海洋微生物次级代谢产物生物合成的研究进展

海洋微生物次级代谢产物往往具有新颖的化学结构,蕴含着独特的生物合成途径、酶学机理和不同于陆生放线菌次级代谢产物的生物合成机制。自从2000年第一例海洋微生物天然产物enterocin的生物合成基因簇被阐明以来,迄今已克隆和鉴定了27种海洋微生物次级代谢产物的完整生物合成基因簇。这些次级代谢产物的生物合成主要源于四种途径,包括聚酮合酶途径,非核糖体肽合成酶途径,聚酮-非核糖体肽合成酶杂合途径,以及其他途径。本文综述了近年来一些重要海洋微生物活性次级代谢产物的生物合成途径,以及组合生物合成技术在海洋微生物次级代谢产物结构多样化方面的应用。     

Cloning of the biosynthetic gene cluster for naphthoxanthene antibiotic FD-594 from Streptomyces sp. TA-0256

FD-594 is an unique pyrano[4',3':6,7]naphtho[1,2-b]xanthene polyketide with a trisaccharide of 2,6-dideoxysugars. In this study, we cloned the FD-594 biosynthetic gene cluster from the producer strain Streptomyces sp. TA-0256 to investigate its biosynthesis. The identified pnx gene cluster was 38143 bp, consisting of 40 open reading frames, including a minimal PKS gene, TDP-olivose biosynthetic genes, two glycosyltransferase genes, two methyltransferase genes and many oxygenase/reductase genes. Most of these enzymes coded in the pnx cluster were reasonably assigned to a plausible biosynthetic pathway for FD-594, in which an unique ring opening process via Baeyer-Villiger-type oxidation catalyzed by a putative flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenase, is speculated to lead to the unique xanthene structure. To clarify the involvement of pnx genes in the FD-594 biosynthesis, a glycosyltransferase, PnxGT2, and a methyltransferase, PnxMT2, were characterized enzymatically with the recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. As a result, PnxGT2 catalyzed the triple olivose transfers to the FD-594 aglycon with TDP-olivose as the glycosyl donor to afford triolivoside. Surprisingly, in the PnxGT2 enzymatic reaction, tetraolivoside and pentaolivoside were significantly detected along with the expected triolivoside. To our knowledge, PnxGT2 is the first contiguous oligosaccharide-forming glycosyltransferase in secondary metabolism. Furthermore, addition of PnxMT2 and S-adenosyl-L-methionine into the PnxGT2 reaction mixture afforded natural FD-594 to confirm that the PnxGT2 reaction product was the expected regiospecifically glycosylated compound. Consequently, the identified pnx gene cluster appears to be involved in FD-594 biosynthesis.     

Collinone, a new recombinant angular polyketide antibiotic made by an engineered Streptomyces strain

Large chromosomal DNA fragments containing different parts of the putative rubromycin polyketide synthase gene cluster were cloned and functionally expressed in S. coelicolor CH999. Expression of these clones yielded 5 approximately 10 metabolites that were not detected in S. collinus culture extracts. This paper focusses on one of the new metabolites, termed collinone, that was isolated in large quantities and purified for spectroscopic structure determination and biological screening assays. Collinone is a heavily oxidized angular hexacyclic compound containing an unusual 1,4,5,8(2H,3H)-anthracenetetrone moiety previously only reported to be present in antibiotics SF2446A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2 isolated from Streptomyces sp. SF2446. Structure analysis of collinone indicates a tridecaketide with a 26 carbon backbone. The basic benz[a]naphthacene ring system of collinone is angular, similar to the aglycones of the well-known angucycline and angucyclinone antibiotics. While collinone showed antibacterial activity against vancomycin-resistant enterococci, no antifungal or significant antiviral activities were detected. Collinone could be a good starting point to obtain new bioactive angucyclin(on)e-like compounds by further genetic engineering of its pathway.     

锡林郭勒盟高原盐湖放线菌资源勘探及抗菌活性筛选

摘要：目的 探究锡林郭勒盟高原盐湖放线菌的多样性、新颖性及抗菌活性,为新型抗菌活性产物的发掘储备菌种资源。方 法 采用20种分离培养基,以平板涂布法分离放线菌;依据16S rRNA基因的同源性对菌株进行分子鉴定;PCR检测代表菌株的I型聚 酮合酶(PKS I)、II型聚酮合酶(PKS II)和非核糖体多肽合成酶(NRPS)功能基因;菌株的发酵液上清和菌体分别经乙酸乙酯和丙酮提取, 提取样品经纸片扩散法进行抗菌活性检测。目标菌株合成次级代谢产物的能力通过antiSMASH对基因组序列进行分析预测。结果 从 7份盐湖土壤样品中分离获得了365株放线菌,其分布于放线菌纲的8个目15个科28个属,优势菌属为链霉菌属和拟诺卡菌属。分离获 得的链霉菌新颖性突出,13株链霉菌与近缘菌株16S rRNA基因的最高相似度≤98.0%,推测其归属于10个链霉菌属新种。受试放线菌 对革兰阳性菌的抗菌活性显著,并从中筛选出3株抗菌作用强且抗菌谱较广的链霉菌;20株受试放线菌同时含有3种抗生素生物合成基 因。菌株XMNu-295基因组含有24个潜在的次级代谢产物生物合成基因簇,以聚酮类、非核糖体多肽类和萜烯类等为主。结论 锡林 郭勒盟高原盐湖中可培养放线菌多样性较为丰富,新颖性突出,目标菌株值得进一步开展次级代谢产物的化学研究。     

Advances in polyketide synthase structure and function

Recent progress in the understanding of polyketide synthase (PKS) continues to fuel the growth of combinatorial biosynthesis for natural product structural diversity. The structural analysis of many components of PKS, in particular for the modular type I 6-deoxyerythronilide B synthase (DEBS) involved in erythromycin biosynthesis, has provided structural imperatives for the observed biochemistry of DEBS and has enabled the generation of a working structural model of the entire DEBS system. New functions for PKS domains continue to be defined, such as the general control nonderepressible 5 (GCN5) N-acyltransferase strategy for polyketide chain initiation and the true identity of the elusive precursor for the methoxymalonylate extender unit. Novel molecular architectures have been continuously uncovered, including the 'AT-less' PKS and enediyne PKS, thereby expanding the known bacterial PKS paradigms beyond the prototypical type I, II and III PKSs. Finally, the genetic characterization of PKS in vivo and biochemical studies of PKS in vitro have also been greatly facilitated by the application of emerging technologies, such as RNA-mediated gene silencing, reconstitution of an entire polyketide biosynthetic pathway in a model heterologous host and Fourier-transform mass spectroscopy. The application of these technologies is discussed.     

微生物次级代谢产物生物合成基因簇与药物创新

微生物产生众多结构和生物活性多样的次级代谢产物，其生物合成基因簇的克隆是药物创新和产量提高的必要前提。迄今为止已有超过150种生物合成基因簇通过各种方式被克隆，并被用于组合生物合成、体外糖类随机化、代谢工程的定向改造。我们研究室已经克隆并测定了氨基糖苷类井冈霉索／有效霉索、多烯类抗生素FR-008／克念菌索、聚醚类南昌霉索、聚酮类梅岭霉索、杂合聚酮一多肽类略唑霉索等生物合成基因簇。深入的基因功能分析揭示了他们独特的生物合成途径和调节机理，为正在进行的组合生物合成结构改造和代谢工程产量提高奠定了基础。     

Presence of copalyl diphosphate synthase gene in an actinomycete possessing the mevalonate pathway

We have previously shown that gene clusters for biosyntheses of terpentecin and BE-40644, a diterpene antibiotic and a sesquiterpene antibiotic, respectively, were located in the adjacent mevalonate pathway gene clusters. In this study, a mevalonate pathway gene cluster was cloned from Streptomyces sp. strain KO-3988, which was known to produce furaquinocin A, employing a hybridization experiment using a 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase gene, which had been previously cloned from the strain KO-3988, as a probe. By sequencing flanking regions, we found four open reading frames that could encode a putative cytochrome P450 (ORF1), an isoprenoid cyclase (ORF2), an unknown protein (ORF3), and a polyprenyl diphosphate synthase gene (ORF4) in the upstream region of the mevalonate pathway gene cluster, though we did not find any genes related to furaquinocin A biosynthesis. The two ORFs (ORF2 and 4) were expressed as recombinant enzymes in E. coli and used for studies to investigate functions of these products. The ORF4 product was confirmed to be a geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGDP, C20) synthase. The ORF2 product proved to catalyze a conversion of GGDP into copalyl diphosphate, the first example of an enzyme with this function of prokaryotic origin. These results again showed that actinomycetes possessing the mevalonate pathway usually produce an isoprenoid and that its biosynthetic gene cluster exists in adjacent the mevalonate pathway gene cluster.     

Biosynthesis of hybrid peptide-polyketide natural products

The structural and catalytic similarities between non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) support the idea of combining individual NRPS and PKS modules for combinatorial biosynthesis. Recent advances in cloning and characterization of biosynthetic gene clusters for naturally occurring hybrid polyketide-peptide metabolites have provided direct evidence for the existence of hybrid NRPS-PKS systems, thus setting the stage to investigate the molecular basis for intermodular communication between NRPS and PKS modules. Reviewed in this article are biosynthetic data pertinent to hybrid peptide-polyketide biosynthesis published up to late 2000. Hybrid peptide-polyketide natural products can be divided into two classes: (i) those whose biosyntheses do not involve functional interaction between NRPS and PKS modules; and (ii) those whose biosyntheses are catalyzed by hybrid NRPS-PKS systems involving direct interactions between NRPS and PKS modules. It is the latter systems that are most likely amenable to combinatorial biosynthesis. The same catalytic sites appear to be conserved in both hybrid NRPS-PKS and normal NRPS or PKS systems, with the exception of the ketoacyl synthase domains in hybrid NRPS-PKS systems which are unique. Specific linkers may play a critical role in communication, facilitating the transfer of the growing intermediates between the interacting NRPS and/or PKS modules. In addition, phosphopantetheinyl transferases with broad carrier protein specificity are essential for the production of functional hybrid NRPS-PKS megasynthetases. These findings should now be taken into consideration in engineered biosynthesis of hybrid peptide-polyketide natural products for drug discovery and development.     

The leptomycin gene cluster and its heterologous expression in Streptomyces lividans

Leptomycin exerts its antifungal and anti-tumoral activity via inhibiting nucleo-cytoplasmic translocations in eukaryotic cells. To learn more about the biosynthesis of leptomycin and in an effort to generate leptomycin analogues through genetic engineering, 90 kb segment of DNA containing the putative leptomycin (lep) biosynthesis cluster from Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366 was cloned and sequenced. The lep cluster consist of 12 polyketide synthase (PKS) modules distributed in four genes (lepA, B, C and D) and a P450 encoding gene. The lep gene cluster was confirmed by its successful expression in Streptomyces lividans, where it directed the production of the two natural congeners-leptomycins A and B. The production of leptomycin B showed that the host has the capability to synthesize ethylmalonyl-CoA.     

海洋青铜小单孢菌FIM 02-523全基因组测序及分析

青铜小单孢菌(Micromonospora chalcea, M. chalcea)FIM 02-523能够合成对乏氧肿瘤细胞、艰难梭菌等具有活性的环脂肽类化合物rakicidins。利用Illumina HiSeq高通量测序平台,本研究首次对M. chalcea FIM 02-523进行全基因组测序,得到总长约6.74Mb的序列信息。分析表明基因组GC含量为72.89%,包含了6167个蛋白编码序列。利用AntiSMASH预测基因组中存在19个生物合成基因簇。结合PKS/NRPS生物合成特征和rakicidins化学结构特点,定位到了rakicidins的生物合成基因簇,并初步推测其生物合成途径。研究为M. chalcea FIM 02-523的功能基因组学研究和代谢调控提供了理论基础。     

The complete biosynthetic gene cluster of the 28-membered polyketide macrolactones, halstoctacosanolides, from Streptomyces halstedii HC34

Halstoctacoanolides A and B are 28-membered polyketide macrolactones and were isolated from Streptomyces halstedii HC34. The biosynthetic gene cluster (hls cluster) of halstoctacosanolides was completely identified from the genome library of Streptomyces halstedii HC34. DNA sequence analysis of ca. 100 kb region revealed that there were seven type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) and two cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in this cluster. Involvement of the gene cluster in the halstoctacosanolide biosynthesis was demonstrated by the gene disruption of P450 monooxygenase genes. The mutants produced a new deoxygenated halstoctacosanolide derivative, halstoctacosanolide C, which confirmed that the hls gene cluster was essential for the biosynthesis of halstoctacosanolides.     

Combinatorial biosynthesis in microorganisms as a route to new antimicrobial, antitumor and neuroregenerative drugs

Combinatorial biosynthesis utilizes the genes of biosynthetic pathways that produce microbial products to create novel chemical structures. The engineering of mondular polyketide synthase (PKS) genes has been the major focus of this effort and has led to the production of analogs of macrolide antibiotics like the erythromycins and their derived ketolides, and of the immunosuppressive macrolide FK-520 (Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co Ltd). Approaches to making analogs of the promising antitumor compounds known as epothilones are also being explored. Lead compounds for further study have resulted and routes to analogs of other pharmacologically important compounds have been established. To facilitate this work, many new tools for manipulating and studying the multifunctional PKSs have been developed including the development of Escherichia coli as a PKS expression last. These developments have resulted in faster ways of engineering PKS to produce new compounds for the development of chemotherapeutic agents from natural products.     

The biosynthetic gene clusters of aminocoumarin antibiotics

Plants and microorganisms are the most important sources of secondary metabolites in nature. For research in the functional genomics of secondary metabolism, and for the biotechnological application of such research by genetic engineering and combinatorial biosynthesis, most microorganisms offer a unique advantage to the researcher: the biosynthetic genes for a specific secondary metabolite are not scattered over the genome, but rather are clustered in a well-defined, contiguous region - the biosynthetic gene cluster of that metabolite. This is exemplified in this review for the biosynthetic gene clusters of the aminocoumarin antibiotics novobiocin, clorobiocin and coumermycin A (1), which are potent inhibitors of DNA gyrase. Cloning, sequencing and analysis of the biosynthetic gene clusters of these three antibiotics revealed that the structural differences and similarities of the compounds are perfectly reflected by the genetic organisation of the biosynthetic gene clusters. The function of most biosynthetic genes could be identified by gene inactivation experiments as well as by heterologous expression and biochemical investigation. The prenylated benzoic acid moiety of novobiocin and clorobiocin, involved in the interaction with gyrase, is structurally similar to metabolites found in plants. However, detailed investigations of the biosynthesis revealed that the biosynthetic pathway and the enzymes involved are totally different from those identified in plants.     

Evidence of the Involvement of a Cyclase Gene in the Biosynthesis of Ochratoxin A in Aspergillus carbonarius

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a well-known mycotoxin with wide distribution in food and feed. Fungal genome sequencing has great utility for identifying secondary metabolites gene clusters for known and novel compounds. A comparative analysis of the OTA-biosynthetic cluster in A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. niger, A. carbonarius, and P. nordicum has revealed a high synteny in OTA cluster organization in five structural genes (otaA, otaB, ota, otaR1, and otaD). Moreover, a recent detailed comparative genome analysis of Aspergilli OTA producers led to the identification of a cyclase gene, otaY, located in the OTA cluster between the otaA and otaB genes, encoding for a predicted protein with high similarity to SnoaLs domain. These proteins have been shown to catalyze ring closure steps in the biosynthesis of polyketide antibiotics produced in Streptomyces. In the present study, we demonstrated an upregulation of the cyclase gene in A. carbonarius under OTA permissive conditions, consistent with the expression trends of the other OTA cluster genes and their role in OTA biosynthesis by complete gene deletion. Our results pointed out the involvement of a cyclase gene in OTA biosynthetic pathway for the first time. They represent a step forward in the understanding of the molecular basis of OTA biosynthesis in A. carbonarius.     

Isolation and identification of three new 5-alkenyl-3,3(2H)-furanones from two streptomyces species using a genomic screening approach

Analyses of biosynthetic gene clusters derived from Streptomyces aculeolatus NRRL 18422 and Streptomyces sp. Eco86 indicated that both microorganisms have similar type I polyketide synthase (PKS) gene clusters with relatively few genes encoding post-PKS elaborative enzymes. However both gene clusters included a sequence coding for a relatively uncommon oxidative enzyme related to Baeyer-Villiger, flavin-type monooxygenases. Screening of culture extracts for compounds with the predicted physicochemical properties of the end products from these loci, led to the isolation of three 5-alkenyl-3,3(2H)-furanones, one (E-837, 1) from the former and two (E-492, 2, E-975, 3) from the latter strain. The structures, confirmed by spectral analyses including MS, and ID and 2D NMR experiments, were in accord with those predicted by genomic analyses. Baeyer-Villiger type oxidation is postulated to be involved in the formation of the furanone moieties in these molecules. All three new compounds were tested for their electron transport inhibitory activities. They had IC50 values of 1-4 microg/ml against Ascaris suum NADH-fumarate reductase and 1-12 microg/ml against bovine heart NADH oxidase.     

海鞘来源放线菌Streptomyces pratensis SCSIO LCY05中skyllamycins的发现及其生物合成分析

目的 挖掘海鞘来源放线菌 Streptomyces pratensis SCSIO LCY05生产含肉桂酰独特结构单元的skyllamycins类环肽的潜能,并深入分析skyllamycins生物合成基因簇的新特征.方法 利用Illumina Hiseq和Pacbio SMRT测序平台对S.pratensis SCSI...     

Novel compounds produced by Streptomyces lydicus NRRL 2433 engineered mutants altered in the biosynthesis of streptolydigin

Streptolydigin is a tetramic acid antibiotic produced by Streptomyces lydicus NRRL 2433 and involving a hybrid polyketide synthase (PKS)-nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) system in its biosynthesis. The streptolydigin amino-acid precursor, 3-methylaspartate, has been proposed to be condensed to the polyketide portion of the molecule by a NRPS composed by three enzymes (SlgN1, SlgN2 and SlgL). On the other hand, biosynthesis of the polyketide moiety involves the participation of cytochrome P450 SlgO2 for the correct cyclization of the characteristic bicyclic ketal. Independent disruption of slgN1, slgN2, slgL or slgO2 resulted in S. lydicus mutants unable to produce the antibiotic thus confirming the involvement of these genes in the biosynthesis of the antibiotic. These mutants did not accumulate any streptolydigin biosynthesis intermediate or shunt product derived from early polyketides released from the PKS. However, they produced three novel compounds identified as 4-(2-carboxy-propylamino)-3-chloro-benzoic acid, 4-(2-carboxy-propylamino)-3-hydroxy-benzoic acid and 4-(2-carboxy-propylamino)-benzoic acid, which were designated as christolane A, christolane B and christolane C, respectively. These compounds have been shown to exert some antibiotic activity.     

Post-genome research on the biosynthesis of ergot alkaloids

Genome sequencing provides new opportunities and challenges for identifying genes for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. A putative biosynthetic gene cluster of fumigaclavine C, an ergot alkaloid of the clavine type, was identified in the genome sequence of ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS by a bioinformatic approach. This cluster spans 22 kb of genomic DNA and comprises at least 11 open reading frames (ORFs). Seven of them are orthologous to genes from the biosynthetic gene cluster of ergot alkaloids in CLAVICEPS PURPUREA. Experimental evidence of the identified cluster was provided by heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of two ORFs, FgaPT1 and FgaPT2, in the cluster of A. FUMIGATUS, which show remarkable similarities to dimethylallyltryptophan synthase from C. PURPUREA and function as prenyltransferases. FgaPT2 converts L-tryptophan to dimethylallyltryptophan and thereby catalyzes the first step of ergot alkaloid biosynthesis, whilst FgaPT1 catalyzes the last step of the fumigaclavine C biosynthesis, i. e., the prenylation of fumigaclavine A at C-2 position of the indole nucleus. In addition to information obtained from the gene cluster of ergot alkaloids from C. PURPUREA, the identification of the biosynthetic gene cluster of fumigaclavine C in A. FUMIGATUS opens an alternative way to study the biosynthesis of ergot alkaloids in fungi.