Fragment antigen binding domains (F_(ab)s) as tools to study assembly-line polyketide synthases

The crystallization of proteins remains a bottleneck in our fundamental understanding of their functions.Therefore,discovering tools that aid crystallization is crucial.In this review,the versatility of fragment-antigen binding domains(F_(ab)s)as protein crystallization chaperones is discussed.F_(ab)s have aided the crystallization of membrane-bound and soluble proteins as well as RNA.The ability to bind three F_(ab)s onto a single protein target has demonstrated their potential for crystallization of challenging proteins.We describe a high-throughput workflow for identifying F_(ab)s to aid the crystallization of a protein of interest(POI)by leveraging phage display technologies and differential scanning fluorimetry(DSF).This workflow has proven to be especially effective in our structural studies of assembly-line polyketide synthases(PKSs),which harbor flexible domains and assume transient conformations.PKSs are of interest to us due to their ability to synthesize an unusually broad range of medicinally relevant compounds.Despite years of research studying these megasynthases,their overall topology has remained elusive.One F ab in particular,1B2,has successfully enabled X-ray crystallographic and single particle cryo-electron microscopic(cryoEM)analyses of multiple modules from distinct assembly-line PKSs.Its use has not only facilitated multidomain protein crystallization but has also enhanced particle quality via cryoEM,thereby enabling the visualization of intact PKS modules at near-atomic(3–5Å)resolution.The identification of PKS-binding F_(ab)s can be expected to continue playing a key role in furthering our knowledge of polyketide biosynthesis on assembly-line PKSs.

Functional characterization of key polyketide synthases by integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis on curcuminoid biosynthesis in Curcuma wenyujin

Leaf and tuber extracts of Curcuma wenyujin contain a mixture of curcuminoids.However,the curcuminoid constituents and their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood,and the relevant curcumin synthases remain unclear.In this study,we comprehensively compared the metabolite profiles of the leaf and tuber tissues of C.wenyujin.A total of 11 curcuminoid metabolites were identified and exhibited differentially changed contents in the leaf and tuber tissues.An integrated analysis of metabolomic and transcriptomic data revealed the proposed biosynthesis pathway of curcuminoid.Two candidate type III polyketide synthases(PKSs)were identified in the metabolically engineering yeasts,indicating that CwPKS1 and CwPKS2 maintained substrate and product specificities.Especially,CwPKS1 is the first type III PKS identified to synthesize hydrogenated derivatives of curcuminoid,dihydrocurcumin and tetrehydrocurcumin.Interestingly,the substitution of the glycine at position 219 with aspartic acid(G219D mutant)resulted in the complete inactivation of CwPKS1.Our results provide the first comparative metabolome analysis of C.wenyujin and functionally identified type III PKSs,giving valuable information for curcuminoids biosynthesis.

Site directed mutagenesis as a precision tool to enable synthetic biology with engineered modular polyketide synthases

Modular polyketide synthases(PKSs)are a multidomain megasynthase class of biosynthetic enzymes that have great promise for the development of new compounds,from new pharmaceuticals to high value commodity and specialty chemicals.Their colinear biosynthetic logic has been viewed as a promising platform for synthetic biology for decades.Due to this colinearity,domain swapping has long been used as a strategy to introduce molecular diversity.However,domain swapping often fails because it perturbs critical protein-protein interactions within the PKS.With our increased level of structural elucidation of PKSs,using judicious targeted mutations of individual residues is a more precise way to introduce molecular diversity with less potential for global disruption of the protein architecture.Here we review examples of targeted point mutagenesis to one or a few residues harbored within the PKS that alter domain specificity or selectivity,affect protein stability and interdomain communication,and promote more complex catalytic reactivity.

Phylogenetic diversity of TypeⅠpolyketide synthase genes from sediments of Ardley Island in Antarctica

The diversity of modular polyketide synthase （PKS） genes in sediments of Ardley Island in Antarctica, was studied by restriction fragment length polymorphism （RFLP） analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of 14 amino acid （AA） sequences indicates that the identified ketosynthase （KS） domains were clustered with those from diverse bacterial groups, including Cyanobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and some unidentified microorganisms from marine sponge, bryozoan and other environmental samples. The obtained KS domains showed 43%–81% similarity at the AA level to reference sequences in GenBank. Six identified KS domains showed diverse sequences of the motif （VQTACSTS） that was used to identify the hybrid PKS/nonribosomal peptide synthetase （NRPS） enzyme complex, and formed a new branch. These results reveal a high diversity and novelty of PKS genes in antarctic sediments.

Editing function of type Ⅱ thioesterases in the biosynthesis of fungal polyketides

Polyketide synthases(PKSs)are megasynthases with multiple autonomously folding domains,which operate cooperatively in the PKS assemblies to synthesize specific polyketide scaffolds.Any nonreactive intermediates tethered to acyl carrier protein(ACP)domain in the PKS will block the elongation process of polyketide chains.In this study,we systematically elucidate the editing function of fungal typeⅡthioesterases(TEIIs)to hydrolyze ACP domain-bounded nonreactive acyl groups,which are uploaded by substrate promiscuous fungal phosphopantetheinyl transferase.Thereof,the TEIIs encoded in gene clusters of nonreducing PKS with reductase domain exhibit universal editing function.Besides,editing function was also found for TEIIs encoded in gene clusters of highly-reducing PKS with condensation domain.Hence,the editing TEIIs with function of recovery PKS are applied to improve the yield of the fungal polyketides in vivo.Our study provides valuable insights into the editing process of fungal PKSs,highlights the crucial role of TEIIs in enhancing polyketide production and introduces a novel metabolic engineering strategy for fungal polyketide biosynthesis by leveraging the editing function of TEIIs.

Colon cancer-associated B2 Escherichia coli colonize gut mucosa and promote cell proliferation

AIM: To provide further insight into the characterization of mucosa-associated Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from the colonic mucosa of cancer patients.

Biosynthesis of trialkyl-substituted aromatic polyketide NFAT-133 involves unusual P450 monooxygenase-mediating aromatization and a putative metallo-beta-lactamase fold hydrolase

The bacterial trialkyl-substituted aromatic polyketides are structurally featured with the unusual aromatic core in the middle of polyketide chain such as TM-123(1),veramycin A(2),NFAT-133(3)and benwamycin I(4),which were discovered from Streptomyces species and demonstrated with antidiabetic and immunosuppressant activities.Though the biosynthetic pathway of 1-3 was reported as a type I polyketide synthase(PKS),the PKS assembly line was interpreted inconsistently,and it remains a mystery how the compound 3 was generated.Herein,the PKS assembly logic of 1-4 was revised by site-mutagenetic analysis of the PKS dehydratase domains.Based on gene deletion and complementation,the putative P450 monooxygenase nftE1 and metallo-beta-lactamase(MBL)fold hydrolase nftF1 were verified as essential genes for the biosynthesis of 1-4.The absence of nftE1 led to abolishment of 1-4 and accumulation of new products(5-8).Structural elucidation reveals 5-8 as the non-aromatic analogs of 1,suggesting the NftE1-catalyzed aromatic core formation.Deletion of nftF1 resulted in disappearance of 3 and 4 with the compounds 1 and 2 unaffected.As a rare MBL-fold hydrolase from type I PKSs,NftF1 potentially generates the compound 3 through two strategies:catalyze premature chain-offloading as a trans-acting thioesterase or hydrolyze the lactone-bond of compound 1 as an esterase.

Discovery of angucyclinone polyketides from marine actinomycetes with a genomic DNA-based PCR assay targeting type Ⅱ polyketide synthase

Angucyclinones are aromatic polyketides produced by type Ⅱ polyketide synthases（PKS） and are mainly found in terrestrial actinomycetes. To discover more angucyclinones from marine actinomycetes, a genomic DNA-based PCR assay targeting type Ⅱ polyketide synthases was performed. Among the 167 marine actinomycetes strains screened, twelve strains were identified as the ＂positive＂ strains possessing type Ⅱ PKS-encoding genes based on the sequencing of PCR products. One of the 12 ＂positive＂ strains, Streptomyces sp. PKU-MA00218 was selected for the large-scale fermentation based on the HPLC and TLC analysis. Four angucyclinones, 6-deoxy-8-O-methylrabelomycin（1）, 8-O-methylrabelomycin（2）, 8-O-methyltetrangulol（3）, C-ring cleavage product of angucyclinone C（4）, were isolated and their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses. The isolation of angucyclinones 1–4 highlights the power of genome mining technologies based on biosynthetic knowledge in natural products discovery.

The polyketide synthase OsPKS2 is essential for pollen exine and Ubisch body patterning in rice

Lipid and phenolic metabolism are important for pollen exine formation. In Arabidopsis, polyketide synthases （PKSs） are essential for both sporopollenin biosynthesis and exine formation. Here, we characterized the role of a polyketide synthase （OsPKS2） in male reproduction of rice （Oryza sativa）. Recombinant OsPKS2 catalyzed the condensation of fatty acyl-CoA with malonyl- CoA to generate triketide and tetraketide α-pyrones, the main components of pollen exine. Indeed, the ospks2 mutant had defective exine patterning and was male sterile. However, the mutant showed no significant reduction in sporopollenin accumulation. Compared with the WT （wild type）, ospks2 displayed unconfined and amorphous tectum and nexine layers in the exine, and less organized Ubisch bodies. Like the pksb/lap5 mutant of the Arabidopsis ortholog, ospks2 showed broad alterations in the profiles of anther-related phenolic compounds. However, unlike pksb/laps, in which most detected phenolics were substantially decreased, ospks2 accumu- lated higher levels of phenolics. Based on these results and our observation that OsPKS2 is unable to fully restore the exine defects in the pksb/laps, we propose that PKS proteins have functionally diversified during evolution. Collectively, our results suggest that PKSs represent a conserved and diversified biochemical pathway for anther and pollen development in higher plants.

Increasing the heterologous production of spinosad in Streptomyces albus J1074 by regulating biosynthesis of its polyketide skeleton

Spinosyns are natural broad-spectrum biological insecticides with a double glycosylated polyketide structure that are produced by aerobic fermentation of the actinomycete,Saccharopolyspora spinosa.However,their large-scale overproduction is hindered by poorly understood bottlenecks in optimizing the original strain,and poor adaptability of the heterologous strain to the production of spinosyn.In this study,we genetically engineered heterologous spinosyn-producer Streptomyces albus J1074 and optimized the fermentation to improve the production of spinosad(spinosyn A and spinosyn D)based on our previous work.We systematically investigated the result of overexpressing polyketide synthase genes(spnA,B,C,D,E)using a constitutive promoter on the spinosad titer in S.albus J1074.The supply of polyketide synthase precursors was then increased to further improve spinosad production.Finally,increasing or replacing the carbon source of the culture medium resulted in a final spinosad titer of~70 mg/L,which is the highest titer of spinosad achieved in heterologous Streptomyces species.This research provides useful strategies for efficient heterologous production of natural products.

Engineered polyketides:Synergy between protein and host level engineering

Metabolic engineering efforts toward rewiring metabolism of cells to produce new compounds often require the utilization of non-native enzymatic machinery that is capable of producing a broad range of chemical functionalities.Polyketides encompass one of the largest classes of chemically diverse natural products.With thousands of known polyketides,modular polyketide synthases(PKSs)share a particularly attractive biosynthetic logic for generating chemical diversity.The engineering of modular PKSs could open access to the deliberate production of both existing and novel compounds.In this review,we discuss PKS engineering efforts applied at both the protein and cellular level for the generation of a diverse range of chemical structures,and we examine future applications of PKSs in the production of medicines,fuels and other industrially relevant chemicals.

Characterization of the depsidone gene cluster reveals etherification,decarboxylation and multiple halogenations as tailoring steps in depsidone assembly

Depsides and depsidones have attracted attention for biosynthetic studies due to their broad biological activities and structural diversity.Previous structure-activity relationships indicated that triple halogenated depsidones display the best anti-pathogenic activity.However,the gene cluster and the tailoring steps responsible for halogenated depsidone nornidulin(3)remain enigmatic.In this study,we disclosed the complete biosynthetic pathway of the halogenated depsidone through in vivo gene disruption,heterologous expression and in vitro biochemical experiments.We demonstrated an unusual depside skeleton biosynthesis process mediated by both highly-reducing polyketide synthase and nonreducing polyketide synthase,which is distinct from the common depside skeleton biosynthesis.This skeleton was subsequently modified by two in-cluster enzymes DepG and DepF for the ether bond formation and decarboxylation,respectively.In addition,the decarboxylase DepF exhibited substrate promiscuity for different scaffold substrates.Finally,and interestingly,we discovered a halogenase encoded remotely from the biosynthetic gene cluster,which catalyzes triple-halogenation to produce the active end product nornidulin(3).These discoveries provide new insights for further understanding the biosynthesis of depsidones and their derivatives.

Cost-effective hybrid long-short read assembly delineates alternative GC-rich Streptomyces hosts for natural product discovery

With the advent of rapid automated in silico identification of biosynthetic gene clusters(BGCs),genomics pre-sents vast opportunities to accelerate natural product(NP)discovery.However,prolific NP producers,Strepto-myces,are exceptionally GC-rich(>80%)and highly repetitive within BGCs.These pose challenges in sequencing and high-quality genome assembly which are currently circumvented via intensive sequencing.Here,we outline a more cost-effective workflow using multiplex Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing with hybrid long-short read assembly algorithms to generate high quality genomes.Our protocol involves subjecting long read-derived assemblies to up to 4 rounds of polishing with short reads to yield accurate BGC predictions.We successfully sequenced and assembled 8 GC-rich Streptomyces genomes whose lengths range from 7.1 to 12.1 Mb with a median N50 of 8.2 Mb.Taxonomic analysis revealed previous misrepresentation among these strains and allowed us to propose a potentially new species,Streptomyces sydneybrenneri.Further comprehensive characterization of their biosynthetic,pan-genomic and antibiotic resistance features especially for molecules derived from type I polyketide synthase(PKS)BGCs reflected their potential as alternative NP hosts.Thus,the genome assemblies and insights presented here are envisioned to serve as gateway for the scientific community to expand their avenues in NP discovery.

Tetracycline natural products:discovery,biosynthesis and engineering

Tetracycline(TC)natural products possess a variety of remarkable bioactivities and diverse structures.They are an important and fertile source for developing novel drugs.As one of the most successful drug families,TC antibiotics have been in clinical use for over seven decades,and continue to make an important contribution to human health nowadays.To date,studies on TC natural products and their biosynthesis have revealed numerous novel biochemical mechanisms and regulatory elements,which facilitates the rational metabolic engineering studies for generating novel bioactive TC analogs and inspires the development of new synthetic biology tools.In this review,we provide a comprehensive overview on the discovery,biosynthesis,and engineering of the existing TC natural products.These analyses will be of great value for the discovery,design and development of novel TC drugs in the future.

A PKS gene, pks-1, is involved in chaetoglobosin biosynthesis, pigmentation and sporulation in Chaetomium globosum

Chaetomium globosum is one of the most common fungi in nature. It is best known for producing chaetoglobosins; however, the molecular basis of chaetoglobosin biosynthesis is poorly understood in this fungus. In this study, we utilized RNA inter- ference （RNAi） to characterize a polyketide synthase gene, pks-1, in C. globosum that is involved in the production of chaeto- globosin A. When pks-1 was knocked down by RNAi, the production of chaetoglobosin A dramatically decreased. Knock-down mutants also displayed a pigment-deficient phenotype. These results suggest that the two polyketides, melanin and chaetoglobosin, are likely to share common biosynthetic steps. Most importantly, we found that pks-I also plays a critical role in sporulation. The silenced mutants ofpks-1 lost the ability to produce spores. We propose that polyketides may modulate cellular development via an unidentified action. We also suggest that C. globosum pks-1 is unique because of its triple role in melanin formation, chaetoglobosin biosynthesis and sporulation. This work may shed light on chaetoglobosin biosynthesis and indicates a relationship between secondary metabolism and fungal morphogenesis.

Efficient editing DNA regions with high sequence identity in actinomycetal genomes by a CRISPR-Cas9 system

Actinobacteria able to produce varieties of bioactive natural products have been long appreciated by the field of drug discovery and development.Recently,a few of CRISPR/Cas9 systems bearing different types of replicons(pSG5 and pIJ101)were developed to efficiently edit their genomes.Despite wide application in gene editing,their utility in editing challenging DNA regions e.g.high sequence identity has not been compared.In this study,we confirmed that the widely used temperature-sensitive pSG5 replicon is indeed not suitable for editing modular polyketide synthase(PKS)genes due to causing unpredicted gene recombination.This problem can be addressed by replacing the pSG5 with the segregationally unstable pIJ101 replicon.By introducing a counterselection marker CodA,convenient cloning sites in the single guide RNAs(sgRNAs)and homologous template scaffolds,we developed a new CRISPR-Cas9 system pMWCas9.This system was successfully used to delete/replace erythromycin PKS and other biosynthetic genes in Saccharopolyspora erythraea and Streptomyces sp.AL2110.By swapping the promoters of antB and antC with ermE and kasOp,we achieved a deacyl-antimycin hyper producer which produces a 9-fold higher yield than the original Streptomyces sp.AL2110 strain.Our results provide a robust and useful Cas9 tool for genetic studies in Actinobacteria.

Investigation of carbonyl amidation and O-methylation during biosynthesis of the pharmacophore pyridyl of antitumor piericidins

Piericidins are a large family of bacterialα-pyridone antibiotics with antitumor activities such as their anti-renal carcinoma activity exhibited recently in nude mice.The backbones of piericidins are derived fromβ,δ-diketo carboxylic acids,which are offloaded from a modular polyketide synthase(PKS)and putatively undergo a carbonyl amidation beforeα-pyridone ring formation.The tailoring modifications to theα-pyridone structure mainly include the verified hydroxylation and O-methylation of the C-4′position and an unidentified C-5′O-methylation.Here,we describe a piericidin producer,terrestrial Streptomyces conglobatus,which contains a piericidin biosynthetic gene cluster in two different loci.Deletion of the amidotransferase gene pieD resulted in the accumulation of two fatty acids that should be degraded from the nascent carboxylic acid released by the PKS,supporting the carbonyl amidation function of PieD duringα-pyridone ring formation.Deletion of the O-methyltransferase gene pieB1 led to the production of three piericidin analogues lacking C-5′O-methylation,therefore confirming that PieB1 specifically catalyses the tailoring modification.Moreover,bioactivity analysis of the mutant-derived products provided clues regarding the structure-function relationship for antitumor activity.The work addresses two previously unidentified steps involved in pyridyl pharmacophore formation during piericidin biosynthesis,facilitating the rational bioengineering of the biosynthetic pathway towards valuable antitumor agents.

Phylogenetically diverse endozoic fungi in the South China Sea sponges and their potential in synthesizing bioactive natural products suggested by PKS gene and cytotoxic activity analysis

Sponges are well documented to harbor large amounts of microbes.Though it is known that spongederived fungi are important sources for marine natural products,the phylogenetic diversity and biological function of sponge-associated fungi remain largely unknown.In this study,the diversity of culturable endozoic fungi in sponges from the South China Sea was revealed based on the ITS phylogenetic analysis.Meanwhile the fungal potential for producing bioactive natural products was estimated according to the detection of Beta-ketosynthase in the polyketide synthase(PKS)gene cluster and cytotoxic activity bioassay.As a result,diverse fungi including 14 genera(Aspergillus,Penicillium,Scolecobasidium,Eurotium,Alternaria,Fusarium,Hypocreales,Yarrowia,Candida,Hypoxylon,Sporidiobolus,Schizophyllum,Bjerkandera,and Trichosporon)in ten orders(Xylariales,Moniliales,Pleosporales,Saccharomycetales,Hypocreales,Eurotiales,Sporidiobolales,Agaricales,Aphyllophorales and Tremellales)of phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were isolated with Aspergillus as the predominant component in the culturable fungal community.Particularly,genera Schizophyllum,Sporidiobolus,and Bjerkandera in phylum Basidiomycota and genus Yarrowia in phylum Ascomycota were isolated from marine sponges for the first time.PKS genes were detected in 12 isolates suggesting their potential for synthesizing PKS compounds.Among the 12 isolates with PKS genes,9 isolates displayed strong in vitro cytotoxic activity(e.g.IC50<50μg/ml)against human cancer cell lines A549,Bel-7402,A-375 and MRC-5.This study demonstrates the phylogenetically diverse endozoic fungi in South China Sea sponges,and highlights the potential of spongeassociated fungi in producing biologically active natural products.

Construction of a mutant of Actinoplanes sp. N902-109 that produces a new rapamycin analog

In the present study, we introduced point mutations into Ac_rap A which encodes a polyketide synthase responsible for rapamycin biosynthesis in Actinoplanes sp. N902-109, in order to construct a mutant with an inactivated enoylreductase(ER) domain, which was able to synthesize a new rapamycin analog. Based on the homologous recombination induced by double-strand breaks in chromosome mediated by endonuclease I-SceI, the site-directed mutation in the first ER domain of Ac_rapA was introduced using non-replicating plasmid pL YERIA combined with an I-SceI expression plasmid. Three amino acid residues of the active center, Ala-Gly-Gly, were converted to Ala-Ser-Pro. The broth of the mutant strain SIPI-027 was analyzed by HPLC and a new peak with the similar UV spectrum to that of rapamycin was found. The sample of the new peak was prepared by solvent extraction, column chromatography, and crystallization methods. The structure of new compound, named as SIPI-rapxin, was elucidated by determining and analyzing its MS and NMR spectra and its biological activity was assessed using mixed lymphocyte reaction(MLR). An ER domain–deficient mutant of Actinoplanes sp. N902-109, named as SIPI-027, was constructed, which produced a novel rapamycin analog SIPI-rapxin and its structure was elucidated to be 35, 36-didehydro-27-O-demethylrapamycin. The biological activity of SIPI-rapxin was better than that of rapamycin. In conclusion, inactivation of the first ER domain of rap A, one of the modular polyketide synthase responsible for macro-lactone synthesis of rapamycin, gave rise to a mutant capable of producing a novel rapamycin analog, 35, 36-didehydro-27-O-demethylrapamycin, demonstrating that the enoylreductase domain was responsible for the reduction of the double bond between C-35 and C-36 during rapamycin synthesis.

Genome mining reveals the biosynthetic potential of the marinederived strain Streptomyces marokkonensis M10

Marine streptomycetes are rich sources of natural products with novel structures and interesting biological activities,and genome mining of marine streptomycetes facilitates rapid discovery of their useful products.In this study,a marine-derived Streptomyces sp.M10 was revealed to share a 99.02%16S rDNA sequence identity with that of Streptomyces marokkonensis Ap1T,and was thus named S.marokkonensis M10.To further evaluate its biosynthetic potential,the 7,207,169 bps of S.marokkonensis M10 genome was sequenced.Genomic sequence analysis for potential secondary metaboliteassociated gene clusters led to the identification of at least three polyketide synthases(PKSs),six non-ribosomal peptide synthases(NRPSs),one hybrid NRPS-PKS,two lantibiotic and five terpene biosynthetic gene clusters.One type I PKS gene cluster was revealed to share high nucleotide similarity with the candicidin/FR008 gene cluster,indicating the capacity of this microorganism to produce polyene macrolides.This assumption was further verified by isolation of two polyene family compounds PF1 and PF2,which have the characteristic UV adsorption at 269,278,290 nm(PF1)and 363,386 and 408 nm(PF2),respectively.S.marokkonensis M10 is therefore a new source of polyene metabolites.Further studies on S.marokkonensis M10 will provide more insights into natural product biosynthesis potential of related streptomycetes.This is also the first report to describe the genome sequence of S.marokkonensis-related strain.