1
|
Patel KD, Oliver RA, Lichstrahl MS, Li R, Townsend CA, Gulick AM. The structure of the monobactam-producing thioesterase domain of SulM forms a unique complex with the upstream carrier protein domain. J Biol Chem 2024:107489. [PMID: 38908753 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are responsible for the production of important biologically active peptides. The large, multidomain NRPSs operate through an assembly line strategy in which the growing peptide is tethered to carrier domains that deliver the intermediates to neighboring catalytic domains. While most NRPS domains catalyze standard chemistry of amino acid activation, peptide bond formation and product release, some canonical NRPS catalytic domains promote unexpected chemistry. The paradigm monobactam antibiotic sulfazecin is produced through the activity of a terminal thioesterase domain of SulM, which catalyzes an unusual β-lactam forming reaction in which the nitrogen of the C-terminal N-sulfo-2,3-diaminopropionate residue attacks its thioester tether to release the monobactam product. We have determined the structure of the thioesterase domain as both a free-standing domain and a didomain complex with the upstream holo peptidyl-carrier domain. The position of variant lid helices results in an active site pocket that is quite constrained, a feature that is likely necessary to orient the substrate properly for β-lactam formation. Modeling of a sulfazecin tripeptide into the active site identifies a plausible binding mode identifying potential interactions for the sulfamate and the peptide backbone with Arg2849 and Asn2819, respectively. The overall structure is similar to the β-lactone forming thioesterase domain that is responsible for similar ring closure in the production of obafluorin. We further use these insights to enable bioinformatic analysis to identify additional, uncharacterized β-lactam-forming biosynthetic gene clusters by genome mining.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ketan D Patel
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Ryan A Oliver
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Michael S Lichstrahl
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Rongfeng Li
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Craig A Townsend
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Andrew M Gulick
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Owens SL, Ahmed SR, Lang Harman RM, Stewart LE, Mori S. Natural Products That Contain Higher Homologated Amino Acids. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202300822. [PMID: 38487927 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300822] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
This review focuses on discussing natural products (NPs) that contain higher homologated amino acids (homoAAs) in the structure as well as the proposed and characterized biosynthesis of these non-proteinogenic amino acids. Homologation of amino acids includes the insertion of a methylene group into its side chain. It is not a very common modification found in NP biosynthesis as approximately 450 homoAA-containing NPs have been isolated from four bacterial phyla (Cyanobacteria, Actinomycetota, Myxococcota, and Pseudomonadota), two fungal phyla (Ascomycota and Basidiomycota), and one animal phylum (Porifera), except for a few examples. Amino acids that are found to be homologated and incorporated in the NP structures include the following ten amino acids: alanine, arginine, cysteine, isoleucine, glutamic acid, leucine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, and tyrosine, where isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine share the comparable enzymatic pathway. Other amino acids have their individual homologation pathway (arginine, proline, and glutamic acid for bacteria), likely utilize the primary metabolic pathway (alanine and glutamic acid for fungi), or have not been reported (cysteine and serine). Despite its possible high potential in the drug discovery field, the biosynthesis of homologated amino acids has a large room to explore for future combinatorial biosynthesis and metabolic engineering purpose.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Skyler L Owens
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
| | - Shopno R Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
| | - Rebecca M Lang Harman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
| | - Laura E Stewart
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
| | - Shogo Mori
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, Augusta, GA 30912
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Patel KD, Oliver RA, Lichstrahl MS, Li R, Townsend CA, Gulick AM. The structure of the monobactam-producing thioesterase domain of SulM forms a unique complex with the upstream carrier protein domain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.06.588331. [PMID: 38617275 PMCID: PMC11014566 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.06.588331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are responsible for the production of important biologically active peptides. The large, multidomain NRPSs operate through an assembly line strategy in which the growing peptide is tethered to carrier domains that deliver the intermediates to neighboring catalytic domains. While most NRPS domains catalyze standard chemistry of amino acid activation, peptide bond formation and product release, some canonical NRPS catalytic domains promote unexpected chemistry. The paradigm monobactam antibiotic sulfazecin is produced through the activity of a terminal thioesterase domain that catalyzes an unusual β-lactam forming reaction in which the nitrogen of the C-terminal N-sulfo-2,3-diaminopropionate residue attacks its thioester tether to release the β-lactam product. We have determined the structure of the thioesterase domain as both a free-standing domain and a didomain complex with the upstream holo peptidyl-carrier domain. The structure illustrates a constrained active site that orients the substrate properly for β-lactam formation. In this regard, the structure is similar to the β-lactone forming thioesterase domain responsible for the production of obafluorin. Analysis of the structure identifies features that are responsible for this four-membered ring closure and enable bioinformatic analysis to identify additional, uncharacterized β-lactam-forming biosynthetic gene clusters by genome mining.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ketan D. Patel
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Ryan A. Oliver
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Michael S. Lichstrahl
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Rongfeng Li
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Craig A. Townsend
- Department of Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218 USA
| | - Andrew M. Gulick
- Department of Structural Biology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Peng YJ, Chen Y, Zhou CZ, Miao W, Jiang YL, Zeng X, Zhang CC. Modular catalytic activity of nonribosomal peptide synthetases depends on the dynamic interaction between adenylation and condensation domains. Structure 2024; 32:440-452.e4. [PMID: 38340732 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large multidomain enzymes for the synthesis of a variety of bioactive peptides in a modular and pipelined fashion. Here, we investigated how the condensation (C) domain and the adenylation (A) domain cooperate with each other for the efficient catalytic activity in microcystin NRPS modules. We solved two crystal structures of the microcystin NRPS modules, representing two different conformations in the NRPS catalytic cycle. Our data reveal that the dynamic interaction between the C and the A domains in these modules is mediated by the conserved "RXGR" motif, and this interaction is important for the adenylation activity. Furthermore, the "RXGR" motif-mediated dynamic interaction and its functional regulation are prevalent in different NRPSs modules possessing both the A and the C domains. This study provides new insights into the catalytic mechanism of NRPSs and their engineering strategy for synthetic peptides with different structures and properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Jun Peng
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, People's Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuxing Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Cong-Zhao Zhou
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Miao
- Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong-Liang Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoli Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.
| | - Cheng-Cai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Peng H, Schmiederer J, Chen X, Panagiotou G, Kries H. Controlling Substrate- and Stereospecificity of Condensation Domains in Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases. ACS Chem Biol 2024; 19:599-606. [PMID: 38395426 PMCID: PMC10949931 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00678] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are sophisticated molecular machines that biosynthesize peptide drugs. In attempts to generate new bioactive compounds, some parts of NRPSs have been successfully manipulated, but especially the influence of condensation (C-)domains on substrate specificity remains enigmatic and poorly controlled. To understand the influence of C-domains on substrate preference, we extensively evaluated the peptide formation of C-domain mutants in a bimodular NRPS system. Thus, we identified three key mutations that govern the preference for stereoconfiguration and side-chain identity. These mutations show similar effects in three different C-domains (GrsB1, TycB1, and SrfAC) when di- or pentapeptides are synthesized in vitro or in vivo. Strikingly, mutation E386L allows the stereopreference to be switched from d- to l-configured donor substrates. Our findings provide valuable insights into how cryptic specificity filters in C-domains can be re-engineered to clear roadblocks for NRPS engineering and enable the production of novel bioactive compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huiyun Peng
- Junior
Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and
Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Julian Schmiederer
- Junior
Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and
Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Xiuqiang Chen
- Department
of Microbiome Dynamics, Leibniz Institute
for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Gianni Panagiotou
- Department
of Microbiome Dynamics, Leibniz Institute
for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Faculty
of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller
University, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department
of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 999999 Hong Kong
SAR, China
| | - Hajo Kries
- Junior
Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and
Infection Biology (HKI), Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ishikawa F, Nakamura S, Nakanishi I, Tanabe G. Recent progress in the reprogramming of nonribosomal peptide synthetases. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3545. [PMID: 37721208 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) biosynthesize nonribosomal peptide (NRP) natural products, which belong to the most promising resources for drug discovery and development because of their wide range of therapeutic applications. The results of genetic, biochemical, and bioinformatics analyses have enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms of the NRPS machinery. A major goal in NRP biosynthesis is to reprogram the NRPS machinery to enable the biosynthetic production of designed peptides. Reprogramming strategies for the NRPS machinery have progressed considerably in recent years, thereby increasing the yields and generating modified peptides. Here, the recent progress in NRPS reprogramming and its application in peptide synthesis are described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Genzoh Tanabe
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University, Osaka, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Cox RJ. Engineered and total biosynthesis of fungal specialized metabolites. Nat Rev Chem 2024; 8:61-78. [PMID: 38172201 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00564-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Filamentous fungi produce a very wide range of complex and often bioactive metabolites, demonstrating their inherent ability as hosts of complex biosynthetic pathways. Recent advances in molecular sciences related to fungi have afforded the development of new tools that allow the rational total biosynthesis of highly complex specialized metabolites in a single process. Increasingly, these pathways can also be engineered to produce new metabolites. Engineering can be at the level of gene deletion, gene addition, formation of mixed pathways, engineering of scaffold synthases and engineering of tailoring enzymes. Combination of these approaches with hosts that can metabolize low-value waste streams opens the prospect of one-step syntheses from garbage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Russell J Cox
- Institute for Organic Chemistry and BMWZ, Leibniz University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nava A, Roberts J, Haushalter RW, Wang Z, Keasling JD. Module-Based Polyketide Synthase Engineering for de Novo Polyketide Biosynthesis. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:3148-3155. [PMID: 37871264 PMCID: PMC10661043 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00282] [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: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Polyketide retrobiosynthesis, where the biosynthetic pathway of a given polyketide can be reversibly engineered due to the colinearity of the polyketide synthase (PKS) structure and function, has the potential to produce millions of organic molecules. Mixing and matching modules from natural PKSs is one of the routes to produce many of these molecules. Evolutionary analysis of PKSs suggests that traditionally used module boundaries may not lead to the most productive hybrid PKSs and that new boundaries around and within the ketosynthase domain may be more active when constructing hybrid PKSs. As this is still a nascent area of research, the generality of these design principles based on existing engineering efforts remains inconclusive. Recent advances in structural modeling and synthetic biology present an opportunity to accelerate PKS engineering by re-evaluating insights gained from previous engineering efforts with cutting edge tools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto
A. Nava
- Joint
BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
- Biological
Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jacob Roberts
- Joint
BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
- Biological
Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Robert W. Haushalter
- Joint
BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
- Biological
Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Zilong Wang
- Joint
BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
- Biological
Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jay D. Keasling
- Joint
BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
- Biological
Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Center
for Synthetic Biochemistry, Shenzhen Institutes
for Advanced Technologies, Shenzhen 518055, P.R. China
- The
Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 220, Kongens Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Patel KD, Gulick AM. Structural and functional insights into δ-poly-L-ornithine polymer biosynthesis from Acinetobacter baumannii. Commun Biol 2023; 6:982. [PMID: 37752201 PMCID: PMC10522769 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05362-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cationic homo-polyamino acid (CHPA) peptides containing isopeptide bonds of diamino acids have been identified from Actinomycetes strains. However, none has been reported from other bacteria. Here, we report a δ-poly-L-ornithine synthetase from Acinetobacter baumannii, which we name PosA. Surprisingly, structural analysis of the adenylation domain and biochemical assay shows L-ornithine as the substrate for PosA. The product from the enzymatic reaction was purified and identified as poly-L-ornithine composed of 7-12 amino acid units. Chemical labeling of the polymer confirmed the isopeptide linkage of δ-poly-L-ornithine. We examine the biological activity of chemically synthesized 12-mer δ-poly-L-ornithine, illustrating that the polymer may act as an anti-fungal agent. Structures of the isolated adenylation domain from PosA are presented with several diamino acids and biochemical assays identify important substrate binding residues. Structurally-guided genome-mining led to the identification of homologs with different substrate binding residues that could activate additional substrates. A homolog from Bdellovibrionales sp. shows modest activity with L-arginine but not with any diamino acids observed to be substrates for previously examined CHPA synthetases. Our study indicates the possibility that additional CHPAs may be produced by various microbes, supporting the further exploration of uncharacterized natural products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ketan D Patel
- Department of Structural Biology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Andrew M Gulick
- Department of Structural Biology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhang K, Kries H. Biomimetic engineering of nonribosomal peptide synthesis. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:1521-1532. [PMID: 37409512 DOI: 10.1042/bst20221264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) have gained attention due to their diverse biological activities and potential applications in medicine and agriculture. The natural diversity of NRPs is a result of evolutionary processes that have occurred over millions of years. Recent studies have shed light on the mechanisms by which nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) evolve, including gene duplication, recombination, and horizontal transfer. Mimicking natural evolution could be a useful strategy for engineering NRPSs to produce novel compounds with desired properties. Furthermore, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has highlighted the urgent need for new drugs, and NRPs represent a promising avenue for drug discovery. This review discusses the engineering potential of NRPSs in light of their evolutionary history.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Zhang
- Junior Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI Jena), 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Hajo Kries
- Junior Research Group Biosynthetic Design of Natural Products, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute (HKI Jena), 07745 Jena, Germany
- Organic Chemistry I, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| |
Collapse
|