N-Prenylation of Tryptophan by an Aromatic Prenyltransferase from the Cyanobactin Biosynthetic Pathway

Biochemistry. 2018 Dec 18;57(50):6860-6867. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00879. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Abstract

Aromatic prenylation is an important step in the biosynthesis of many natural products and leads to an astonishing diversity of chemical structures. Cyanobactin pathways frequently encode aromatic prenyltransferases that catalyze the prenylation of these macrocyclic and linear peptides. Here we characterized the anacyclamide ( acy) biosynthetic gene cluster from Anabaena sp. UHCC-0232. Partial reconstitution of the anacyclamide pathway, heterologous expression, and in vitro biochemical characterization demonstrate that the AcyF enzyme, encoded in the acy biosynthetic gene cluster, is a Trp N-prenyltransferase. Bioinformatic analysis suggests the monophyletic origin and rapid diversification of cyanobactin prenyltransferase enzymes and the multiple origins of N-1 Trp prenylation in prenylated natural products. The AcyF enzyme displayed high flexibility toward a range of Trp-containing substrates and represents an interesting new tool for biocatalytic applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Anabaena / enzymology
  • Anabaena / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Biological Products / chemistry
  • Biological Products / metabolism
  • Biosynthetic Pathways
  • Dimethylallyltranstransferase / genetics
  • Dimethylallyltranstransferase / metabolism*
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Multigene Family
  • Peptides, Cyclic / biosynthesis*
  • Peptides, Cyclic / chemistry*
  • Phylogeny
  • Prenylation
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Tryptophan / chemistry

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Biological Products
  • Peptides, Cyclic
  • cyanobactins
  • Tryptophan
  • Dimethylallyltranstransferase