Assembly and heterologous expression of the coumermycin A1 gene cluster and production of new derivatives by genetic engineering

Many secondary metabolites of clinical importance have been isolated from different Streptomyces species. As most of the natural producers remain difficult to handle genetically, heterologous expression of an entire biosynthetic gene cluster in a well characterised host allows improved possibilities for modifications of the desired compound by manipulation of the biosynthetic genes. However, the large size of a functional gene cluster often prevents its direct cloning into a single cosmid clone. Here we describe a successful strategy to assemble the entire coumermycin A1 biosynthetic gene cluster (38.6 kb) into a single cosmid clone by lambda RED recombination technology. Heterologous expression of the reconstituted gene cluster in Streptomyces coelicolor M512 resulted in the heterologous production of coumermycin A1. Inactivation of the methyltransferase gene couO--responsible for the C-methylation at the 8-positions of the aminocoumarin moieties in coumermycin A1--and heterologous expression of the modified cluster resulted in an accumulation of a C-8-unsubstituted coumermycin A1 derivative. Subsequent expression of the halogenase gene clo-hal from the clorobiocin gene cluster in the heterologous producer strain led to the formation of two new hybrid antibiotics, containing either one or two chlorine atoms. The identities of the new compounds were verified by LC-MS, and their antibacterial activities were tested against Bacillus subtilis in an agar diffusion assay.     

Epoxyquinone formation catalyzed by a two-component flavin-dependent monooxygenase involved in biosynthesis of the antibiotic actinorhodin

The biosynthetic gene cluster of the aromatic polyketide antibiotic actinorhodin (ACT) in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) carries a pair of genes, actVA-ORF5 and actVB, that encode a two-component flavin-dependent monooxygenase (FMO). Our previous studies have demonstrated that the ActVA-ORF5/ActVB system functions as a quinone-forming C-6 oxygenase in ACT biosynthesis. Furthermore, we found that this enzyme system exhibits an additional oxygenation activity with dihydrokalafungin (DHK), a proposed intermediate in the ACT biosynthetic pathway, and generates two reaction products. These compounds were revealed to be monooxygenated derivatives of kalafungin, which is spontaneously formed through oxidative lactonization of DHK. Their absolute structures were elucidated from their NMR spectroscopic data and by computer modeling and X-ray crystallography as (5S,14R)-epoxykalafungin and (5R,14S)-epoxykalafungin, demonstrating an additional epoxyquinone-forming activity of the ActVA-ORF5/ActVB system in vitro.     

Evidence for the combined participation of a C10 and a C15 precursor in the biosynthesis of moenocinol, the lipid part of the moenomycin antibiotics

Upon feeding of [2-(13)C,4-(2)H]-1-deoxy-D-xylulose to Streptomyces ghanaensis, the deuterium label was retained exclusively at positions C-7 and C-17 in the moenocinol part of the moenomycin antibiotics. This result vindicates the hypothesis that the C(25) structure of moenocinol is assembled from a C(10) and a C(15) precursor, each of which requires for its formation the involvement of a dimethylallyl diphosphate starter unit.     

Acyl transfer in clorobiocin biosynthesis: involvement of several proteins in the transfer of the pyrrole-2-carboxyl moiety to the deoxysugar

Clorobiocin is an aminocoumarin antibiotic containing a pyrrole-2-carboxyl moiety, attached through an ester bond to a deoxysugar. The pyrrole moiety is important for the binding of the antibiotic to its biological target, gyrase. The complete biosynthetic gene cluster for clorobiocin has been cloned and sequenced from the natural producer, Streptomyces roseochromogenes DS 12.976. In this study, the genes cloN1 and cloN7 were deleted separately from a cosmid containing the complete clorobiocin cluster. The modified cosmids were introduced into the genome of the heterologous host Streptomyces coelicolor M512 by using the integration functions of the PhiC31 phage. While a heterologous producer strain harbouring the intact clorobiocin biosynthetic gene cluster accumulated clorobiocin, the cloN1- and cloN7-defective integration mutants accumulated a clorobiocin derivative that lacked the pyrrole-2-carboxyl moiety, while also producing free pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid. The structures of these metabolites were confirmed by NMR and MS analysis. These results showed that CloN1 and CloN7, together with the previously investigated CloN2, are involved in the transfer of the pyrrole-2-carboxyl moiety to the deoxysugar of clorobiocin. A possible mechanism for the role of these three proteins in the acyl-transfer process is suggested.     

Cover Feature: Exploring the Flexibility of the Glycopeptide Antibiotic Crosslinking Cascade for Extended Peptide Backbones (ChemBioChem 6/2023)

The glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) are a clinically approved class of antimicrobial agents that classically function through the inhibition of bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis by sequestration of the precursor lipid II. The oxidative crosslinking of the core peptide by cytochrome P450 (Oxy) enzymes during GPA biosynthesis is both essential to their function and the source of their synthetic challenge. Thus, understanding the activity and selectivity of these Oxy enzymes is of key importance for the future engineering of this important compound class. Recent reports of GPAs that display an alternative mode of action and a wider range of core peptide structures compared to classic lipid II-binding GPAs raises the question of the tolerance of Oxy enzymes for larger changes in their peptide substrates. In this work, we explore the ability of Oxy enzymes from the biosynthesis pathways of lipid II-binding GPAs to accept altered peptide substrates based on a vancomycin template. Our results show that Oxy enzymes are more tolerant of changes at the N terminus of their substrates, whilst C-terminal extension of the peptide substrates is deleterious to the activity of all Oxy enzymes. Thus, future studies should prioritise the study of Oxy enzymes from atypical GPA biosynthesis pathways bearing C-terminal peptide extension to increase the substrate scope of these important cyclisation enzymes.     

Aromatic Polyketide GTRI‐02 is a Previously Unidentified Product of the act Gene Cluster in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

The biosynthesis of aromatic polyketides derived from type II polyketide synthases (PKSs) is complex, and it is not uncommon that highly similar gene clusters give rise to diverse structural architectures. The act biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of the model actinomycete Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) is an archetypal type II PKS. Here we show that the act BGC also specifies the aromatic polyketide GTRI‐02 ( 1 ) and propose a mechanism for the biogenesis of its 3,4‐dihydronaphthalen‐1(2H)‐one backbone. Polyketide 1 was also produced by Streptomyces sp. MBT76 after activation of the act‐like qin gene cluster by overexpression of the pathway‐specific activator. Mining of this strain also identified dehydroxy‐GTRI‐02 ( 2 ), which most likely originated from dehydration of 1 during the isolation process. This work shows that even extensively studied model gene clusters such as act of S. coelicolor can still produce new chemistry, offering new perspectives for drug discovery.     

38例甲型H1N1流感患者病毒核酸阴转时限的观察

目的观察甲型H1N1流感患者病毒核酸阴转时限。方法选择2009年9月16～27日我院收治的甲型H1N1流感确诊病例38例,经同一名医生进行咽拭子采集,采用RT-PCR方法检测甲型通用、甲1通用、季节性流感、甲型H1N1亚型4个病毒亚型,以甲型通用、甲1通用、甲型H1N1亚型均阴转作为判定病毒核酸阴转的标准。结果 38例甲型H1N1流感患者病毒核酸阴转的时限最短1 d,最长14 d,平均4.5 d;病毒核酸阴转时间主要集中在第3、4、5天,第5天与第4天相比,甲型通用、甲1通用和甲型H1N1的阴转比例均明显增加(P<0.05);发病36 h内接受抗病毒治疗者,病毒核酸阴转平均时间为4.1 d;37～72 h接受抗病毒治疗者,病毒核酸阴转平均时间为5.2 d;有3例甲型通用、甲1通用、甲型H1N1亚型病毒核酸未同时阴转。结论甲型H1N1流感抗病毒治疗1周,大部分患者病毒核酸阴转,不具有传染性;尽早(36 h内)接受抗病毒治疗,可以缩短病毒核酸阴转时间;甲型通用、甲1通用、甲型H1N1亚型具有较好的一致性,对三者未同时阴转的情况,应注意是否同时合并其他甲型流感病毒亚型感染。     

The Role of the ATP-Binding Cassette A1 (ABCA1) in Human Disease

Cholesterol homeostasis is essential in normal physiology of all cells. One of several proteins involved in cholesterol homeostasis is the ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), a transmembrane protein widely expressed in many tissues. One of its main functions is the efflux of intracellular free cholesterol and phospholipids across the plasma membrane to combine with apolipoproteins, mainly apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I), forming nascent high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) particles, the first step of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). In addition, ABCA1 regulates cholesterol and phospholipid content in the plasma membrane affecting lipid rafts, microparticle (MP) formation and cell signaling. Thus, it is not surprising that impaired ABCA1 function and altered cholesterol homeostasis may affect many different organs and is involved in the pathophysiology of a broad array of diseases. This review describes evidence obtained from animal models, human studies and genetic variation explaining how ABCA1 is involved in dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease (CHD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), thrombosis, neurological disorders, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, viral infections and in cancer progression.     

Role of Two Exceptional trans Adenylation Domains and MbtH-like Proteins in the Biosynthesis of the Nonribosomal Peptide WS9324A from Streptomyces calvus ATCC 13382

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) are organized in a modular arrangement. Usually, the modular order corresponds to the assembly of the amino acids in the respective peptide, following the collinearity rule. The WS9326A biosynthetic gene cluster from Streptomyces calvus shows deviations from this rule. Most interesting is the presence of two trans adenylation domains that are located downstream of the modular NRPS arrangement. Adenylation domains are responsible for the activation of their respective amino acids. In this study, we confirmed the involvement of the trans adenylation domains in WS9326A biosynthesis by performing gene knockout experiments and by observing the selective adenylation of their predicted amino acid substrates in vitro. We conclude that the trans adenylation domains are essential for WS9326A biosynthesis. Moreover, both adenylation domains are observed to have MbtH-like protein dependency. Overall, we conclude that the trans adenylation domains are essential for WS9326A biosynthesis.     

The Influence of Bisphenol A (BPA) on the Occurrence of Selected Active Substances in Neuregulin 1 (NRG1)-Positive Enteric Neurons in the Porcine Large Intestine

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a substance used in the manufacture of plastics which shows multidirectional adverse effects on living organisms. Since the main path of intoxication with BPA is via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the stomach and intestine are especially vulnerable to the impact of this substance. One of the main factors participating in the regulation of intestinal functions is the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is characterized by high neurochemical diversity. Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is one of the lesser-known active substances in the ENS. During the present study (performed using the double immunofluorescence method), the co-localization of NRG1 with other neuronal substances in the ENS of the caecum and the ascending and descending colon has been investigated under physiological conditions and after the administration of BPA. The obtained results indicate that NRG1-positive neurons also contain substance P, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, a neuronal isoform of nitric oxide synthase and galanin and the degree of each co-localization depend on the type of enteric plexus and the particular fragment of the intestine. Moreover, it has been shown that BPA generally increases the degree of co-localization of NRG1 with other substances.     

表达甲型H1N1流感病毒神经氨酸酶的重组腺病毒的构建及其免疫原性

目的构建表达甲型H1N1流感病毒神经氨酸酶(Neuraminidase,NA)的重组腺病毒,并检测其免疫原性。方法从质粒pMD19T-simple-NA中扩增NA基因,克隆至穿梭质粒pShuttleCMV中,经同源重组获得重组腺病毒质粒,转染Ad-293细胞,包装出重组腺病毒Ad-NA,RT-PCR和免疫荧光法检测NA基因在Vero细胞中的转录和表达。CsCl密度梯度离心纯化重组腺病毒,免疫小鼠,ELISA法检测免疫小鼠血清中抗NA抗体滴度。结果重组腺病毒质粒经PacⅠ酶切鉴定表明带有目的基因的穿梭质粒已整合到腺病毒基因组中;NA基因在Vero细胞中成功转录和表达;重组腺病毒可刺激小鼠产生抗NA抗体,初免后4周,抗体水平达最高,为1∶100 000。结论成功构建了表达甲型H1N1流感病毒NA蛋白的重组腺病毒,其可刺激小鼠产生有效的免疫应答,为甲型H1N1流感病毒基因工程疫苗的研发奠定了基础。