Benzobactines– powerful, however uncommon
Benzoxazolinate is an uncommon natural substance that gives remarkable bioactivities on natural items. It is, for example, the important part of lidamycin, an antitumor antibiotic that is one of the most cytotoxic substances up until now. The factor for this capacity is the truth that benzoxazolinate includes 2 rings, a structure that permits it to connect with protein in addition to with DNA. Nevertheless, locating the manufacturers of this rare substance in nature resembles the proverbial look for a needle in a haystack.
In order to make use of brand-new pharmaceutically important natural compounds, like antibiotics, tumor suppressants, or immunosuppressants, it is needed to know the responsible genes, or more exactly, their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). BGCs are locally clustered groups of two or more genes that together encode the production of a specific set of enzymes– and therefore the matching natural items produced by these enzymes.
Far, the biosynthetic gene cassette of benzoxazolinate stayed elusive, impeding the growth of the collection of bioactive benzoxazolinate-containing substances. During the biosynthesis, the pathway clearly “obtains” an intermediate from the so-called phenazine pathway, responsible for the production of another natural item.
Utilizing an enzyme as a probe for natural compounds
Ph.D. student Jan Crames, the co-first author of the study that was also funded by the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE TBG) and the European Research Council, explains: “Knowing the enzymes identity, we used it as a probe. According to the scientists, the most striking aspect was the large circulation of these genes in other germs.
Prof. Helge Bode, leader of the department “Natural Products in Organismic Interactions” at the Max-Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, includes: “Our findings reveal the tremendous biosynthetic capacity of an extensive biosynthetic gene cluster for benzobactin. Now, we need to learn their environmental function and if we can apply them as antibiotics or other drugs.”
Referral: “Genome Mining Enabled by Biosynthetic Characterization Uncovers a Class of Benzoxazolinate-Containing Natural Products in Diverse Bacteria” by Yi-Ming Shi, Jan J. Crames, Laura Czech, Kenan A. J. Bozhüyük, Yan-Ni Shi, Merle Hirschmann, Stefanie Lamberth, Peter Claus, Nicole Paczia, Christian Rückert, Jörn Kalinowski, Gert Bange and Helge B. Bode, 5 October 2022, Angewandte Chemie.DOI: 10.1002/ anie.202206106.
Formation and structural analysis of a crucial enzyme was carried out in cooperation with Dr. Laura Czech and Prof. Gert Bange from SYNMIKRO, Philipps-University Marburg. Enzyme kinetics was evaluated by Nicole Paczia and the group from our Core Facility for Metabolomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry. Genome sequencing was performed by Prof. Jörn Kalinowski and the group from Bielefeld University.
Natural items containing benzoxazolinate, a structure with two rings, are exceptional candidates for pharmaceutically valuable compounds, such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs, or immunosuppressants. Benzoxazolinate is an unusual natural substance that confers remarkable bioactivities on natural products. Far, the biosynthetic gene cassette of benzoxazolinate stayed evasive, preventing the growth of the collection of bioactive benzoxazolinate-containing compounds. Now a team of Max-Planck researchers led by Dr. Yi-Ming Shi and Prof. Dr. Helge Bode succeeded in the biosynthetic characterization of the benzoxazolinate path. Throughout the biosynthesis, the path certainly “obtains” an intermediate from the so-called phenazine path, accountable for the production of another natural item.
Natural products containing benzoxazolinate, a structure with 2 rings, are exceptional prospects for pharmaceutically important substances, such as antibiotics, anticancer drugs, or immunosuppressants. How can their producers be determined? Credit: Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology/Crames
The process of genome mining exposes a typical category of naturally occurring compounds that have the possible as feasible drug prospects.
Researchers at limit Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology have found the biosynthesis of an uncommon substance called benzoxazolinate, which is found in Benzobactins– a class of bacterial natural items that have distinct biological activity due to its two-ring structure.
By using genomic research, scientists were able to reveal the previously unidentified genes accountable for its development. This development opens doors to the discovery of a plethora of new natural substances with medical applications.
Microbes in their natural habitat typically deal with varying ecological conditions and have actually evolved to produce a varied range of natural products with various chemical structures and functions to assist their survival.
