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Quan Z, Awakawa T. Recent developments in the engineered biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids. Beilstein J Org Chem 2024; 20:578-588. [PMID: 38505236 PMCID: PMC10949012 DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.20.50] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Meroterpenoids are hybrid compounds that are partially derived from terpenoids. This group of natural products displays large structural diversity, and many members exhibit beneficial biological activities. This mini-review highlights recent advances in the engineered biosynthesis of meroterpenoid compounds with C15 and C20 terpenoid moieties, with the reconstruction of fungal meroterpenoid biosynthetic pathways in heterologous expression hosts and the mutagenesis of key enzymes, including terpene cyclases and α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent dioxygenases, that contribute to the structural diversity. Notable progress in genome sequencing has led to the discovery of many novel genes encoding these enzymes, while continued efforts in X-ray crystallographic analyses of these enzymes and the invention of AlphaFold2 have facilitated access to their structures. Structure-based mutagenesis combined with applications of unnatural substrates has further diversified the catalytic repertoire of these enzymes. The information in this review provides useful knowledge for the design of biosynthetic machineries to produce a variety of bioactive meroterpenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyang Quan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Awakawa
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
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Chen X, Zhang X, Sun W, Hou Z, Nie B, Wang F, Yang S, Feng S, Li W, Wang L. LcSAO1, an Unconventional DOXB Clade 2OGD Enzyme from Ligusticum chuanxiong Catalyzes the Biosynthesis of Plant-Derived Natural Medicine Butylphthalide. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17417. [PMID: 38139246 PMCID: PMC10743894 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417417] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Butylphthalide, a prescription medicine recognized for its efficacy in treating ischemic strokes approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China in 2005, is sourced from the traditional botanical remedy Ligusticum chuanxiong. While chemical synthesis offers a viable route, limitations in the production of isomeric variants with compromised bioactivity necessitate alternative strategies. Addressing this issue, biosynthesis offers a promising solution. However, the intricate in vivo pathway for butylphthalide biosynthesis remains elusive. In this study, we examined the distribution of butylphthalide across various tissues of L. chuanxiong and found a significant accumulation in the rhizome. By searching transcriptome data from different tissues of L. chuanxiong, we identified four rhizome-specific genes annotated as 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase (2-OGDs) that emerged as promising candidates involved in butylphthalide biosynthesis. Among them, LcSAO1 demonstrates the ability to catalyze the desaturation of senkyunolide A at the C-4 and C-5 positions, yielding the production of butylphthalide. Experimental validation through transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana corroborates this transformative enzymatic activity. Notably, phylogenetic analysis of LcSAO1 revealed that it belongs to the DOXB clade, which typically encompasses genes with hydroxylation activity, rather than desaturation. Further structure modelling and site-directed mutagenesis highlighted the critical roles of three amino acid residues, T98, S176, and T178, in substrate binding and enzyme activity. By unraveling the intricacies of the senkyunolide A desaturase, the penultimate step in the butylphthalide biosynthesis cascade, our findings illuminate novel avenues for advancing synthetic biology research in the realm of medicinal natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqing Chen
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Xiaopeng Zhang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Wenkai Sun
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Zhuangwei Hou
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Bao Nie
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Fengjiao Wang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Song Yang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Shourui Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;
| | - Wei Li
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
| | - Li Wang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China (Z.H.)
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Awakawa T, Mori T, Ushimaru R, Abe I. Structure-based engineering of α-ketoglutarate dependent oxygenases in fungal meroterpenoid biosynthesis. Nat Prod Rep 2023; 40:46-61. [PMID: 35642933 DOI: 10.1039/d2np00014h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-heme iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenases (αKG OXs) are key enzymes that play a major role in diversifying the structure of fungal meroterpenoids. They activate a specific C-H bond of the substrate to first generate radical species, which is usually followed by oxygen rebound to produce cannonical hydroxylated products. However, in some cases remarkable chemistry induces dramatic structural changes in the molecular scaffolds, depending on the stereoelectronic characters of the substrate/intermediates and the resulting conformational changes/movements of the active site of the enzyme. Their molecular bases have been extensively investigated by crystallographic structural analyses and structure-based mutagenesis, which revealed intimate structural details of the enzyme reactions. This information facilitates the manipulation of the enzyme reactions to create unnatural, novel molecules for drug discovery. This review summarizes recent progress in the structure-based engineering of αKG OX enzymes, involved in the biosynthesis of polyketide-derived fungal meroterpenoids. The literature published from 2016 through February 2022 is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayoshi Awakawa
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. .,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Takahiro Mori
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. .,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Richiro Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. .,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,ACT-X, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ikuro Abe
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. .,Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, the University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Ushimaru R, Abe I. Unusual Dioxygen-Dependent Reactions Catalyzed by Nonheme Iron Enzymes in Natural Product Biosynthesis. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c05247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richiro Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- ACT-X, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Ikuro Abe
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Collaborative Research Institute for Innovative Microbiology, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Hill RA, Sutherland A. Hot off the Press. Nat Prod Rep 2022. [PMID: 35708284 DOI: 10.1039/d2np90019j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A personal selection of 32 recent papers is presented covering various aspects of current developments in bioorganic chemistry and novel natural products such as chevalinulin A from Aspergillus chevalieri.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Hill
- School of Chemistry, Glasgow University, Glasgow, UK, G12 8QQ.
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