belactosin-a and hormaomycin

Hormaomycins and belactosins are peptide natural products that contain unusual cyclopropane moieties. Bioinformatics analysis of the corresponding biosynthetic gene clusters showed that two conserved genes, hrmI/belK and hrmJ/belL, were potential candidates for catalyzing cyclopropanation. Using in vivo and in vitro assays, the functions of HrmI/BelK and HrmJ/BelL were established. HrmI and BelK, which are heme oxygenase-like dinuclear iron enzymes, catalyze oxidation of the ϵ-amino group of l-lysine to afford l-6-nitronorleucine. Subsequently, HrmJ and BelL, which are iron- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenases, effectively convert l-6-nitronorleucine into 3-(trans-2-nitrocyclopropyl)-alanine through C4-C6 bond installation. These observations disclose a novel pathway of cyclopropane ring construction and exemplify the new chemistry involving metalloenzymes in natural product biosynthesis.

Topics: Catalysis; Cyclopropanes; Depsipeptides; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Metalloproteins; Molecular Structure

An efficient and convenient methodology for the synthesis of the 3-(trans-2-aminocyclopropyl) alanine and 3-(trans-2-nitrocyclopropyl) alanine moieties found in the core of belactosin A and hormaomycin, respectively, is reported. By using an enantioenriched substituted alpha-nitro diazoester in a diastereoselective intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction, the trans-nitrocyclopropyl alanine moiety can be obtained efficiently in five steps from the initial alpha-nitrocyclopropyl lactone unit, thus achieving the synthesis of the cyclopropane core of the two natural products.

Topics: Alanine; Biological Products; Catalysis; Cyclization; Cyclopropanes; Depsipeptides; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Molecular Structure; Peptides; Stereoisomerism