Some members of the diverse SagB subgroup are associated with natural product biosynthesis where they are responsible for azoline oxidation in thiazole/oxazole-modified microcins (TOMMs).
Melby, J. O., Nard, N. J. & Mitchell, D. A.
Thiazole/oxazole-modified microcins: complex natural products from ribosomal templates.
▸ Abstract
With billions of years of evolution under its belt, Nature has been expanding and optimizing its biosynthetic capabilities. Chemically complex secondary metabolites continue to challenge and inspire today's most talented synthetic chemists. A brief glance at these natural products, especially the substantial structural variation within a class of compounds, clearly demonstrates that Nature has long played the role of medicinal chemist. The recent explosion in genome sequencing has expanded our appreciation of natural product space and the vastness of uncharted territory that remains. One small corner of natural product chemical space is occupied by the recently dubbed thiazole/oxazole-modified microcins (TOMMs), which are ribosomally produced peptides with posttranslationally installed heterocycles derived from cysteine, serine and threonine residues. As with other classes of natural products, the genetic capacity to synthesize TOMMs has been widely disseminated among bacteria. Over the evolutionary timescale, Nature has tested countless random mutations and selected for gain of function in TOMM biosynthetic gene clusters, yielding several privileged molecular scaffolds. Today, this burgeoning class of natural products encompasses a structurally and functionally diverse set of molecules (i.e. microcin B17, cyanobactins, and thiopeptides). TOMMs presumably provide their producers with an ecological advantage. This advantage can include chemical weapons wielded in the battle for nutrients, disease-promoting virulence factors, or compounds presumably beneficial for symbiosis. Despite this plethora of functions, many TOMMs await experimental interrogation. This review will focus on the biosynthesis and natural combinatorial diversity of the TOMM family.
Orchestration of Enzymatic Processing by Thiazole/Oxazole-Modified Microcin Dehydrogenases
▸ Abstract
Thiazole/oxazole-modified microcins (TOMMs) comprise a structurally diverse family of natural products with varied bioactivities linked by the presence of posttranslationally installed thiazol(in)e and oxazol(in)e heterocycles. The detailed investigation of the TOMM biosynthetic enzymes from Bacillus sp. Al Hakam (Balh) has provided significant insight into heterocycle biosynthesis. Thiazoles and oxazoles are installed by the successive action of an ATP-dependent cyclodehydratase (C- and D-protein) and a FMN-dependent dehydrogenase (B-protein), which are responsible for azoline formation and azoline oxidation, respectively. Although several studies have focused on the mechanism of azoline formation, many details regarding the role of the dehydrogenase (B-protein) in overall substrate processing remain unknown. In this work, we evaluated the involvement of the dehydrogenase in determining the order of ring formation as well as the promiscuity of the Balh and microcin B17 cyclodehydratases to accept a panel of noncognate dehydrogenases. In support of the observed promiscuity, a fluorescence polarization assay was utilized to measure binding of the dehydrogenase to the cyclodehydratase using the intrinsic fluorescence of the FMN cofactor. Ultimately, the noncognate dehydrogenases were shown to possess cyclodehydratase-independent activity. A previous study identified a conserved Lys-Tyr motif to be important for dehydrogenase activity. Using the tools developed in this study, the Lys-Tyr motif was shown neither to alter complex formation with the cyclodehydratase nor the reduction potential. Taken together with the known crystal structure of a homologue, our data suggest that the Lys-Tyr motif is of catalytic importance. Overall, this study provides a greater level of insight into the complex orchestration of enzymatic activity during TOMM biosynthesis.
