majer T, Bhattarai K, Lampe S, Nguyen DT, Kramer M, Straetener J, Brötz-Oesterhelt H, Mitchell DA, Gross H. Bioinformatics-guided discovery of biaryl-linked lasso peptides. Chem Sci 2023; 14:13176-13183. [PMID: 38023510 PMCID: PMC10664482 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc02380j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) that feature an isopeptide bond and a distinct lariat fold. A growing number of secondary modifications have been described that further decorate lasso peptide scaffolds. Using genome mining, we have discovered a pair of lasso peptide biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that include cytochrome P450 genes. Using mass spectrometry, stable isotope incorporation, and extensive 2D-NMR spectrometry, we report the structural characterization of two unique examples of (C-N) biaryl-linked lasso peptides. Nocapeptin A, from Nocardia terpenica, is tailored with a Trp-Tyr crosslink, while longipepetin A, from Longimycelium tulufanense, features a Trp-Trp linkage. Besides the unusual bicyclic frame, a Met of longipepetin A undergoes S-methylation to yield a trivalent sulfonium, a heretofore unprecedented RiPP modification. A bioinformatic survey revealed additional lasso peptide BGCs containing P450 enzymes which await future characterization. Lastly, nocapeptin A bioactivity was assessed against a panel of human and bacterial cell lines with modest growth-suppression activity detected towards Micrococcus luteus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamada Saad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Thomas Majer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Keshab Bhattarai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Sarah Lampe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Dinh T Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Markus Kramer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 18 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Jan Straetener
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 28 72076 Tübingen Germany
| | - Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 28 72076 Tübingen Germany
- Cluster of Excellence: EXC 2124: Controlling Microbes to Fight Infection, University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
| | - Douglas A Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana Illinois 61801 USA
| | - Harald Gross
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen Auf der Morgenstelle 8 72076 Tübingen Germany
- Cluster of Excellence: EXC 2124: Controlling Microbes to Fight Infection, University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany
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12
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Hernandez Garcia A, Nair SK. Structure and Function of a Class III Metal-Independent Lanthipeptide Synthetase. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:1944-1956. [PMID: 37901177 PMCID: PMC10604976 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
In bacteria, Ser/Thr protein kinase-like sequences are found as part of large multidomain polypeptides that biosynthesize lanthipeptides, a class of natural products distinguished by the presence of thioether cross-links. The kinase domain phosphorylates Ser or Thr residues in the peptide substrates. Subsequent β-elimination by a lyase domain yields electrophilic dehydroamino acids, which can undergo cyclase domain-catalyzed cyclization to yield conformationally restricted, bioactive compounds. Here, we reconstitute the biosynthetic pathway for a class III lanthipeptide from Bacillus thuringiensis NRRL B-23139, including characterization of a two-component protease for leader peptide excision. We also describe the first crystal structures of a class III lanthipeptide synthetase, consisting of the lyase, kinase, and cyclase domains, in various states including complexes with its leader peptide and nucleotide. The structure shows interactions between all three domains that result in an active conformation of the kinase domain. Biochemical analysis demonstrates that the three domains undergo movement upon binding of the leader peptide to establish interdomain allosteric interactions that stabilize this active form. These studies inform on the regulatory mechanism of substrate recognition and provide a framework for engineering of variants of biotechnological interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Hernandez Garcia
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, Roger Adams
Laboratory, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Satish K. Nair
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Illinois
at Urbana−Champaign, Roger Adams
Laboratory, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Center
for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Roger Adams Laboratory, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Carl
R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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13
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Calvopina-Chavez DG, Bursey DM, Tseng YJ, Patil LM, Bewley KD, Bennallack PR, McPhie JM, Wagstaff KB, Daley A, Miller SM, Moody JD, Price JC, Griffitts JS. Micrococcin cysteine-to-thiazole conversion through transient interactions between a scaffolding protein and two modification enzymes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.23.563616. [PMID: 37961320 PMCID: PMC10634744 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.23.563616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a broad group of compounds mediating microbial competition in nature. Azole/azoline heterocycle formation in the peptide backbone is a key step in the biosynthesis of many RiPPs. Heterocycle formation in RiPP precursors is often carried out by a scaffold protein, an ATP-dependent cyclodehydratase, and an FMN-dependent dehydrogenase. It has generally been assumed that the orchestration of these modifications is carried out by a stable complex including the scaffold, cyclodehydratase and dehydrogenase. The antimicrobial RiPP micrococcin begins as a precursor peptide (TclE) with a 35-amino acid N-terminal leader and a 14-amino acid C-terminal core containing six Cys residues that are converted to thiazoles. The putative scaffold protein (TclI) presumably presents the TclE substrate to a cyclodehydratase (TclJ) and a dehydrogenase (TclN) to accomplish the two-step installation of the six thiazoles. In this study, we identify a minimal TclE leader region required for thiazole formation, we demonstrate complex formation between TclI, TclJ and TclN, and further define regions of these proteins required for complex formation. Our results point to a mechanism of thiazole installation in which TclI associates with the two enzymes in a mutually exclusive fashion, such that each enzyme competes for access to the peptide substrate in a dynamic equilibrium, thus ensuring complete modification of each Cys residue in the TclE core.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devan M Bursey
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Yi-Jie Tseng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Leena M Patil
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Kathryn D Bewley
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
- Currently at: Genentech Inc, San Francisco, CA 94080
| | - Philip R Bennallack
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
- Currently at: Werfen North America, Bedford, MA 01730
| | - Josh M McPhie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Kimberly B Wagstaff
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Anisha Daley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Susan M Miller
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - James D Moody
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - John C Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Joel S Griffitts
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
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14
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Alexander AK, Elshahawi SI. Promiscuous Enzymes for Residue-Specific Peptide and Protein Late-Stage Functionalization. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300372. [PMID: 37338668 PMCID: PMC10496146 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300372] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
The late-stage functionalization of peptides and proteins holds significant promise for drug discovery and facilitates bioorthogonal chemistry. This selective functionalization leads to innovative advances in in vitro and in vivo biological research. However, it is a challenging endeavor to selectively target a certain amino acid or position in the presence of other residues containing reactive groups. Biocatalysis has emerged as a powerful tool for selective, efficient, and economical modifications of molecules. Enzymes that have the ability to modify multiple complex substrates or selectively install nonnative handles have wide applications. Herein, we highlight enzymes with broad substrate tolerance that have been demonstrated to modify a specific amino acid residue in simple or complex peptides and/or proteins at late-stage. The different substrates accepted by these enzymes are mentioned together with the reported downstream bioorthogonal reactions that have benefited from the enzymatic selective modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley K Alexander
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Rinker Health Science Campus, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
| | - Sherif I Elshahawi
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Rinker Health Science Campus, Irvine, CA 92618, USA
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15
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Colombano A, Dalponte L, Dall'Angelo S, Clemente C, Idress M, Ghazal A, Houssen WE. Chemoenzymatic Late-Stage Modifications Enable Downstream Click-Mediated Fluorescent Tagging of Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202215979. [PMID: 36815722 PMCID: PMC10946513 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202215979] [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: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Aromatic prenyltransferases from cyanobactin biosynthetic pathways catalyse the chemoselective and regioselective intramolecular transfer of prenyl/geranyl groups from isoprene donors to an electron-rich position in these macrocyclic and linear peptides. These enzymes often demonstrate relaxed substrate specificity and are considered useful biocatalysts for structural diversification of peptides. Herein, we assess the isoprene donor specificity of the N1-tryptophan prenyltransferase AcyF from the anacyclamide A8P pathway using a library of 22 synthetic alkyl pyrophosphate analogues, of which many display reactive groups that are amenable to additional functionalization. We further used AcyF to introduce a reactive moiety into a tryptophan-containing cyclic peptide and subsequently used click chemistry to fluorescently label the enzymatically modified peptide. This chemoenzymatic strategy allows late-stage modification of peptides and is useful for many applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Colombano
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
| | - Luca Dalponte
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenAB24 3UEUK
| | - Sergio Dall'Angelo
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
| | - Claudia Clemente
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
| | - Mohannad Idress
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenAB24 3UEUK
- Abzena, Babraham Research CampusCambridgeUK
| | - Ahmad Ghazal
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenAB24 3UEUK
| | - Wael E. Houssen
- Institute of Medical SciencesUniversity of Aberdeen Ashgrove Road WestAberdeenAB25 2ZDUK
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenAB24 3UEUK
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16
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Saad H, Majer T, Bhattarai K, Lampe S, Nguyen DT, Kramer M, Straetener J, Brötz-Oesterhelt H, Mitchell DA, Gross H. Bioinformatics-Guided Discovery of Biaryl-Tailored Lasso Peptides. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.06.531328. [PMID: 36945544 PMCID: PMC10028836 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.06.531328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) that feature an isopeptide bond and a distinct lariat fold. A growing number of secondary modifications have been described that further decorate lasso peptide scaffolds. Using genome mining, we have discovered a pair of lasso peptide biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that include cytochrome P450 genes. Here, we report the structural characterization of two unique examples of (C-N) biaryl-containing lasso peptides. Nocapeptin A, from Nocardia terpenica, is tailored with Trp-Tyr crosslink while longipepetin A, from Longimycelium tulufanense, features Trp-Trp linkage. Besides the unusual bicyclic frame, longipepetin A receives an S-methylation by a new Met methyltransferase resulting in unprecedented sulfonium-bearing RiPP. Our bioinformatic survey revealed P450(s) and further maturating enzyme(s)-containing lasso BGCs awaiting future characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamada Saad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)
| | - Thomas Majer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Keshab Bhattarai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Sarah Lampe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Dinh T. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)
| | - Markus Kramer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Jan Straetener
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt
- Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
| | - Douglas A. Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)
| | - Harald Gross
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen (Germany)
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17
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Kretsch AM, Gadgil MG, DiCaprio AJ, Barrett SE, Kille BL, Si Y, Zhu L, Mitchell DA. Peptidase Activation by a Leader Peptide-Bound RiPP Recognition Element. Biochemistry 2023; 62:956-967. [PMID: 36734655 PMCID: PMC10126823 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The RiPP precursor recognition element (RRE) is a conserved domain found in many prokaryotic ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). RREs bind with high specificity and affinity to a recognition sequence within the N-terminal leader region of RiPP precursor peptides. Lasso peptide biosynthesis involves an RRE-dependent leader peptidase, which is discretely encoded or fused to the RRE as a di-domain protein. Here we leveraged thousands of predicted BGCs to define the RRE:leader peptidase interaction through evolutionary covariance analysis. Each interacting domain contributes a three-stranded β-sheet to form a hydrophobic β-sandwich-like interface. The bioinformatics-guided predictions were experimentally confirmed using proteins from discrete and fused lasso peptide BGC architectures. Support for the domain-domain interface derived from chemical shift perturbation, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement experiments, and rapid variant activity screening using cell-free biosynthesis. Further validation of selected variants was performed with purified proteins. We developed a p-nitroanilide-based leader peptidase assay to illuminate the role of RRE domains. Our data show that RRE domains play a dual function. RRE domains deliver the precursor peptide to the leader peptidase, and the rate is saturable as expected for a substrate. RRE domains also partially compose the elusive S2 proteolytic pocket that binds the penultimate threonine of lasso leader peptides. Because the RRE domain is required to form the active site, leader peptidase activity is greatly diminished when the RRE domain is supplied at substoichiometric levels. Full proteolytic activation requires RRE engagement with the recognition sequence-containing portion of the leader peptide. Together, our observations define a new mechanism for protease activity regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M. Kretsch
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Mayuresh G. Gadgil
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Adam J. DiCaprio
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Susanna E. Barrett
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Bryce L. Kille
- Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Yuanyuan Si
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Lingyang Zhu
- School of Chemical Sciences, NMR Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Douglas A. Mitchell
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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18
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Do T, Link AJ. Protein Engineering in Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptides (RiPPs). Biochemistry 2023; 62:201-209. [PMID: 35006671 PMCID: PMC9454058 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) make up a rapidly growing superfamily of natural products. RiPPs exhibit an extraordinary range of structures, but they all begin as gene-encoded precursor peptides that are linear chains of amino acids produced by ribosomes. Given the gene-encoded nature of RiPP precursor peptides, the toolbox of protein engineering can be directly applied to these precursors. This Perspective will discuss examples of site-directed mutagenesis, noncanonical amino acid mutagenesis, and the construction and screening of combinatorial libraries as applied to RiPPs. These studies have led to important insights into the biosynthesis and bioactivity of RiPPs and the reengineering of RiPPs for entirely new functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Truc Do
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 207 Hoyt Laboratory Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
| | - A. James Link
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, 207 Hoyt Laboratory Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
- Department of Chemistry, 207 Hoyt Laboratory Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, 207 Hoyt Laboratory Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 USA
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19
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Mordhorst S, Ruijne F, Vagstad AL, Kuipers OP, Piel J. Emulating nonribosomal peptides with ribosomal biosynthetic strategies. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:7-36. [PMID: 36685251 PMCID: PMC9811515 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00169a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide natural products are important lead structures for human drugs and many nonribosomal peptides possess antibiotic activity. This makes them interesting targets for engineering approaches to generate peptide analogues with, for example, increased bioactivities. Nonribosomal peptides are produced by huge mega-enzyme complexes in an assembly-line like manner, and hence, these biosynthetic pathways are challenging to engineer. In the past decade, more and more structural features thought to be unique to nonribosomal peptides were found in ribosomally synthesised and posttranslationally modified peptides as well. These streamlined ribosomal pathways with modifying enzymes that are often promiscuous and with gene-encoded precursor proteins that can be modified easily, offer several advantages to produce designer peptides. This review aims to provide an overview of recent progress in this emerging research area by comparing structural features common to both nonribosomal and ribosomally synthesised and posttranslationally modified peptides in the first part and highlighting synthetic biology strategies for emulating nonribosomal peptides by ribosomal pathway engineering in the second part.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silja Mordhorst
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Fleur Ruijne
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Anna L Vagstad
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Oscar P Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Jörn Piel
- Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 8093 Zürich Switzerland
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20
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YcaO-mediated ATP-dependent peptidase activity in ribosomal peptide biosynthesis. Nat Chem Biol 2023; 19:111-119. [PMID: 36280794 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01141-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
YcaO enzymes catalyze ATP-dependent post-translation modifications on peptides, including the installation of (ox/thi)azoline, thioamide and/or amidine moieties. Here we demonstrate that, in the biosynthesis of the bis-methyloxazolic alkaloid muscoride A, the YcaO enzyme MusD carries out both ATP-dependent cyclodehydration and peptide bond cleavage, which is a mechanism unprecedented for such a reaction. YcaO-catalyzed modifications are proposed to occur through a backbone O-phosphorylated intermediate, but this mechanism remains speculative. We report, to our knowedge, the first characterization of an acyl-phosphate species consistent with the proposed mechanism for backbone amide activation. The 3.1-Å-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy structure of MusD along with biochemical analysis allow identification of residues that enable peptide cleavage reaction. Bioinformatics analysis identifies other cyanobactin pathways that may deploy bifunctional YcaO enzymes. Our structural, mutational and mechanistic studies expand the scope of modifications catalyzed by YcaO proteins to include peptide hydrolysis and provide evidence for a unifying mechanism for the catalytically diverse outcomes.
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21
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Shelton KE, Mitchell DA. Bioinformatic prediction and experimental validation of RiPP recognition elements. Methods Enzymol 2022; 679:191-233. [PMID: 36682862 PMCID: PMC9871372 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a family of natural products for which discovery efforts have rapidly grown over the past decade. There are currently 38 known RiPP classes encoded by prokaryotes. Half of the prokaryotic RiPP classes include a protein domain called the RiPP Recognition Element (RRE) for successful installation of post-translational modifications on a RiPP precursor peptide. In most cases, the RRE domain binds to the N-terminal "leader" region of the precursor peptide, facilitating enzymatic modification of the C-terminal "core" region. The prevalence of the RRE domain renders it a theoretically useful bioinformatic handle for class-independent RiPP discovery; however, first-in-class RiPPs have yet to be isolated and experimentally characterized using an RRE-centric strategy. Moreover, with most known RRE domains engaging their cognate precursor peptide(s) with high specificity and nanomolar affinity, evaluation of the residue-specific interactions that govern RRE:substrate complexation is a necessary first step to leveraging the RRE domain for various bioengineering applications. This chapter details protocols for developing custom bioinformatic models to predict and annotate RRE domains in a class-specific manner. Next, we outline methods for experimental validation of precursor peptide binding using fluorescence polarization binding assays and in vitro enzyme activity assays. We anticipate the methods herein will guide and enhance future critical analyses of the RRE domain, eventually enabling its future use as a customizable tool for molecular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle E Shelton
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Douglas A Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States; Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.
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22
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Huang S, Wang Y, Cai C, Xiao X, Liu S, Ma Y, Xie X, Liang Y, Chen H, Zhu J, Hegemann JD, Yao H, Wei W, Wang H. Discovery of a Unique Structural Motif in Lanthipeptide Synthetases for Substrate Binding and Interdomain Interactions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202211382. [PMID: 36102578 PMCID: PMC9828337 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202211382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Class III lanthipeptide synthetases catalyze the formation of lanthionine/methyllanthionine and labionin crosslinks. We present here the 2.40 Å resolution structure of the kinase domain of a class III lanthipeptide synthetase CurKC from the biosynthesis of curvopeptin. A unique structural subunit for leader binding, named leader recognition domain (LRD), was identified. The LRD of CurKC is responsible for the recognition of the leader peptide and for mediating interactions between the lyase and kinase domains. LRDs are highly conserved among the kinase domains of class III and class IV lanthipeptide synthetases. The discovery of LRDs provides insight into the substrate recognition and domain organization in multidomain lanthipeptide synthetases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanqing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Chuangxu Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Xiuyun Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Shulei Liu
- Institute of Molecular EnzymologySchool of Biology and Basic Medical SciencesSoochow UniversitySuzhou215123China
| | - Yeying Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Xiangqian Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Yong Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Hao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
| | - Jiapeng Zhu
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS)Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI)Saarland University Campus66123SaarbrückenGermany
| | - Julian D. Hegemann
- School of Medicine and Life SciencesState Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and EfficacyJiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia MedicaNanjing University of Chinese MedicineNanjing210023China
| | - Hongwei Yao
- Institute of Molecular EnzymologySchool of Biology and Basic Medical SciencesSoochow UniversitySuzhou215123China
| | - Wanqing Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyJiangnan UniversityWuxi214122P. R. China
| | - Huan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination ChemistryChemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center of Nanjing UniversityJiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic MaterialsSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNo. 163 Xianlin AveNanjing210093China
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23
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Elashal HE, Koos JD, Cheung-Lee WL, Choi B, Cao L, Richardson MA, White HL, Link AJ. Biosynthesis and characterization of fuscimiditide, an aspartimidylated graspetide. Nat Chem 2022; 14:1325-1334. [PMID: 35982233 PMCID: PMC10078976 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-01022-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Microviridins and other ω-ester-linked peptides, collectively known as graspetides, are characterized by side-chain-side-chain linkages installed by ATP-grasp enzymes. Here we report the discovery of a family of graspetides, the gene clusters of which also encode an O-methyltransferase with homology to the protein repair catalyst protein L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase. Using heterologous expression, we produced fuscimiditide, a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP). NMR analysis of fuscimiditide revealed that the peptide contains two ester cross-links forming a stem-loop macrocycle. Furthermore, an unusually stable aspartimide moiety is found within the loop macrocycle. We fully reconstituted fuscimiditide biosynthesis in vitro including formation of the ester and aspartimide moieties. The aspartimide moiety embedded in fuscimiditide hydrolyses regioselectively to isoaspartate. Surprisingly, this isoaspartate-containing peptide is also a substrate for the L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase homologue, thus driving any hydrolysis products back to the aspartimide form. Whereas an aspartimide is often considered a nuisance product in protein formulations, our data suggest that some RiPPs have aspartimide residues intentionally installed via enzymatic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hader E Elashal
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Joseph D Koos
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Wai Ling Cheung-Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Brian Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Michelle A Richardson
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Heather L White
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - A James Link
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
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24
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Abstract
The past decade has seen impressive advances in understanding the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs). One of the most common modifications found in these natural products is macrocyclization, a strategy also used by medicinal chemists to improve metabolic stability and target affinity and specificity. Another tool of the peptide chemist, modification of the amides in a peptide backbone, has also been observed in RiPPs. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of biosynthesis of a subset of macrocyclic RiPP families, chosen because of the unusual biochemistry involved: the five classes of lanthipeptides (thioether cyclization by Michael-type addition), sactipeptides and ranthipeptides (thioether cyclization by radical chemistry), thiopeptides (cyclization by [4+2] cycloaddition), and streptide (cyclization by radical C-C bond formation). In addition, the mechanisms of backbone amide methylation, backbone epimerization, and backbone thioamide formation are discussed, as well as an unusual route to small molecules by posttranslational modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunji Lee
- Department of Chemistry and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Wilfred A van der Donk
- Department of Chemistry and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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25
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Nguyen NA, Cong Y, Hurrell RC, Arias N, Garg N, Puri AW, Schmidt EW, Agarwal V. A Silent Biosynthetic Gene Cluster from a Methanotrophic Bacterium Potentiates Discovery of a Substrate Promiscuous Proteusin Cyclodehydratase. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1577-1585. [PMID: 35666841 PMCID: PMC9746716 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Natural product-encoding biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) within microbial genomes far outnumber the known natural products; chemical products from such BGCs remain cryptic. These silent BGCs hold promise not only for the elaboration of new natural products but also for the discovery of useful biosynthetic enzymes. Here, we describe a genome mining strategy targeted toward the discovery of substrate promiscuous natural product biosynthetic enzymes. In the genome of the methanotrophic bacterium Methylovulum psychrotolerans Sph1T, we discover a transcriptionally silent natural product BGC that encoded numerous ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products. These cryptic RiPP natural products were accessed using heterologous expression of the substrate peptide and biosynthetic enzyme-encoded genes. In line with our genome mining strategy, the RiPP biosynthetic enzymes in this BGC were found to be substrate promiscuous, which allowed us to use them in a combinatorial fashion with a similarly substrate-tolerant cyanobactin biosynthetic enzyme to introduce head-to-tail macrocyclization in the proteusin family of RiPP natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyet A. Nguyen
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, USA 30332
| | - Ying Cong
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT, USA 84112
| | - Rachel C. Hurrell
- Department of Chemistry and the Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT, USA 84112
| | - Natalie Arias
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, USA 30332
| | - Neha Garg
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, USA 30332
| | - Aaron W. Puri
- Department of Chemistry and the Henry Eyring Center for Cell and Genome Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT, USA 84112
| | - Eric W. Schmidt
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT, USA 84112
| | - Vinayak Agarwal
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, USA 30332,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA, USA 30332,correspondence:
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26
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Habibi Y, Weerasinghe NW, Uggowitzer KA, Thibodeaux CJ. Partially Modified Peptide Intermediates in Lanthipeptide Biosynthesis Alter the Structure and Dynamics of a Lanthipeptide Synthetase. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:10230-10240. [PMID: 35647706 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lanthipeptide synthetases construct macrocyclic peptide natural products by catalyzing an iterative cascade of post-translational modifications. Class II lanthipeptide synthetases (LanM enzymes) catalyze multiple rounds of peptide dehydration and thioether macrocycle formation in a manner that guides precursor peptide maturation to the biologically active final product with high fidelity. The mechanistic details underlying the contradictory phenomena of substrate flexibility coupled with high biosynthetic fidelity have proven challenging to illuminate. In this work, we employ mass spectrometry to investigate how the structure of a maturing precursor lanthipeptide (HalA2) influences the local and global structure of its cognate lanthipeptide synthetase (HalM2). Using enzymatically synthesized HalA2 peptides that contain sets of native thioether macrocycles, we employ ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) to show that HalA2 macrocyclization alters the conformational landscape of the HalM2 enzyme in a systematic manner. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) studies show that local HalM2 structural dynamics also change in response to HalA2 post-translational modification. Notably, deuterium uptake in a critical HalM2 α-helical region depends on the number of thioether macrocycles present in the HalA2 core peptide. Binding of the isolated leader and core peptide portions of the modular HalA2 precursor led to a synergistic structuring of this α-helical region, providing evidence for distinct leader and core peptide binding sites that independently alter the dynamics of this functionally critical α-helix. The data support a mechanistic model where the sequential post-translational modification of HalA2 alters the conformational dynamics of HalM2 in regions of the enzyme that are known to be functionally critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeganeh Habibi
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Nuwani W Weerasinghe
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Kevin A Uggowitzer
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Christopher J Thibodeaux
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B8, Canada
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27
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Gu W, Zheng Y, Pogorelov T, Nair SK, Schmidt EW. Control of Nucleophile Chemoselectivity in Cyanobactin YcaO Heterocyclases PatD and TruD. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1215-1225. [PMID: 35420020 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Members of the YcaO superfamily are among the most common post-translational modification enzymes in natural product biosynthesis, with wide usage in biotechnology and synthetic biology applications. Here, we use domain-swapped chimeras and discovered unstructured regions in cyanobactin YcaOs that guide interactions with the substrates, governing access to interior amino acids in the substrates and explaining the chemoselectivity between PatD and TruD. These results define how the cyanobactin heterocyclases modify exceptionally sequence diverse substrates, yet with a high degree of positional and nucleophile selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjia Gu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | | | | | | | - Eric W. Schmidt
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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28
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Walker J, Hamlish N, Tytla A, Brauer DD, Francis MB, Schepartz A. Redirecting RiPP Biosynthetic Enzymes to Proteins and Backbone-Modified Substrates. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:473-482. [PMID: 35505866 PMCID: PMC9052802 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c01577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are peptide-derived natural products with potent antibiotic, antiviral, and anticancer properties. RiPP enzymes known as cyclodehydratases and dehydrogenases work together to catalyze intramolecular, inter-residue condensation and dehydrogenation reactions that install oxazoline/oxazole and thiazoline/thiazole heterocycles within ribosomally produced polypeptide chains. Here, we show that the previously reported enzymes MicD-F and ArtGox accept backbone-modified monomers-including aminobenzoic acid derivatives and beta-amino acids-within leader-free polypeptides, even at positions immediately preceding or following the site of cyclization/dehydrogenation. The products are sequence-defined chemical polymers with multiple, diverse non-α-amino acid subunits. We show further that MicD-F and ArtGox can install heterocyclic backbones within protein loops and linkers without disrupting the native tertiary fold. Calculations reveal the extent to which these heterocycles restrict conformational space; they also eliminate a peptide bond-both features could improve the stability or add function to linker sequences now commonplace in emerging biotherapeutics. This work represents a general strategy to expand the chemical diversity of the proteome beyond and in synergy with what can now be accomplished by expanding the genetic code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua
A. Walker
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Genetically Encoded Materials, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Noah Hamlish
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Genetically Encoded Materials, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Avery Tytla
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Daniel D. Brauer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Genetically Encoded Materials, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Matthew B. Francis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Genetically Encoded Materials, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- E-mail:
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- California
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Genetically Encoded Materials, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- E-mail:
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29
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McLaughlin MI, Yu Y, van der Donk WA. Substrate Recognition by the Peptidyl-( S)-2-mercaptoglycine Synthase TglHI during 3-Thiaglutamate Biosynthesis. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:930-940. [PMID: 35362960 PMCID: PMC9016710 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
3-Thiaglutamate is a recently identified amino acid analog originating from cysteine. During its biosynthesis, cysteinyl-tRNA is first enzymatically appended to the C-terminus of TglA, a 50-residue ribosomally translated peptide scaffold. After hydrolytic removal of the tRNA, this cysteine residue undergoes modification on the scaffold before eventual proteolysis of the nascent 3-thiaglutamyl residue to release 3-thiaglutamate and regenerate TglA. One of the modifications of TglACys requires a complex of two polypeptides, TglH and TglI, which uses nonheme iron and O2 to catalyze the removal of the peptidyl-cysteine β-methylene group, oxidation of this Cβ atom to formate, and reattachment of the thiol group to the α carbon. Herein, we use in vitro transcription-coupled translation and expressed protein ligation to characterize the role of the TglA scaffold in TglHI recognition and determine the specificity of TglHI with respect to the C-terminal residues of its substrate TglACys. The results of these experiments establish a synthetically accessible TglACys fragment sufficient for modification by TglHI and identify the l-selenocysteine analog of TglACys, TglASec, as an inhibitor of TglHI. These insights as well as a predicted structure and native mass spectrometry data set the stage for deeper mechanistic investigation of the complex TglHI-catalyzed reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin I. McLaughlin
- Department of Chemistry and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yue Yu
- Department of Chemistry and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Wilfred A. van der Donk
- Department of Chemistry and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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30
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Hamry SR, Thibodeaux CJ. Biochemical and biophysical investigation of the HalM2 lanthipeptide synthetase using mass spectrometry. CAN J CHEM 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjc-2021-0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance in clinical settings has called for renewed efforts to discover and develop new antimicrobial compounds. Lanthipeptides present a promising, genetically encoded molecular scaffold for the engineering of structurally complex, biologically active peptides. These peptide natural products are constructed by enzymes (lanthipeptide synthetases) with relaxed substrate specificity that iteratively modify the precursor lanthipeptide to generate structures with defined sets of thioether macrocycles. The mechanistic features that guide the maturation of lanthipeptides into their proper, fully modified forms are obscured by the complexity of the multistep maturation and the large size and dynamic structures of the synthetases and precursor peptides. Over the past several years, our lab has been developing a suite of mass spectrometry-based techniques that are ideally suited to untangling the complex reaction sequences and molecular interactions that define lanthipeptide biosynthesis. This review focuses on our development and application of these mass spectrometry-based techniques to investigate the biochemical, kinetic, and biophysical properties of the haloduracin β class II lanthipeptide synthetase, HalM2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally R. Hamry
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B8, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Christopher J. Thibodeaux
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B8, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H3A 0B8, Canada
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31
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Xiong J, Luo S, Qin CX, Cui JJ, Ma YX, Guo MX, Zhang SS, Li Y, Gao K, Dong SH. Biochemical Reconstitution Reveals the Biosynthetic Timing and Substrate Specificity for Thioamitides. Org Lett 2022; 24:1518-1523. [PMID: 35170977 DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.2c00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Thioamitides are apoptosis-inducing ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) with substantial post-translational modifications (PTMs), whose biosynthetic details remain elusive. We reconstituted their key PTMs through in vitro enzymatic reactions and gene coexpressions in E. coli and rigorously demonstrated the order of those modifications. Notably, thioamitide biosynthesis involves N- to C-terminal thioamidations and employs both leader-dependent and leader-independent reactions followed by leader removal by successive degradation. Our study provides a comprehensive overview of thioamitide biosynthesis and lays the foundation for thioamitide engineering in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shangwen Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Cheng-Xiao Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao-Jiao Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Xia Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng-Xue Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Sha-Sha Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ya Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Kun Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi-Hui Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
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32
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Dou C, Long Z, Li S, Zhou D, Jin Y, Zhang L, Zhang X, Zheng Y, Li L, Zhu X, Liu Z, He S, Yan W, Yang L, Xiong J, Fu X, Qi S, Ren H, Chen S, Dai L, Wang B, Cheng W. Crystal structure and catalytic mechanism of the MbnBC holoenzyme required for methanobactin biosynthesis. Cell Res 2022; 32:302-314. [PMID: 35110668 PMCID: PMC8888699 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-022-00620-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Methanobactins (Mbns) are a family of copper-binding peptides involved in copper uptake by methanotrophs, and are potential therapeutic agents for treating diseases characterized by disordered copper accumulation. Mbns are produced via modification of MbnA precursor peptides at cysteine residues catalyzed by the core biosynthetic machinery containing MbnB, an iron-dependent enzyme, and MbnC. However, mechanistic details underlying the catalysis of the MbnBC holoenzyme remain unclear. Here, we present crystal structures of MbnABC complexes from two distinct species, revealing that the leader peptide of the substrate MbnA binds MbnC for recruitment of the MbnBC holoenzyme, while the core peptide of MbnA resides in the catalytic cavity created by the MbnB-MbnC interaction which harbors a unique tri-iron cluster. Ligation of the substrate sulfhydryl group to the tri-iron center achieves a dioxygen-dependent reaction for oxazolone-thioamide installation. Structural analysis of the MbnABC complexes together with functional investigation of MbnB variants identified a conserved catalytic aspartate residue as a general base required for MbnBC-mediated MbnA modification. Together, our study reveals the similar architecture and function of MbnBC complexes from different species, demonstrating an evolutionarily conserved catalytic mechanism of the MbnBC holoenzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Dou
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhaolin Long
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shoujie Li
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Dan Zhou
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ying Jin
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry of Solid Surface and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Yanhui Zheng
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lin Li
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, NIBS, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhu
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing Key Laboratory for Magnetoelectric Materials and Devices, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Siyu He
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Weizhu Yan
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lulu Yang
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Xiong
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianghui Fu
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Shiqian Qi
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Haiyan Ren
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - She Chen
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, NIBS, Beijing, China
| | - Lunzhi Dai
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Binju Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry of Solid Surface and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Respiratory Infection and Intervention Laboratory of Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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33
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Fortinez CM, Bloudoff K, Harrigan C, Sharon I, Strauss M, Schmeing TM. Structures and function of a tailoring oxidase in complex with a nonribosomal peptide synthetase module. Nat Commun 2022; 13:548. [PMID: 35087027 PMCID: PMC8795117 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28221-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large modular enzymes that synthesize secondary metabolites and natural product therapeutics. Most NRPS biosynthetic pathways include an NRPS and additional proteins that introduce chemical modifications before, during or after assembly-line synthesis. The bacillamide biosynthetic pathway is a common, three-protein system, with a decarboxylase that prepares an NRPS substrate, an NRPS, and an oxidase. Here, the pathway is reconstituted in vitro. The oxidase is shown to perform dehydrogenation of the thiazoline in the peptide intermediate while it is covalently attached to the NRPS, as the penultimate step in bacillamide D synthesis. Structural analysis of the oxidase reveals a dimeric, two-lobed architecture with a remnant RiPP recognition element and a dramatic wrapping loop. The oxidase forms a stable complex with the NRPS and dimerizes it. We visualized co-complexes of the oxidase bound to the elongation module of the NRPS using X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. The three active sites (for adenylation, condensation/cyclization, and oxidation) form an elegant arc to facilitate substrate delivery. The structures enabled a proof-of-principle bioengineering experiment in which the BmdC oxidase domain is embedded into the NRPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Marie Fortinez
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada
| | - Kristjan Bloudoff
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada
| | - Connor Harrigan
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada
| | - Itai Sharon
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada
| | - Mike Strauss
- Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - T Martin Schmeing
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada. .,Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3G 0B1, Canada.
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34
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Song I, Kim Y, Yu J, Go SY, Lee HG, Song WJ, Kim S. Molecular mechanism underlying substrate recognition of the peptide macrocyclase PsnB. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:1123-1131. [PMID: 34475564 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00855-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Graspetides, also known as ω-ester-containing peptides (OEPs), are a family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) bearing side chain-to-side chain macrolactone or macrolactam linkages. Here, we present the molecular details of precursor peptide recognition by the macrocyclase enzyme PsnB in the biosynthesis of plesiocin, a group 2 graspetide. Biochemical analysis revealed that, in contrast to other RiPPs, the core region of the plesiocin precursor peptide noticeably enhanced the enzyme-precursor interaction via the conserved glutamate residues. We obtained four crystal structures of symmetric or asymmetric PsnB dimers, including those with a bound core peptide and a nucleotide, and suggest that the highly conserved Arg213 at the enzyme active site specifically recognizes a ring-forming acidic residue before phosphorylation. Collectively, this study provides insights into the mechanism underlying substrate recognition in graspetide biosynthesis and lays a foundation for engineering new variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inseok Song
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Younghyeon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jaeseung Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Su Yong Go
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hong Geun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Woon Ju Song
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seokhee Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
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35
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Miller FS, Crone KK, Jensen MR, Shaw S, Harcombe WR, Elias MH, Freeman MF. Conformational rearrangements enable iterative backbone N-methylation in RiPP biosynthesis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5355. [PMID: 34504067 PMCID: PMC8429565 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25575-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide backbone α-N-methylations change the physicochemical properties of amide bonds to provide structural constraints and other favorable characteristics including biological membrane permeability to peptides. Borosin natural product pathways are the only known ribosomally encoded and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs) pathways to incorporate backbone α-N-methylations on translated peptides. Here we report the discovery of type IV borosin natural product pathways (termed 'split borosins'), featuring an iteratively acting α-N-methyltransferase and separate precursor peptide substrate from the metal-respiring bacterium Shewanella oneidensis. A series of enzyme-precursor complexes reveal multiple conformational states for both α-N-methyltransferase and substrate. Along with mutational and kinetic analyses, our results give rare context into potential strategies for iterative maturation of RiPPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredarla S Miller
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Kathryn K Crone
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Matthew R Jensen
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Science Department, Concordia University-St. Paul, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Sudipta Shaw
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - William R Harcombe
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Mikael H Elias
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA.
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Michael F Freeman
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA.
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA.
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36
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The core of the matter. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:1118-1119. [PMID: 34475563 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00863-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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Pei ZF, Yang MJ, Zhang K, Jian XH, Tang GL. Heterologous characterization of mechercharmycin A biosynthesis reveals alternative insights into post-translational modifications for RiPPs. Cell Chem Biol 2021; 29:650-659.e5. [PMID: 34474009 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Mechercharmycin A (MCM-A) is a marine natural product belonging to a family of polyazole cyclopeptides with remarkable bioactivities and unique structures. Identification, heterologous expression, and genetic characterizations of the MCM biosynthetic gene cluster in Bacillus subtilis revealed that it is a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) possessing complex with distinctive modifications. Based on this heterologous expression system, two MCM analogs with comparable antitumor activity are generated by engineering the biosynthetic pathway. Combinatorial co-production of a precursor peptide with different modifying enzymes in Escherichia coli identifies a different timing of modifications, showing that a tRNAGlu-dependent highly regioselective dehydration is the first modification step, followed by polyazole formation through heterocyclization and dehydrogenation in an N- to C-terminal direction. Therefore, a rational biosynthetic pathway of MCMs is proposed, which unveils a subfamily of azol(in)e-containing RiPPs and sets the stage for further investigations of the enzymatic mechanism and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng-Fei Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Min-Jie Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Jian
- College of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong 643000, China
| | - Gong-Li Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Bio-organic and Natural Products Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China; School of Chemistry and Material Sciences, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Sub-lane Xiangshan, Hangzhou 310024, China.
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38
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Vinogradov AA, Nagano M, Goto Y, Suga H. Site-Specific Nonenzymatic Peptide S/O-Glutamylation Reveals the Extent of Substrate Promiscuity in Glutamate Elimination Domains. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:13358-13369. [PMID: 34392675 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c06470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Formation of dehydroalanine and dehydrobutyrine residues via tRNA-dependent dehydration of serine and threonine is a key post-translational modification in the biosynthesis of lanthipeptide and thiopeptide RiPPs. The dehydration process involves two reactions, wherein the O-glutamyl Ser/Thr intermediate, accessed by a dedicated enzyme utilizing Glu-tRNAGlu as the acyl donor, is recognized by the second enzyme, referred to as the glutamate elimination domain (ED), which catalyzes the eponymous reaction yielding a dehydroamino acid. Many details of ED catalysis remain unexplored because the scope of available substrates for testing is limited to those that the upstream enzymes can furnish. Here, we report two complementary strategies for direct, nonenzymatic access to diverse ED substrates. We establish that a thiol-thioester exchange reaction between a Cys-containing peptide and an α thioester of glutamic acid leads an S-glutamylated intermediate which can act as a substrate for EDs. Furthermore, we show that the native O-glutamylated substrates can be accessible from S-glutamylated peptides upon a site-specific S-to-O acyl transfer reaction. Combined with flexible in vitro translation utilized for rapid peptide production, these chemistries enabled us to dissect the substrate recognition requirements of three known EDs. Our results establish that EDs are uniquely promiscuous enzymes capable of acting on substrates with arbitrary amino acid sequences and performing retro-Michael reaction beyond the canonical glutamate elimination. To facilitate substrate recruitment, EDs apparently engage in nonspecific hydrophobic interactions with their substrates. Altogether, our results establish the substrate scope of EDs and provide clues to their catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Vinogradov
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masanobu Nagano
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yuki Goto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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39
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Patel KP, Silsby LM, Li G, Bruner SD. Structure-Based Engineering of Peptide Macrocyclases for the Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Microviridins. J Org Chem 2021; 86:11212-11219. [PMID: 34263606 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.1c00785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Microviridins are cyanobacterial tricyclic depsipeptides with unique ring architectures and function as serine protease inhibitors. In this study, we explore two strategies to probe the structure and mechanism of macrocyclases involved in microviridin biosynthesis. The results both provide approaches for in vitro chemoenzymatic synthesis and insight into the molecular interactions and function of the biosynthetic enzymes. The first strategy involves generating constitutively activated macrocyclases whereby the leader portion of the substrate peptide is covalently attached to the ATP-grasp ligases to examine leader peptide/enzyme interactions. The second strategy uses a structure-based design to create disulfide cross-linked peptide/enzyme complexes. Together, the strategies provide constitutively active enzymes and tools to study the catalysis of the macrocyclizations on synthetic core peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna P Patel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Lily M Silsby
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Gengnan Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Steven D Bruner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
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40
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Nguyen NA, Lin Z, Mohanty I, Garg N, Schmidt EW, Agarwal V. An Obligate Peptidyl Brominase Underlies the Discovery of Highly Distributed Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in Marine Sponge Microbiomes. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:10221-10231. [PMID: 34213321 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c03474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Marine sponges are prolific sources of bioactive natural products, several of which are produced by bacteria symbiotically associated with the sponge host. Bacteria-derived natural products, and the specialized bacterial symbionts that synthesize them, are not shared among phylogenetically distant sponge hosts. This is in contrast to nonsymbiotic culturable bacteria in which the conservation of natural products and natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) is well established. Here, we demonstrate the widespread conservation of a BGC encoding a cryptic ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) in microbiomes of phylogenetically and geographically dispersed sponges from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Detection of this BGC was enabled by mining for halogenating enzymes in sponge metagenomes, which, in turn, allowed for the description of a broad-spectrum regiospecific peptidyl tryptophan-6-brominase which possessed no chlorination activity. In addition, we demonstrate the cyclodehydrative installation of azoline heterocycles in proteusin RiPPs. This is the first demonstration of halogenation and cyclodehydration for proteusin RiPPs and the enzymes catalyzing these transformations were found to competently interact with other previously described proteusin substrate peptides. Within a sponge microbiome, many different generalized bacterial taxa harbored this BGC with often more than 50 copies of the BGC detected in individual sponge metagenomes. Moreover, the BGC was found in all sponges queried that possess high diversity microbiomes but it was not detected in other marine invertebrate microbiomes. These data shed light on conservation of cryptic natural product biosynthetic potential in marine sponges that was not detected by traditional natural product-to-BGC (meta)genome mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyet A Nguyen
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Zhenjian Lin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Ipsita Mohanty
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Neha Garg
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Eric W Schmidt
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Vinayak Agarwal
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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41
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Liu D, Rubin GM, Dhakal D, Chen M, Ding Y. Biocatalytic synthesis of peptidic natural products and related analogues. iScience 2021; 24:102512. [PMID: 34041453 PMCID: PMC8141463 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptidic natural products (PNPs) represent a rich source of lead compounds for the discovery and development of therapeutic agents for the treatment of a variety of diseases. However, the chemical synthesis of PNPs with diverse modifications for drug research is often faced with significant challenges, including the unavailability of constituent nonproteinogenic amino acids, inefficient cyclization protocols, and poor compatibility with other functional groups. Advances in the understanding of PNP biosynthesis and biocatalysis provide a promising, sustainable alternative for the synthesis of these compounds and their analogues. Here we discuss current progress in using native and engineered biosynthetic enzymes for the production of both ribosomally and nonribosomally synthesized peptides. In addition, we highlight new in vitro and in vivo approaches for the generation and screening of PNP libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dake Liu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Garret M. Rubin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Dipesh Dhakal
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Manyun Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Yousong Ding
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development (CNPD3), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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42
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Liu A, Si Y, Dong SH, Mahanta N, Penkala HN, Nair SK, Mitchell DA. Functional elucidation of TfuA in peptide backbone thioamidation. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:585-592. [PMID: 33707784 PMCID: PMC8084935 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00771-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
YcaO enzymes catalyze several post-translational modifications on peptide substrates, including thioamidation, which substitutes an amide oxygen with sulfur. Most predicted thioamide-forming YcaO enzymes are encoded adjacent to TfuA, which when present, is required for thioamidation. While activation of the peptide amide backbone is well established for YcaO enzymes, the function of TfuA has remained enigmatic. Here we characterize the TfuA protein involved in methyl-coenzyme M reductase thioamidation and demonstrate that TfuA catalyzes the hydrolysis of thiocarboxylated ThiS (ThiS-COSH), a proteinaceous sulfur donor, and enhances the affinity of YcaO toward the thioamidation substrate. We also report a crystal structure of a TfuA, which displays a new protein fold. Our structural and mutational analyses of TfuA have uncovered conserved binding interfaces with YcaO and ThiS in addition to revealing a hydrolase-like active site featuring a Ser-Lys catalytic pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andi Liu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Si
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Shi-Hui Dong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Nilkamal Mahanta
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, Karnataka, India
| | - Haley N Penkala
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Satish K Nair
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Douglas A Mitchell
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
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43
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Weerasinghe NW, Habibi Y, Uggowitzer KA, Thibodeaux CJ. Exploring the Conformational Landscape of a Lanthipeptide Synthetase Using Native Mass Spectrometry. Biochemistry 2021; 60:1506-1519. [PMID: 33887902 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Lanthipeptides are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products. These genetically encoded peptides are biosynthesized by multifunctional enzymes (lanthipeptide synthetases) that possess relaxed substrate specificity and catalyze iterative rounds of post-translational modification. Recent evidence has suggested that some lanthipeptide synthetases are structurally dynamic enzymes that are allosterically activated by precursor peptide binding and that conformational sampling of the enzyme-peptide complex may play an important role in defining the efficiency and sequence of biosynthetic events. These "biophysical" processes, while critical for defining the activity and function of the synthetase, remain very challenging to study with existing methodologies. Herein, we show that native mass spectrometry coupled to ion mobility (native IM-MS) provides a powerful and sensitive means for investigating the conformational landscapes and intermolecular interactions of lanthipeptide synthetases. Namely, we demonstrate that the class II lanthipeptide synthetase (HalM2) and its noncovalent complex with the cognate HalA2 precursor peptide can be delivered into the gas phase in a manner that preserves native structures and intermolecular enzyme-peptide contacts. Moreover, gas phase ion mobility studies of the natively folded ions demonstrate that peptide binding and mutations to dynamic structural elements of HalM2 alter the conformational landscape of the enzyme. Cumulatively, these data support previous claims that lanthipeptide synthetases are structurally dynamic enzymes that undergo functionally relevant conformational changes in response to precursor peptide binding. This work establishes native IM-MS as a versatile approach for characterizing intermolecular interactions and for unraveling the relationships between protein structure and biochemical function in RiPP biosynthetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuwani W Weerasinghe
- Department of Chemistry and Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Yeganeh Habibi
- Department of Chemistry and Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Kevin A Uggowitzer
- Department of Chemistry and Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
| | - Christopher J Thibodeaux
- Department of Chemistry and Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec H3A 0B8, Canada
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45
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Uggowitzer KA, Habibi Y, Wei W, Moitessier N, Thibodeaux CJ. Mutations in Dynamic Structural Elements Alter the Kinetics and Fidelity of the Multifunctional Class II Lanthipeptide Synthetase, HalM2. Biochemistry 2021; 60:412-430. [PMID: 33507068 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Class II lanthipeptide synthetases (LanM enzymes) catalyze the multistep post-translational modification of genetically encoded precursor peptides into macrocyclic (often antimicrobial) lanthipeptides. The reaction sequence involves dehydration of serine/threonine residues, followed by intramolecular addition of cysteine thiols onto the nascent dehydration sites to construct thioether bridges. LanMs utilize two separate active sites in an iterative yet highly coordinated manner to maintain a remarkable level of regio- and stereochemical control over the multistep maturation. The mechanisms underlying this biosynthetic fidelity remain enigmatic. We recently demonstrated that proper function of the haloduracin β synthetase (HalM2) requires dynamic structural elements scattered across the surface of the enzyme. Here, we perform kinetic simulations, structural analysis of reaction intermediates, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry studies, and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the contributions of these dynamic HalM2 structural elements to biosynthetic efficiency and fidelity. Our studies demonstrate that a large, conserved loop (HalM2 residues P349-P405) plays essential roles in defining the precursor peptide binding site, facilitating efficient peptide dehydration, and guiding the order of thioether ring formation. Moreover, mutations near the interface of the HalM2 dehydratase and cyclase domains perturb cyclization fidelity and result in aberrant thioether topologies that cannot be corrected by the wild type enzyme, suggesting an element of kinetic control in the normal cyclization sequence. Overall, this work provides the most comprehensive correlation of the structural and functional properties of a LanM enzyme reported to date and should inform mechanistic studies of the biosynthesis of other ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products.
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46
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Bogart JW, Cabezas MD, Vögeli B, Wong DA, Karim AS, Jewett MC. Cell-Free Exploration of the Natural Product Chemical Space. Chembiochem 2021; 22:84-91. [PMID: 32783358 PMCID: PMC8215586 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Natural products and secondary metabolites comprise an indispensable resource from living organisms that have transformed areas of medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. Recent advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing and computational analysis suggest that the vast majority of natural products remain undiscovered. To accelerate the natural product discovery pipeline, cell-free metabolic engineering approaches used to develop robust catalytic networks are being repurposed to access new chemical scaffolds, and new enzymes capable of performing diverse chemistries. Such enzymes could serve as flexible biocatalytic tools to further expand the unique chemical space of natural products and secondary metabolites, and provide a more sustainable route to manufacture these molecules. Herein, we highlight select examples of natural product biosynthesis using cell-free systems and propose how cell-free technologies could facilitate our ability to access and modify these structures to transform synthetic and chemical biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan W. Bogart
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Maria D. Cabezas
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Bastian Vögeli
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Derek A. Wong
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Ashty S. Karim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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Montalbán-López M, Scott TA, Ramesh S, Rahman IR, van Heel AJ, Viel JH, Bandarian V, Dittmann E, Genilloud O, Goto Y, Grande Burgos MJ, Hill C, Kim S, Koehnke J, Latham JA, Link AJ, Martínez B, Nair SK, Nicolet Y, Rebuffat S, Sahl HG, Sareen D, Schmidt EW, Schmitt L, Severinov K, Süssmuth RD, Truman AW, Wang H, Weng JK, van Wezel GP, Zhang Q, Zhong J, Piel J, Mitchell DA, Kuipers OP, van der Donk WA. New developments in RiPP discovery, enzymology and engineering. Nat Prod Rep 2021; 38:130-239. [PMID: 32935693 PMCID: PMC7864896 DOI: 10.1039/d0np00027b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 393] [Impact Index Per Article: 131.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Covering: up to June 2020Ribosomally-synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a large group of natural products. A community-driven review in 2013 described the emerging commonalities in the biosynthesis of RiPPs and the opportunities they offered for bioengineering and genome mining. Since then, the field has seen tremendous advances in understanding of the mechanisms by which nature assembles these compounds, in engineering their biosynthetic machinery for a wide range of applications, and in the discovery of entirely new RiPP families using bioinformatic tools developed specifically for this compound class. The First International Conference on RiPPs was held in 2019, and the meeting participants assembled the current review describing new developments since 2013. The review discusses the new classes of RiPPs that have been discovered, the advances in our understanding of the installation of both primary and secondary post-translational modifications, and the mechanisms by which the enzymes recognize the leader peptides in their substrates. In addition, genome mining tools used for RiPP discovery are discussed as well as various strategies for RiPP engineering. An outlook section presents directions for future research.
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Abstract
Bioinformatics-powered discovery of novel ribosomal natural products (RiPPs) has historically been hindered by the lack of a common genetic feature across RiPP classes. Herein, we introduce RRE-Finder, a method for identifying RRE domains, which are present in a majority of prokaryotic RiPP biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). RRE-Finder identifies RRE domains 3,000 times faster than current methods, which rely on time-consuming secondary structure prediction. Depending on user goals, RRE-Finder can operate in precision mode to accurately identify RREs present in known RiPP classes or in exploratory mode to assist with novel RiPP discovery. Employing RRE-Finder on the UniProtKB database revealed several high-confidence RREs in novel RiPP-like clusters, suggesting that many new RiPP classes remain to be discovered. Many ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide classes (RiPPs) are reliant on a domain called the RiPP recognition element (RRE). The RRE binds specifically to a precursor peptide and directs the posttranslational modification enzymes to their substrates. Given its prevalence across various types of RiPP biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), the RRE could theoretically be used as a bioinformatic handle to identify novel classes of RiPPs. In addition, due to the high affinity and specificity of most RRE-precursor peptide complexes, a thorough understanding of the RRE domain could be exploited for biotechnological applications. However, sequence divergence of RREs across RiPP classes has precluded automated identification based solely on sequence similarity. Here, we introduce RRE-Finder, a new tool for identifying RRE domains with high sensitivity. RRE-Finder can be used in precision mode to confidently identify RREs in a class-specific manner or in exploratory mode to assist in the discovery of novel RiPP classes. RRE-Finder operating in precision mode on the UniProtKB protein database retrieved ∼25,000 high-confidence RREs spanning all characterized RRE-dependent RiPP classes, as well as several yet-uncharacterized RiPP classes that require future experimental confirmation. Finally, RRE-Finder was used in precision mode to explore a possible evolutionary origin of the RRE domain. The results suggest RREs originated from a co-opted DNA-binding transcriptional regulator domain. Altogether, RRE-Finder provides a powerful new method to probe RiPP biosynthetic diversity and delivers a rich data set of RRE sequences that will provide a foundation for deeper biochemical studies into this intriguing and versatile protein domain. IMPORTANCE Bioinformatics-powered discovery of novel ribosomal natural products (RiPPs) has historically been hindered by the lack of a common genetic feature across RiPP classes. Herein, we introduce RRE-Finder, a method for identifying RRE domains, which are present in a majority of prokaryotic RiPP biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). RRE-Finder identifies RRE domains 3,000 times faster than current methods, which rely on time-consuming secondary structure prediction. Depending on user goals, RRE-Finder can operate in precision mode to accurately identify RREs present in known RiPP classes or in exploratory mode to assist with novel RiPP discovery. Employing RRE-Finder on the UniProtKB database revealed several high-confidence RREs in novel RiPP-like clusters, suggesting that many new RiPP classes remain to be discovered.
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Hegemann JD, Süssmuth RD. Matters of class: coming of age of class III and IV lanthipeptides. RSC Chem Biol 2020; 1:110-127. [PMID: 34458752 PMCID: PMC8341899 DOI: 10.1039/d0cb00073f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lanthipeptides belong to the superfamily of ribosomally-synthesized and posttranslationally-modified peptides (RiPPs). Despite the fact that they represent one of the longest known RiPP subfamilies, their youngest members, classes III and IV, have only been described more recently. Since then, a plethora of studies furthered the understanding of their biosynthesis. While there are commonalities between classes III and IV due to the similar domain architectures of their processing enzymes, there are also striking differences that allow their discrimination. In this concise review article, we summarize what is known about the underlying biosynthetic principles of these lanthipeptides and discuss open questions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian D Hegemann
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124 10623 Berlin Germany
| | - Roderich D Süssmuth
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 124 10623 Berlin Germany
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50
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Vinogradov AA, Shimomura M, Kano N, Goto Y, Onaka H, Suga H. Promiscuous Enzymes Cooperate at the Substrate Level En Route to Lactazole A. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:13886-13897. [PMID: 32664727 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c05541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) often have relaxed specificity profiles and are able to modify diverse substrates. When several such enzymes act together during precursor peptide maturation, a multitude of products can form, yet usually the biosynthesis converges on a single natural product. For the most part, the mechanisms controlling the integrity of RiPP assembly remain elusive. Here, we investigate the biosynthesis of lactazole A, a model thiopeptide produced by five promiscuous enzymes from a ribosomal precursor peptide. Using our in vitro thiopeptide production (FIT-Laz) system, we determine the order of biosynthetic events at the individual modification level and supplement this study with substrate scope analysis for participating enzymes. Our results reveal an unusual but well-defined assembly process where cyclodehydration, dehydroalanine formation, and azoline dehydrogenation events are intertwined due to minimal substrate recognition requirements characteristic of every lactazole enzyme. Additionally, each enzyme plays a role in directing LazBF-mediated dehydroalanine formation, which emerges as the central theme of the assembly process. Cyclodehydratase LazDE discriminates a single serine residue for azoline formation, leaving the remaining five as potential dehydratase substrates. Pyridine synthase LazC exerts kinetic control over LazBF to prevent the formation of overdehydrated thiopeptides, whereas the coupling of dehydrogenation to dehydroalanine installation impedes generation of underdehydrated products. Altogether, our results indicate that substrate-level cooperation between the biosynthetic enzymes maintains the integrity of lactazole assembly. This work advances our understanding of RiPP biosynthesis processes and facilitates thiopeptide bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Vinogradov
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | | | - Naokazu Kano
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8588, Japan
| | - Yuki Goto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | | | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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