Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Sebastian Adam
  • Dazhong Zheng
  • Andreas Klein
  • Carsten Volz
  • William Mullen
  • Sally L. Shirran
  • Brian O. Smith
  • Olga V. Kalinina
  • Rolf Müller
  • Jesko Koehnke

External Research Organisations

  • University of Glasgow
  • University of St. Andrews
  • German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)
  • Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI)
  • Saarland University
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)560-568
Number of pages9
JournalNature chemistry
Volume15
Issue number4
Early online date9 Mar 2023
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2023
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products have provided many highly unusual scaffolds. This includes the intriguing alkaloids crocagins, which possess a tetracyclic core structure and whose biosynthesis has remained enigmatic. Here we use in vitro experiments to demonstrate that three proteins, CgnB, CgnC and CgnE, are sufficient for the production of the hallmark tetracyclic crocagin core from the precursor peptide CgnA. The crystal structures of the homologues CgnB and CgnE reveal them to be the founding members of a peptide-binding protein family and allow us to rationalize their distinct functions. We further show that the hydrolase CgnD liberates the crocagin core scaffold, which is subsequently N-methylated by CgnL. These insights allow us to propose a biosynthetic scheme for crocagins. Bioinformatic analyses based on these data led to the discovery of related biosynthetic pathways that may provide access to a structurally diverse family of peptide-derived pyrroloindoline alkaloids. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

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Cite this

Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis. / Adam, Sebastian; Zheng, Dazhong; Klein, Andreas et al.
In: Nature chemistry, Vol. 15, No. 4, 04.2023, p. 560-568.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Adam, S, Zheng, D, Klein, A, Volz, C, Mullen, W, Shirran, SL, Smith, BO, Kalinina, OV, Müller, R & Koehnke, J 2023, 'Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis', Nature chemistry, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 560-568. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01153-w
Adam, S., Zheng, D., Klein, A., Volz, C., Mullen, W., Shirran, S. L., Smith, B. O., Kalinina, O. V., Müller, R., & Koehnke, J. (2023). Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis. Nature chemistry, 15(4), 560-568. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-023-01153-w
Adam S, Zheng D, Klein A, Volz C, Mullen W, Shirran SL et al. Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis. Nature chemistry. 2023 Apr;15(4):560-568. Epub 2023 Mar 9. doi: 10.1038/s41557-023-01153-w
Adam, Sebastian ; Zheng, Dazhong ; Klein, Andreas et al. / Unusual peptide-binding proteins guide pyrroloindoline alkaloid formation in crocagin biosynthesis. In: Nature chemistry. 2023 ; Vol. 15, No. 4. pp. 560-568.
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abstract = "Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products have provided many highly unusual scaffolds. This includes the intriguing alkaloids crocagins, which possess a tetracyclic core structure and whose biosynthesis has remained enigmatic. Here we use in vitro experiments to demonstrate that three proteins, CgnB, CgnC and CgnE, are sufficient for the production of the hallmark tetracyclic crocagin core from the precursor peptide CgnA. The crystal structures of the homologues CgnB and CgnE reveal them to be the founding members of a peptide-binding protein family and allow us to rationalize their distinct functions. We further show that the hydrolase CgnD liberates the crocagin core scaffold, which is subsequently N-methylated by CgnL. These insights allow us to propose a biosynthetic scheme for crocagins. Bioinformatic analyses based on these data led to the discovery of related biosynthetic pathways that may provide access to a structurally diverse family of peptide-derived pyrroloindoline alkaloids. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]",
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N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant 101002326 to J.K.). We are grateful for A. Heckmanns’s help with the knockout studies and to V. Olive at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre for ICP-MS analysis. We acknowledge the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences Structural Biology and Biophysical Characterisation Facility, University of Glasgow, for the use of Microscale Thermophoresis. We thank J. Prunet and A. Jamieson for helpful discussions, M. Molinari for help running RiPPER and D. France and M. Groll for critical reading of the paper.

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N2 - Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products have provided many highly unusual scaffolds. This includes the intriguing alkaloids crocagins, which possess a tetracyclic core structure and whose biosynthesis has remained enigmatic. Here we use in vitro experiments to demonstrate that three proteins, CgnB, CgnC and CgnE, are sufficient for the production of the hallmark tetracyclic crocagin core from the precursor peptide CgnA. The crystal structures of the homologues CgnB and CgnE reveal them to be the founding members of a peptide-binding protein family and allow us to rationalize their distinct functions. We further show that the hydrolase CgnD liberates the crocagin core scaffold, which is subsequently N-methylated by CgnL. These insights allow us to propose a biosynthetic scheme for crocagins. Bioinformatic analyses based on these data led to the discovery of related biosynthetic pathways that may provide access to a structurally diverse family of peptide-derived pyrroloindoline alkaloids. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

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