Structural and functional analysis of validoxylamine A 7'-phosphate synthase ValL involved in validamycin A biosynthesis

LC-MS/MS profiling of the poisonous wild mushroom, Entoloma mastoideum, (Entolomataceae, Basidiomycota) in Sabah (Northern Borneo), Malaysia

In Malaysia, mushroom poisoning poses a significant public health concern, particularly as local communities frequently consume wild mushrooms without fully recognizing the potential dangers they present. Ingestion of wild mushrooms, which resemble edible species but contain deadly chemicals, is the main cause of poisoning risk. The genus Entoloma (Fr.) P. Kumm is dispersed worldwide, with over 1500 species recorded. Entoloma mastoideum, a poisonous mushroom, was recorded for the first time at Kota Marudu district, Sabah, Malaysia, where ten cases of mushroom poisoning outbreaks were recorded during the rainy season of October 2019. The morphological characters of the specimens were documented and their microscopic features were analyzed using compound microscope and scanning electron microscope. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis. Chemical profiling of the poisonous mushroom specimen was done via liquid chromatograph mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify toxic metabolites. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the Bornean E. mastoideum is closely related to the Chinese isolates (100% BS/1.0 PP). LC-MS/MS profiling detected a total of 162 metabolites that were classified into ten general groups, where several toxic compounds were detected amongst the aromatics, essential amino acids, and fatty acid derivatives. The toxic compounds identified in the mushroom extract, including amino acid derivatives such as 3,4,5,6-tetrahydroxyynorleucine, valpromide, and betaine, have been reported to cause neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, liver damage, and gastrointestinal harm. The presence of these toxic compounds underscores the need for caution when consuming wild mushrooms. Further research on poisonous Entoloma species is vital for developing accurate identification methods and understanding their toxic potential. This knowledge is essential for enhancing public awareness, preventing mushroom poisoning incidents and safeguarding public health.

Catalytic Mechanism of Nonglycosidic C-N Bond Formation by the Pseudoglycosyltransferase Enzyme VldE

The pseudoglycosyltransferase (PsGT) enzyme VldE is a homologue of the retaining glycosyltransferase (GT) trehalose 6-phosphate synthase (OtsA) that catalyzes a coupling reaction between two pseudo-sugar units, GDP-valienol and validamine 7-phosphate, to give a product with α,α-N-pseudo-glycosidic linkage. Despite its biological importance and unique catalytic function, the molecular bases for its substrate specificity and reaction mechanism are still obscure. Here, we report a comparative mechanistic study of VldE and OtsA using various engineered chimeric proteins and point mutants of the enzymes, X-ray crystallography, docking studies, and kinetic isotope effects. We found that the distinct substrate specificities between VldE and OtsA are most likely due to topological differences within the hot spot amino acid regions of their N-terminal domains. We also found that the Asp158 and His182 residues, which are in the active site, play a significant role in the PsGT function of VldE. They do not seem to be directly involved in the catalysis but may be important for substrate recognition or contribute to the overall architecture of the active site pocket. Moreover, results of the kinetic isotope effect experiments suggest that VldE catalyzes a C-N bond formation between GDP-valienol and validamine 7-phosphate via an SNi-like mechanism. The study provides new insights into the substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism of a member of the growing family of PsGT enzymes, which may be used as a basis for developing new PsGTs from GTs.

Biosynthesis of cyclitols

Review covering up to 2021Cyclitols derived from carbohydrates are naturally stable hydrophilic substances under ordinary physiological conditions, increasing the water solubility of whole molecules in cells. The stability of cyclitols is derived from their carbocyclic structures bearing no acetal groups, in contrast to sugar molecules. Therefore, carbocycle-forming reactions are critical for the biosynthesis of cyclitols. Herein, we review naturally occurring cyclitols that have been identified to date and categorize them according to the type of carbocycle-forming enzymatic reaction. Furthermore, the cyclitol-forming enzymatic reaction mechanisms and modification pathways of the initially generated cyclitols are reviewed.

Complete biosynthetic pathway to the antidiabetic drug acarbose

Acarbose is a bacterial-derived α-glucosidase inhibitor clinically used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. As type 2 diabetes is on the rise worldwide, the market demand for acarbose has also increased. Despite its significant therapeutic importance, how it is made in nature is not completely understood. Here, we report the complete biosynthetic pathway to acarbose and its structural components, GDP-valienol and O-4-amino-(4,6-dideoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose. GDP-valienol is derived from valienol 7-phosphate, catalyzed by three cyclitol modifying enzymes, whereas O-4-amino-(4,6-dideoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose is produced from dTDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-glucose and maltose by the glycosyltransferase AcbI. The final assembly process is catalyzed by a pseudoglycosyltransferase enzyme, AcbS, which is a homologue of AcbI but catalyzes the formation of a non-glycosidic C-N bond. This study clarifies all previously unknown steps in acarbose biosynthesis and establishes a complete pathway to this high value pharmaceutical.

The market demand for acarbose, a drug used for treatment of patients affected by type-2 diabetes, has increased. In this article, the authors report the acarbose complete biosynthetic pathway, clarifying previously unknown steps and identifying a pseudoglycosyltransferase enzyme, AcbS, a homologue of AcbI that catalyzes the formation of a non-glycosidic C-N bond.

Residue behavior and risk assessment of validamycin a in grape under field conditions

The dissipation and residue of validamycin A in grapes were investigated under field conditions. An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of validamycin A in grapes was established and validated. Methanol and water (90/10, v/v) were used for validamycin A extraction and purification used MCX solid-phase extraction cartridges. The average recoveries of validamycin A in grapes at 0.01, 0.50, and 5.0 mg/kg levels were between 83.8 and 91.4%, with relative standard deviations of 2.3-3.0%. The half-lives of validamycin A in grape were 4.4-6.1 days. The terminal residues in grapes over a range of harvest times (7, 14, and 21 days) were no more than 0.73 mg/kg. According to Chinese consumption data, the risk quotient (RQ) of validamycin A was 3.22%, demonstrating a low risk to consumers. The current study may offer guidance for validamycin A use and could aid the government in determining the maximum residue level (MRL) values for validamycin A in grapes.

Optimization of QuPPe approach and validation of analytical method for estimation of validamycin from grain, paddy husk, and soil by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS-based method

Validamycin is the most active component of the antibiotic and antifungal validamycin complex. Since it is widely used to protect rice crops, its persistence in soil and rice matrices may affect the quality and the health of the consumer. Methods for its estimation from soil matrices are not available. Besides, its analysis from complex matrices including grain and paddy husk is challenging. So very few reliable analytical methods are available for its residue analysis. Thus, we aimed to develop a new QuPPe technique and new HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analytical method for the estimation of validamycin in grain, paddy husk, and soil. The QuPPe method was validated with a linearity range of 0.00101 to 0.10134 μg/mL. The LOQ of validamycin in grain, paddy husk, and soil was 1.01013 μg/kg and the retention time was 5.62 min. These results will be helpful in further analysis of food safety and environmental pollution.

Mycobacterial OtsA Structures Unveil Substrate Preference Mechanism and Allosteric Regulation by 2-Oxoglutarate and 2-Phosphoglycerate

Mycobacterial infections are a significant source of mortality worldwide, causing millions of deaths annually. Trehalose is a multipurpose disaccharide that plays a fundamental structural role in these organisms as a component of mycolic acids, a molecular hallmark of the cell envelope of mycobacteria. Here, we describe the first mycobacterial OtsA structures. We show mechanisms of substrate preference and show that OtsA is regulated allosterically by 2-oxoglutarate and 2-phosphoglycerate at an interfacial site. These results identify a new allosteric site and provide insight on the regulation of trehalose synthesis through the OtsAB pathway in mycobacteria.

Trehalose is an essential disaccharide for mycobacteria and a key constituent of several cell wall glycolipids with fundamental roles in pathogenesis. Mycobacteria possess two pathways for trehalose biosynthesis. However, only the OtsAB pathway was found to be essential in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with marked growth and virulence defects of OtsA mutants and strict essentiality of OtsB2. Here, we report the first mycobacterial OtsA structures from Mycobacterium thermoresistibile in both apo and ligand-bound forms. Structural information reveals three key residues in the mechanism of substrate preference that were further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Additionally, we identify 2-oxoglutarate and 2-phosphoglycerate as allosteric regulators of OtsA. The structural analysis in this work strongly contributed to define the mechanisms for feedback inhibition, show different conformational states of the enzyme, and map a new allosteric site.

Biosynthesis and Metabolic Engineering of Pseudo-oligosaccharides

Pseudo-oligosaccharides are microbial-derived secondary metabolites whose chemical structures contain pseudosugars (glycomimetics). Due to their high resemblance to the molecules of life (carbohydrates), most pseudo-oligosaccharides show significant biological activities. Some of them have been used as drugs to treat human and plant diseases. Because of their significant economic value, efforts have been put into understanding their biosynthesis, optimizing their fermentation conditions, and engineering their metabolic pathways to obtain better production yields. A number of unusual enzymes participating in diverse biosynthetic pathways to pseudo-oligosaccharides have been reported. Various methods and conditions to improve the production yields of the target compounds and eliminate byproducts have also been developed. This review article describes recent studies on the biosynthesis, fermentation optimization, and metabolic engineering of high-value pseudo-oligosaccharides.

The Crystal Structure of Nitrosomonas europaea Sucrose Synthase Reveals Critical Conformational Changes and Insights into Sucrose Metabolism in Prokaryotes

In this paper we report the first crystal structure of a prokaryotic sucrose synthase from the nonphotosynthetic bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. The obtained structure was in an open form, whereas the only other available structure, from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, was in a closed conformation. Comparative structural analysis revealed a "hinge-latch" combination, which is critical to transition between the open and closed forms of the enzyme. The N. europaea sucrose synthase shares the same fold as the GT-B family of the retaining glycosyltransferases. In addition, a triad of conserved homologous catalytic residues in the family was shown to be functionally critical in the N. europaea sucrose synthase (Arg567, Lys572, and Glu663). This implies that sucrose synthase shares not only a common origin with the GT-B family but also a similar catalytic mechanism. The enzyme preferred transferring glucose from ADP-glucose rather than UDP-glucose like the eukaryotic counterparts. This predicts that these prokaryotic organisms have a different sucrose metabolic scenario from plants. Nucleotide preference determines where the glucose moiety is targeted after sucrose is degraded.

IMPORTANCE

We obtained biochemical and structural evidence of sucrose metabolism in nonphotosynthetic bacteria. Until now, only sucrose synthases from photosynthetic organisms have been characterized. Here, we provide the crystal structure of the sucrose synthase from the chemolithoautotroph N. europaea. The structure supported that the enzyme functions with an open/close induced fit mechanism. The enzyme prefers as the substrate adenine-based nucleotides rather than uridine-based like the eukaryotic counterparts, implying a strong connection between sucrose and glycogen metabolism in these bacteria. Mutagenesis data showed that the catalytic mechanism must be conserved not only in sucrose synthases but also in all other retaining GT-B glycosyltransferases.

The mechanism of antifungal action of a new polyene macrolide antibiotic antifungalmycin 702 from Streptomyces padanus JAU4234 on the rice sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctonia solani

Antifungalmycin 702, a new polyene macrolide antibiotic produced by Streptomycespadanus JAU4234, has a broad antifungal activity and may have potential future agricultural and/or clinical applications. However, the mechanism of antifungal action of antifungalmycin 702 remains unknown. Antifungalmycin 702 strongly inhibited mycelial growth and sclerotia formation/germination of Rhizoctonia solani. When treated with antifungalmycin 702, the hyphae morphology of R. solani became more irregular. The membrane and the cellular organelles were disrupted and there were many vacuoles in the cellular space. The lesion in the plasma membrane was detected through the increase of membrane permeability, lipid peroxidation and leakage of cell constituents. In summary, antifungalmycin 702 may exert its antifungal activity against R. solani by changing the structure of cell membranes and the cytoskeleton and interacting with the organelles.

Mechanistic insights into validoxylamine A 7'-phosphate synthesis by VldE using the structure of the entire product complex

The pseudo-glycosyltransferase VldE catalyzes non-glycosidic C-N coupling between an unsaturated cyclitol and a saturated aminocyclitol with the conservation of the stereochemical configuration of the substrates to form validoxylamine A 7′-phosphate, the biosynthetic precursor of the antibiotic validamycin A. To study the molecular basis of its mechanism, the three-dimensional structures of VldE from Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp. limoneus was determined in apo form, in complex with GDP, in complex with GDP and validoxylamine A 7′-phosphate, and in complex with GDP and trehalose. The structure of VldE with the catalytic site in both an “open” and “closed” conformation is also described. With these structures, the preferred binding of the guanine moiety by VldE, rather than the uracil moiety as seen in OtsA could be explained. The elucidation of the VldE structure in complex with the entirety of its products provides insight into the internal return mechanism by which catalysis occurs with a net retention of the stereochemical configuration of the donated cyclitol.