Article
Chemistry, Organic
Alvaro Perez, Jose F. Quilez del Moral, Alberto Galisteo, Juan M. Amaro, Alejandro F. Barrero
Summary: The antibiotic platensymicyn, which can be used to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, was successfully synthesized using a biomimetic approach. The starting materials used in the synthesis, ent-kaurenoic acid and grandiflorenic acid, can be obtained in large quantities from their natural sources. The key steps in the synthesis include long-distance functionalization of ent-kaurenoic acid at position C11 and an efficient protocol for degrading the A-ring of the diterpene framework.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Steven D. Kelly, Danielle M. Williams, Jeremy T. Nothof, Taeok Kim, Todd L. Lowary, Matthew S. Kimber, Chris Whitfield
Summary: Bacterial surface polysaccharides are synthesized by glycosyltransferases using sugar nucleotide or activated donors. This study identified dual-domain ribofuranosyltransferase proteins that catalyze a two-step reaction sequence for ribofuranose residues found in some polysaccharides. The discovery of these proteins provides insights into the synthesis and function of bacterial polysaccharides.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hong Chang, Jie Bai, Hejian Zhang, Rong Huang, Huanyu Chu, Qian Wang, Hao Liu, Jian Cheng, Huifeng Jiang
Summary: This study comprehensively analyzed the phylogenetic and structural aspects of three types of starch biosynthetic enzymes to investigate the origin and evolution of the starch biosynthetic pathway. The results suggest that the origin of this pathway is related to horizontal gene transfer and endosymbiosis gene transfer, which played important roles in plant evolution. Additionally, after the divergence of Viridiplantae from Rhodophyta, all three enzymes underwent duplications and modifications, resulting in functionally specialized isoforms and the complete starch biosynthetic pathway.
SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian Cheng, Jing Chen, Xiaonan Liu, Xiangchen Li, Weixiong Zhang, Zhubo Dai, Lina Lu, Xiang Zhou, Jing Cai, Xueli Zhang, Huifeng Jiang, Yanhe Ma
Summary: This study sequenced the whole genome of Dioscorea species to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of the diosgenin biosynthetic pathway. It demonstrated de novo biosynthesis of diosgenin in a yeast cell factory. The study also introduced an alternative approach for the production of diosgenin through synthetic biology by integrating genes from plants, animals, and yeast.
PLANT COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Po-Hsun Fan, Shusuke Sato, Yu-Cheng Yeh, Hung-wen Liu
Summary: Apramycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used in veterinary medicine. Recent studies have shown that AprG plays a key role in the synthesis of the unique eight-carbon bicyclic dialdose structure of apramycin. AprG is a novel transaldolase that catalyzes a transaldolation reaction for which there is no established biological precedent.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Blaise Kimbadi Lombe, Lea Winand, Jan Diettrich, Melanie Tobermann, Wolf Hiller, Marcel Kaiser, Markus Nett
Summary: In this study, we report the discovery of massinidine, an aguanidine alkaloid with antiplasmodial activity, from bacteria of the genus Massilia. The biosynthetic genes of massinidine were identified and validated through heterologous expression. Bioinformatic analysis reveals the widespread potential for massinidine biosynthesis in various proteobacteria.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Zhengwen Xue, Qingong Li, Jingyang Zhang, Yefeng Tang
Summary: This study successfully achieved the formal biomimetic synthesis of (+)-hippolachnin A guided by its plausible biosynthetic pathway. Key transformations include an intriguing [4 + 2] cycloaddition and a tandem rearrangement/dehydration reaction. The work not only provides a unified approach to access diverse plakortin-type polyketides but also offers convincing evidence to elucidate their underlying biosynthetic network.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adam R. Lescallette, Zachary D. Dunn, Viola A. Manning, Kristin M. Trippe, Bo Li
Summary: 4-Formylaminooxyvinylglycine (FVG) is a herbicidal and antibacterial nonproteinogenic amino acid produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens. The biosynthetic origin of FVG and two related O-N bond-containing oxyvinylglycines has been identified, and a formyltransferase enzyme (gvgI) required for FVG production has been characterized. This study provides insights into the biosynthesis of FVG and other related compounds.
Review
Plant Sciences
Marwa Roumani, Sebastien Besseau, David Gagneul, Christophe Robin, Romain Larbat
Summary: Phenolamides are a family of specialized metabolites with high structural diversity found in various plant organs, potentially playing roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. Multiple evolutionary events have contributed to the extension of their taxonomic distribution and diversity.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xucai Yin, Yang Ren, Shu Guo, Baoyu Sun, Libin Wu, Chunyu Du, Jiajun Wang, Gepin Yin, Hua Huo
Summary: The study reveals the positive impact of ether-based electrolytes on CoS2 anodes, leading to the development of a stable porous structure for excellent electrochemical performance.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian Cheng, Xiao Wang, Xiaonan Liu, Xiaoxi Zhu, Zihe Li, Huanyu Chu, Qian Wang, QianQian Lou, Bijun Cai, Yiqun Yang, Xiaoyun Lu, Kai Peng, Dingyu Liu, Yuwan Liu, Lina Lu, Huan Liu, Ting Yang, Qijin Ge, Chengcheng Shi, Guichun Liu, Zhiwei Dong, Xun Xu, Wen Wang, Huifeng Jiang, Yanhe Ma
Summary: The study reveals that tandem duplication is the driving force of gene family evolution in yew genome, leading to clustering of key genes for paclitaxel biosynthesis on the same chromosome. It also provides genetic resources for nature to shape core structures of taxoids and establish complex pathways of paclitaxel by neofunctionalization.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Quentin De Roover, Timothe Vucko, Stephane P. Vincent, Julien De Winter, Olivier Coulembier
Summary: The azobenzene-bridged 15-crown-5 ether was successfully utilized as a photoswitchable cocatalyst to modulate the catalytic activity of potassium acetate in the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide. By alternating exposure to daylight and UV light, the ion pair-like structure of KOAc was transformed on-demand, resulting in effective modulation of the polymerization speed from slow to fast.
CATALYSIS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shumpei Asamizu, Abrory Agus Cahya Pramana, Sung-Jin Kawai, Yoshichika Arakawa, Hiroyasu Onaka
Summary: In this study, a coculture method was used to investigate the potential for secondary metabolite biosynthesis by Streptomyces species. Specific antibacterial activity was discovered in a combined-culture of Streptomyces hygroscopicus HOK021 and Tsukamurella pulmonis TP-B0596. Molecular networking and genomic data analysis revealed the formation of a previously unidentified conjugate between FabF inhibitor and catechol-type siderophore, named harundomycin A. The study demonstrated the transformation of existing natural products to bifunctional molecules driven by bacterial interaction.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Mihaya Kotajima, Jae-Hoon Choi, Hyogo Suzuki, Tomohiro Suzuki, Jing Wu, Hirofumi Hirai, David C. Nelson, Hitoshi Ouchi, Makoto Inai, Hideo Dohra, Hirokazu Kawagishi
Summary: 2-Azahypoxanthine was isolated from Lepista sordida and found to induce fairy rings. The biosynthetic pathway of 2-Azahypoxanthine is unknown, but differential gene expression analysis predicted genes involved in its formation. Nitric oxide generated by NOS5 and reversible catalysis by HGPRT were found to be involved in its biosynthesis. These findings provide insights into the biosynthetic mechanism of 2-Azahypoxanthine.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Yannik K. -H. Schneider, Anton Liaimer, Johan Isaksson, Oda S. B. Wilhelmsen, Jeanette H. H. Andersen, Kine O. Hansen, Espen H. H. Hansen
Summary: The suomilide and banyasides are non-ribosomal peptides produced by cyanobacteria, with highly modified structures and functionalities. Four suomilides, named suomilide B - E, were isolated and their structures determined. These compounds have different glycosyl group functionalization compared to suomilide A. However, no significant anti-proliferative, anti-biofilm, or anti-bacterial activities were found. Genomic sequencing allowed the proposal of a biosynthetic gene cluster for suomilides, indicating the prephenate-derived azabicyclononane core is most likely incorporated by a proline specific non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-unit.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liao-Bin Dong, Yu-Chen Liu, Alexis J. Cepeda, Edward Kalkreuter, Ming-Rong Deng, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Changsoo Chang, Andrzej Joachimiak, George N. Phillips, Ben Shen
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiao Zhang, Emma King-Smith, Liao-Bin Dong, Li-Cheng Yang, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Ben Shen, Hans Renata
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cheng-Jian Zheng, Edward Kalkreuter, Bo-Yi Fan, Yu-Chen Liu, Liao-Bin Dong, Ben Shen
Summary: This study presents a detailed investigation of PtmC, an unusual NAT homologue involved in the biosynthesis of thioplatensimycin and related compounds, highlighting its unique role and evolution from canonical NAT scaffold. The findings expand our understanding of enzyme evolution for substrate diversity and provide insights into the activities of NATs in natural product biosynthesis and xenobiotic detoxification.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chenxi Zhu, Baofu Xu, Donovon A. Adpressa, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Sandra Loesgen
Summary: A new bicyclic diterpenoid, benditerpenoic acid, was isolated from soil-dwelling Streptomyces sp. (CL12-4). The bacterial genome was sequenced, the biosynthetic gene cluster and terpene synthase responsible for its production were identified, and the compound showed moderate antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jun Luo, Dong Yang, Hindra, Ajeeth Adhikari, Liao-Bin Dong, Fei Ye, Xiaohui Yan, Christoph Rader, Ben Shen
Summary: The discovery of a new sub-family of AMM congeners, named AMEs, with different chemical features and modest cytotoxicity against cancer cells, expands the understanding of structure-activity relationship for pyrroloquinoline alkaloids. Comparative analysis of the gene clusters of AMEs and AMMs supports the use of a scaffold peptide for biosynthesis of the pyrroloquinoline family of natural products, providing insights for future efforts in mimicking Nature's combinatorial biosynthetic strategies for natural product structural diversity.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Baofu Xu, Zining Li, Tyler A. Alsup, Michelle A. Ehrenberger, Jeffrey D. Rudolf
Summary: This study reveals the ability of terpene synthases to catalyze prenylation on small molecules, supports its physiological relevance in vivo, and proposes a substrate decoy mechanism.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Baofu Xu, Dean J. Tantillo, Jeffrey D. Rudolf
Summary: The study investigated the mechanism of the first diterpene synthase known to form the eunicellane skeleton, highlighting the importance of D94 and E169 in the process. Bnd4 was found to have unique sesquiterpene cyclase activity and the ability to prenylate small molecules, demonstrating its versatility in natural product biosynthesis.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeffrey A. van Santen, Ella F. Poynton, Dasha Iskakova, Emily McMann, Tyler A. Alsup, Trevor N. Clark, Claire H. Fergusson, David P. Fewer, Alison H. Hughes, Caitlin A. McCadden, Jonathan Parra, Sylvia Soldatou, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Elisabeth M-L Janssen, Katherine R. Duncan, Roger G. Linington
Summary: This paper reports the release of a new version of the Natural Products Atlas database, which includes a large number of new compounds and significant upgrades. In addition to adding detailed descriptions of microbial taxa and chemical ontology terms, manual curation and data integration were carried out to improve the user experience.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yi-Zhen Zheng, Jingxuan Cui, Yung-Lin Wang, Szu-Jo Huang, En-Chi Lin, Sheng-Cih Huang, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Xiaohui Yan, Chin-Yuan Chang
Summary: This study reports the BLM-binding site and catalytic mechanism of human bleomycin hydrolase, which is involved in BLM detoxification and drug resistance.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Fang-Ru Li, Xiaoxu Lin, Qian Yang, Ning-Hua Tan, Liao-Bin Dong
Summary: This study successfully constructed two truncated pathways to efficiently synthesize clerodane and ent-kaurane skeletons using synthetic biology. This method may be a promising approach for preparing other privileged diterpene scaffolds.
BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xingming Pan, Wenyu Du, Xiaowei Zhang, Xiaoxu Lin, Fang-Ru Li, Qian Yang, Hang Wang, Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Bo Zhang, Liao-Bin Dong
Summary: This study reports the gene mining and structural characterization of two class II sesquiterpene cyclases from Streptomyces. The high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of these cyclases unveiled an induced-fit mechanism with a unique Mg2+ binding mode, solving one of the lingering questions in class II TC enzymology. This study provides new insights into class II TCs and supports further genome mining and TC engineering.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zuokai Wang, Wenlin Cai, Fangrui Ning, Wen Sun, Jianjun Du, Saran Long, Jiangli Fan, Xiaoqiang Chen, Xiaojun Peng
Summary: A PS called WZK-DPA-Zn, designed based on dipicolylamine (DPA), is capable of selectively identifying P. aeruginosa and drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. It effectively eliminates bacteria through antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) without inducing drug resistance.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Tyler A. Alsup, Baofu Xu, Zining Li
Summary: Terpenoids are the largest and most structurally diverse family of natural products, with over 80,000 known compounds found in all domains of life. While most characterized terpenoids are produced by plants and fungi, those of bacterial origin are rare despite the biosynthetic potential present in bacteria. Despite their relatively small size, bacterial terpenoids present a fascinating dichotomy for future research due to similarities with non-bacterial terpenoids and the abundance of novel structures, biosynthetic pathways, and bioactivities.
NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Shanyong Yi, Tongdong Kuang, Yuanyuan Miao, Yanqing Xu, Zhe Wang, Liao-Bin Dong, Ninghua Tan
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeffrey D. Rudolf, Chin-Yuan Chang
NATURAL PRODUCT REPORTS
(2020)