Towards Application of Bioactive Natural Products Containing Isoprenoids for the Regulation of HMG-CoA Reductase—A Review

Recognition of the biological properties of numerous “natural products” has fueled the current focus of this field, namely, the search for new drugs, antibiotics, insecticides, and herbicides. Based on their biosynthetic origins, natural products can be divided into three major groups: the isoprenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds. Isoprenoids are structurally the most diverse group of secondary natural metabolites with different roles in the growth, development, and reproduction of a diverse range of prokaryotic and eukaryotes cells. Mevalonate and 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathways are known to be responsible for biosynthesis of numerous isoprenoids. HMG-CoA reductase is a rate-determining enzyme in mevalonate pathway, producing intermediates such as farnesyl and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphates, which lead to by-products such as cholesterol. Earlier studies have demonstrated that the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase is one of the most effective approaches for treating hypercholesterolemia and eventually cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and the most prescribed group of drugs worldwide in treating hypercholesterolemia;however the application of this group of drugs may be expensive and has side effects including rashes and gastrointestinal symptoms. For these reasons, there is an important need to examine the viability of natural products as an alternative to statin treatment. This article is a review of different aforementioned areas with a focus on isoprenoids that can be used for the regulation of HMG-CoA reductase.

Harnessing sub-organelle metabolism for biosynthesis of isoprenoids in yeast

Current yeast metabolic engineering in isoprenoids production mainly focuses on rewiring of cytosolic metabolic pathway.However,the precursors,cofactors and the enzymes are distributed in various sub-cellular compartments,which may hamper isoprenoid biosynthesis.On the other side,pathway compartmentalization provides several advantages for improving metabolic flux toward target products.We here summarize the recent advances on harnessing sub-organelle for isoprenoids biosynthesis in yeast,and analyze the knowledge about the localization of enzymes,cofactors and metabolites for guiding the rewiring of the sub-organelle metabolism.This review may provide some insights for constructing efficient yeast cell factories for production of isoprenoids and even other natural products.

Rapid Quantitative Determination of Isoprene Monomer in Living Taraxacum kok-saghyz by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Taraxacum kok-saghyz(TKS)is rich in natural rubber(NR),a natural organic macromolecular compound composed of cis-1,4-polyisoprene,and may become the second NR-bearing plant for biochemical engineering development.In this paper,a rapid and quantitative ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(UHPLCMS/MS)method was established for determination of macromolecular biosynthesis substrate(dimethylallyl pyrophosphate,DMAPP)and initiator(farnesyl pyrophosphate,FPP)contained in TKS.A Kromasil C18 chromatographic column was used for separation,and the multi-reaction monitoring mode(MRM)of triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was used for detection.Quantification was performed by external calibration method.The results showed that the limit of detection(LOD)and the limit of quantitation(LOQ)of DMAPP were 2.42μg/L and 7.26μg/L,respectively,and the LOQ and the LOD of FPP were 1.02μg/L and 3.05μg/L,respectively.At a concentration of 1—1000μg/L,both analytes had good determination coefficients(>0.999)of calibration curve.The recoveries of DMAPP and FPP were between 99.0%and 117.1%.In real samples detection,the contents of DMAPP and FPP in TKS samples were between 23.32—82.77μg/L and 12.03—85.67μg/L,respectively.Thus,this approach is a reliable method to quantify DMAPP and FPP in TKS.

An Improved Method for Fractionation of Small Quantities of Lettuce Latex

While large quantities of latex can be handled either by standard extraction techniques such as Soxhlet extraction or accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), smaller samples on the order of 0.3 - 0.5 g require handling on a microscale. We collected latex from lettuce plants in microcentrifuge tubes and, after drying under vacuum, resuspended the dried sample in acetone by holding in an ultrasonic cleaner. The resulting fine suspension was readily extracted with acetone and toluene to provide fractions representing the resin and rubber content of the latex. Using this approach, we compared latex from stems of bolting lettuce and from the floral stem of lettuce plants. While both types of stems contained a similar percentage of resin, the rubber content of the bolting stems exceeded that of the floral stems.

Effects of Rising Temperature on Secondary Compounds of Yeheb (<i>Cordeauxia edulis</i>Hemsley)

The effects of temperature on net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, emission of foliar volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and phenolics were investigated after exposing Cordeauxia edulis seedlings to control (27/19°C) and three levels of elevated (32/23, 37/27, or 42/31°C) day/night temperature regimes in controlled growth chambers. Emissions of foliar VOC were measured on 7th and 14th day (d) of exposures, whereas net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were measured on the 8th and 15th d. Net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were not significantly affected by elevated temperatures. Emission rate of isoprene increased by 4-fold with 10°C rise from the control on 7th d of exposure. Emission rates of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and total isoprenoids increased to 2-5-fold higher than that of control plants with 5°C rise. Foliar isoprene emission peaked at daytime maximum of 37°C and the mono- and sesquiterpenes at 32°C. Few individual foliar phenolics, and total foliar phenolics showed significant concentration differences between treatments. Although high VOC emissions under warming appeared to help plants to sustain abiotic stresses, arid/semi-arid species might substantially release highly reactive compounds that affect atmospheric chemistry. Hence, more studies are required on plant species of arid/semi-arid ecosystems of Africa to estimate the emission patterns and their role in atmospheric chemistry under the predicted future atmospheric warming.

Efficient Production of δ-Guaiene, an Aroma Sesquiterpene Compound Accumulated in Agarwood, by Mevalonate Pathway-Engineered Escherichia coli Cells

Mevalonate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis was constructed in Escherichia coli cells by the transformation with a gene cluster isolated from Streptomyces sp., and farnesyl diphosphate synthase and δ-guaiene synthase genes were coexpressed in this strain. This transformant was capable of liberating an appreciable amount of δ-guaiene, an aroma sesquiterpene compound accumulated in agarwood, and its concentration was elevated to more than 30 μg/ml culture by the incubation with mevalonolactone as an isoprene precursor in a nutrient-enriched Terrific broth. Coexpression of type 1 isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase plus acetoacetyl-CoA ligase genes also enhanced δ-guaiene production, and the concentration of the compound was approximately 38 - 42 μg/ml culture in the presence of mevalonolactone or lithium acetoacetate. These results clearly indicate that mevalonate pathway-engineered E. coli cells showed an appreciable δ-guaiene producing activity in the en- riched medium in the presence of appropriate isoprene precursors.

Occurrence and distribution of hydroxylated isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers(OH-GDGTs) in the Han River system, South Korea

We investigated the occurrence and distribution of terrestrial-derived hydroxylated isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers(OH-GDGTs) in the Han River system and their potential impact on the application of the ring index of OH-GDGTs(RI-OH) as a sea surface temperature(SST) proxy in the eastern Yellow Sea. Thereby, we analyzed various samples collected along the Han River and from its surrounding areas(South Korea, n = 34). The OHGDGTs were found in all samples investigated. OH-GDGT-0 was the dominant OH-GDGT component in the estuary and marine samples while OH-GDGT-2 was generally dominant in the soils, the lake sediments and the river suspended particulate matter(SPM). Our results thus suggests a possible warm bias of the RI-OH-derived summer SSTs in the coastal zone to which a large amount of terrestrial organic matter is being supplied. Further studies are necessary to better assess the applicability of the RI-OH proxy in the eastern Yellow Sea.

Gene modulation associated with inhibition of liver regeneration in hepatitis B virus X transgenic mice

AIM： To analyze the modulation of gene expression profile associated with inhibition of liver regeneration in hepatitis B X （HBx）-expressing transgenic mice. METHODS： Microarray technology was performed on liver tissue obtained from 4 control （LacZ） and 4 transgenic mice （HBx-LacZ）, 48 h after partial hepatectomy. The significance of the normalized logratios was assessed for each gene, using robust t-tests under an empirical Bayes approach. Microarray hybridization data was verified on selected genes by quantitative PCR. RESULTS： The comparison of gene expression patterns showed a consistent modulation of the expression of 26 genes, most of which are implicated in liver regeneration. Up-regulated genes included DNA repair proteins （Rad-52, MSH6） and transmembrane proteins （syndecan 4, tetraspanin）, while down-regulated genes were connected to the regulation of transcription （histone deacetylase, Zfp90, MyoDl） and were involved in the cholesterol metabolic pathway and isoprenoidbiosynthesis （farnesyl diphosphate synthase, Cyp7b1, geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, SAA3）. CONCLUSION： Our results provide a novel insight into the biological activities of HBx, implicated in the inhibition of liver regeneration,

EaIspF1, Essential Enzyme in Isoprenoid Biosynthesis from Eupatorium adenophorum, Reveals a Novel Role in Light Acclimation

Isoprenoids are a functionally and structurally diverse class of natural organic chemicals. The universal precursors of all isoprenoids, isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate are synthesized through the mevalonate and 2C-methyl- D-erythritol 4-phosphate （MEP） pathways, respectively. Many isoprenoids produced through the MEP pathway play an important role in plant acclimation to different light environments. Eupatorium adenophorum, an invasive weed in China, presents a remarkable capacity to acclimate to various light environments, which constitutes its solid foundation of being a successful invasive species. Thus we aimed at gaining a deeper insight into the regulation of MEP pathway in E. adenophorum to further understand the invasive mechanism. 2C-Methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase （IspF or MCS） is an essential enzyme in the MEP pathway. In this paper, a novel IspF gene was cloned and characterized from E. adenophorum. Tissue-specific expression assays revealed a higher expression of EalspF1 in leaves than in stems and roots. The expression of EalspF1 was responsive to different light conditions. Some up-regulation of EalspF1 expression was also found after the treatments with signal compounds and after wounding stress. Interestingly, the over-expression of EalspF1 in Arabidopsis led to increase carotenoids contents, resulting in an enhanced tolerance to high light. Taken together, these results indicate that the EalspFl-derived enzyme participates in isoprenoid metabolism and among others, the expression of this gene in E. adenophorum is involved in the regulation of plastidial isoprenoids, which play an important role in acclimation to various light environments.

Catalytically Important Residues in E. coli 1-Deoxy-D-Xylulose 5-Phosphate Synthase

1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS) catalyzes the initial step of the 2-C-methyl-D- erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway consisting in the condensation of (hydroxiethyl)thiamin derived from pyruvate with D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) to yield 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP). The role of the conserved residues H49, E370, D427 and H431 of E. coli DXS was examined by site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic analysis of the purified recombinant enzyme mutants. Mutants at position H49 showed a severe reduction in their specific activities with a decrease of the kcat/KM ratio by two orders of magnitude lower than the wild-type DXS. According to available structural data residue H49 is perfectly positioned to abstract a proton from the donor substrate. Mutations in DXS E370 showed that this residue is also essential for catalytic activity. Three-dimensional structure supports its involvement in cofactor deprotonation, the first step in enzymatic thiamin catalysis. Results obtained with H431 mutant enzymes indicate that this residue plays a role contributing to transition state stabilization. Finally, mutants at position D427 also showed a severe specific activity decrease with a reduction of the kcat/KM ratio. A role in binding the substrate and selecting the stereoisomer is proposed for D427.

Apicoplast Biosynthetic Pathways as Possible Targetsfor Combination Therapy of Malaria

The emergence of malaria parasite strains resistant to practically all the antimalarial drugs in clinical use is now making itnecessary to discover and develop both new antimalarial drugs and treatments. Recent advances in molecular techniques along withthe availability of genome sequence ofPlasmodiumfalciparum may provide a wide range of novel targets in metabolic pathways likeisoprenoid biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis and heme biosynthesis in the apicoplast of Plasmodiurn. On the other hand, thecombination therapy approach （currently used to retard the selection of parasite strains resistant to individual components of acombination of drugs） has proved to be a success in the combination of sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine, which targets two differentsteps in the folate pathway of malaria parasite. However, after the success of this therapeutic combination, the efficacy of othercombinations of drugs which target different enzymes in a particular metabolic pathway has, apparently, not been reported. Therefore,herein, we review various drug targets so far discovered in apicoplast-related anabolic pathways, especially, with a sharper focus onthe possibility to target more than one enzyme at a time in a particular metabolic pathway of malaria parasites.

Carotenoid Metabolism:Biosynthesis,Regulation,and Beyond

Carotenoids are indispensable to plants and play a critical role in human nutrition and health. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of carotenoid metabolism in plants. The biosynthetic pathway has been extensively studied. Nearly all the genes encoding the biosynthetic enzymes have been isolated and characterized from various organisms. In recent years, there is an increasing body of work on the signaling pathways and plastid development, which might provide global control of carotenoid biosynthesis and accumulation. Herein, we will highlight recent progress on the biosynthesis, regulation, and metabolic engineering of carotenoids in plants, as well as the future research towards elucidating the regulatory mechanisms and metabolic network that control carotenoid metabolism.

Structure and Dynamics of the Isoprenoid Pathway Network

Isoprenoids are functionally and structurally the most diverse group of plant metabolites reported to date. They can function as primary metabolites, participating in essential plant cellular processes, and as secondary metabolites, of which many have substantial commercial, pharmacological, and agricultural value. Isoprenoid end products participate in plants in a wide range of physiological processes acting in them both synergistically, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids during photosynthesis, or antagonistically, such as gibberellic acid and abscisic acid during seed germination. It is therefore expected that fluxes via isoprenoid metabolic network are tightly controlled both temporally and spatially, and that this control occurs at different levels of regulation and in an orchestrated manner over the entire isoprenoid metabolic network. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge of the topology of the plant isoprenoid pathway network and its regulation at the gene expression level following diverse stimuli. We conclude by discussing agronomical and biotechnological applications emerging from the plant isoprenoid metabolism and provide an outlook on future directions in the systems analysis of the plant isoprenoid pathway network.

Advances in the Plant Isoprenoid Biosynthesis Pathway and Its Metabolic Engineering

Although the cytosolic isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, mavolonate pathway, in plants has been known for many years, a new plastidial 1–deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) pathway was identified in the past few years and its related intermediates, enzymes, and genes have been characterized quite recently. With a deep insight into the biosynthetic pathway of isoprenoids, investigations into the metabolic engineering of isoprenoid biosynthesis have started to prosper. In the present article, recent advances in the discoveries and regulatory roles of new genes and enzymes in the plastidial isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway are reviewed and examples of the metabolic engineering of cytosolic and plastidial isoprenoids biosynthesis are discussed.

Transcriptional Control of SET DOMAIN GROUP 8 and CAROTENOID ISOMERASE during Arabidopsis Development

Carotenoids are pigments required for photosynthesis, photoprotection and the production of carotenoid- derived hormones such as ABA and strigolactones. The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway bifurcates after lycopene to produce epsilon- and beta-carotenoids and this branch is critical for determining carotenoid composition. Here, we show how the branch point can be regulated by the chromatin-modifying histone methyltransferase, Set Domain Group 8 （SDG8） targeting the carotenoid isomerase （CRTISO）. SDG8 is required to maintain permissive expression of CRTISO during seedling development, in leaves, shoot apex, and some floral organs. The CRTISO and SDG8 promoters show overlapping tissue-specific patterns of reporter gene activity. Interestingly, CRTISO showed atypical reporter gene expression in terms of greater variability between different lines compared to the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter （CaMV35s） and ~LCY promoters, potentially due to chromosomal position effects. Regulation of the CRTISO promoter was dependent in part upon the presence or absence of SDG8. Knockouts of SDG8 （carotenoid and chloroplast regulation （ccrl）） and CRTISO （ccr2） result in altered carotenoid composition and this could be restored in ccr2 using the CaMV35s or CRTISO promoters. In contrast, varying degrees of GUS expression and carotenoid complementation by CRTISO overexpression using CaMV35S or CRTISO promoters in the ccrl background demonstrated that both the CRTISO promoter and open reading frame are necessary for SDG8-mediated expression of CRTISO.

Engineering of Yarrowia lipolytica for production of astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a red-colored carotenoid,used as food and feed additive.Astaxanthin is mainly produced by chemical synthesis,however,the process is expensive and synthetic astaxanthin is not approved for human consumption.In this study,we engineered the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica for de novo production of astaxanthin by fermentation.First,we screened 12 different Y.lipolytica isolates for β-carotene production by introducing two genes for β-carotene biosynthesis:bi-functional phytoene synthase/lycopene cyclase(crtYB)and phytoene desaturase(crtI)from the red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous.The best strain produced 31.1±0.5 mg/L β-carotene.Next,we optimized the activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase(HMG1)and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase(GGS1/crtE)in the best producing strain and obtained 453.9±20.2 mg/L β-carotene.Additional downregulation of the competing squalene synthase SQS1 increased the β-carotene titer to 797.1±57.2 mg/L.Then we introduced β-carotene ketolase(crtW)from Paracoccus sp.N81106 and hydroxylase(crtZ)from Pantoea ananatis to convert β-carotene into astaxanthin.The constructed strain accumulated 10.4±0.5 mg/L of astaxanthin but also accumulated astaxanthin biosynthesis intermediates,5.7±0.5 mg/L canthaxanthin,and 35.3±1.8 mg/L echinenone.Finally,we optimized the copy numbers of crtZ and crtW to obtain 3.5 mg/g DCW(54.6 mg/L)of astaxanthin in a microtiter plate cultivation.Our study for the first time reports engineering of Y.lipolytica for the production of astaxanthin.The high astaxanthin content and titer obtained even in a small-scale cultivation demonstrates a strong potential for Y.lipolytica-based fermentation process for astaxanthin production.

PLEIOTROPIC REGULATORY LOCUS 1 （PRL1） Integrates the Regulation of Sugar Responses with Isoprenoid Metabolism in Arabidopsis

The biosynthesis of isoprenoids in plant cells occurs from precursors produced in the cytosol by the mevalonate （MVA） pathway and in the plastid by the methylerythritol 4-phosphate （MEP） pathway, but little is known about the mechanisms coordinating both pathways. Evidence of the importance of sugar signaling for such coordination in Arabi- dopsis thaliana is provided here by the characterization of a mutant showing an increased accumulation of MEP-derived isoprenoid products （chlorophylls and carotenoids） without changes in the levels of relevant MEP pathway transcripts, proteins, or enzyme activities. This mutant was found to be a new loss-of-function allele of PRL1 （Pleiotropic Regulatory Locus 1）, a gene encoding a conserved WD-protein that functions as a global regulator of sugar, stress, and hormone responses, in part by inhibition of SNFl-related protein kinases （SnRK1）. Consistent with the reported role of SnRK1 kinases in the phosphorylation and inactivation of the main regulatory enzyme of the MVA pathway （hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme-A reductase）, its activity but not transcript or protein levels was reduced in prll seedlings. However, the accumulation of MVA-derived end products （sterols） was unaltered in mutant seedlings. Sucrose supplementation to wild- type seedlings phenocopied the prll mutation in terms of isoprenoid metabolism, suggesting that the observed isoprenoid phenotypes result from the increased sugar accumulation in the prll mutant. In summary, PRL1 appears to coordinate isoprenoid metabolism with sugar, hormone, and stress responses.

Engineering metabolic pathways in Amycolatopsis japonicum for the optimization of the precursor supply for heterologous brasilicardin congeners production

The isoprenoid brasilicardin A is a promising immunosuppressant compound with a unique mode of action,high potency and reduced toxicity compared to today's standard drugs.However,production of brasilicardin has been hampered since the producer strain Nocardia terpenica IFM0406 synthesizes brasilicardin in only low amounts and is a biosafety level 2 organism.Previously,we were able to heterologously express the brasilicardin gene cluster in the nocardioform actinomycete Amycolatopsis japonicum.Four brasilicardin congeners,intermediates of the BraA biosynthesis,were produced.Since chemical synthesis of the brasilicardin core structure has remained elusive we intended to produce high amounts of the brasilicardin backbone for semi synthesis and derivatization.Therefore,we used a metabolic engineering approach to increase heterologous production of brasilicardin in A.japonicum.Simultaneous heterologous expression of genes encoding the MVA pathway and expression of diterpenoid specific prenyltransferases were used to increase the provision of the isoprenoid precursor isopentenyl diphosphate(IPP)and to channel the precursor into the direction of diterpenoid biosynthesis.Both approaches contributed to an elevated heterologous production of the brasilicardin backbone,which can now be used as a starting point for semi synthesis of new brasilicardin congeners with better properties.

Identification of long chain isoprenoid hydrocarbons from pyrolytic product of Dunaliella

In the pyrolytic research on Dunaliella salina cultured under natural conditions, abundant long chain regular isoprenoid hydrocarbons have been first detected and identified from algal pyrolytic product. Specially, the discovery of high abundant 2,6,10,14,18-pentamethyle-icosane indicated that regular iC25 probably originated from specific holophilic algae in hyper-

Manipulation of IME4 expression, a global regulation strategy for metabolic engineering in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Metabolic engineering has been widely used for production of natural medicinal molecules.However, engineering high-yield platforms is hindered in large part by limited knowledge of complex regulatory machinery of metabolic network. N~6-Methyladenosine(m^(6)A) modification of RNA plays critical roles in regulation of gene expression. Herein, we identify 1470 putatively m^(6)A peaks within 1151 genes from the haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain. Among them, the transcript levels of 94 genes falling into the pathways which are frequently optimized for chemical production, are remarkably altered upon overexpression of IME4(the yeast m^(6)A methyltransferase). In particular, IME4 overexpression elevates the mRNA levels of the methylated genes in the glycolysis, acetyl-CoA synthesis and shikimate/aromatic amino acid synthesis modules. Furthermore, ACS1 and ADH2, two key genes responsible for acetyl-CoA synthesis, are induced by IME4 overexpression in a transcription factor-mediated manner.Finally, we show IME4 overexpression can significantly increase the titers of isoprenoids and aromatic compounds. Manipulation of m^(6)A therefore adds a new layer of metabolic regulatory machinery and may be broadly used in bioproduction of various medicinal molecules of terpenoid and phenol classes.