epi-isozizaene and albaflavenone

Albaflavenone, a tricyclic sesquiterpene antibiotic, is biosynthesized in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) by enzymes encoded in a two-gene operon. Initially, sesquiterpene cyclase catalyzes the cyclization of farnesyl diphosphate to the terpenoid epi-isozizaene, which is oxidized to the final albaflavenone by cytochrome P450 (CYP)170A1. Additionally, this CYP is a bifunctional enzyme, being able to also generate farnesene isomers from farnesyl diphosphate, owing to a terpene synthase active site moonlighting on the CYP molecule. To explore the functionality of this operon in other streptomycetes, we have examined culture extracts by GC/MS and established the presence of albaflavenone in five Streptomyces species. Bioinformatics examination of the predicted CYP170 primary amino acid sequences revealed substitutions in the CYP terpene synthase active site. To examine whether the terpene synthase site was catalytically active in another CYP170, we characterized the least related CYP170 orthologue from Streptomyces albus (CYP170B1). Following expression and purification, CYP170B1 showed a normal reduced CO difference spectrum at 450 nm, in contrast to the unusual 440-nm peak observed for S. coelicolor A3(2) CYP170A1. CYP170B1 can catalyze the conversion of epi-isozizaene to albaflavenone, but was unable to catalyze the conversion of farnesyl diphosphate to farnesene. Molecular modeling with our crystal structure of CYP170A1 suggests that the absence of key amino acids for binding the essential terpene synthase cofactor Mg(2+) may be the explanation for the loss of CYP170B1 bifunctionality.

Topics: Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; Amino Acid Sequence; Catalytic Domain; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Models, Molecular; Molecular Sequence Data; Polyisoprenyl Phosphates; Sesquiterpenes; Streptomyces; Streptomyces coelicolor

The genome-sequenced, Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis harbours an orthologue (SAV_3032) of the previously identified epi-isozizaene synthase (SCO5222) in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). The sav3032 is translationally coupled with the downstream sav3031 gene encoding the cytochrome P450 CYP170A2 analogous to SCO5223 (CYP170A1) of S. coelicolor A3(2), which exhibits a similar translation coupling. Streptomyces avermitilis did not produce epi-isozizaene or any of its oxidized derivatives, albaflavenols and albaflavenone, under in any culture conditions examined. Nonetheless, recombinant SAV_3032 protein expressed in Escherichia coli catalysed the Mg²+-dependent cyclization of farnesyl diphosphate to epi-isozizaene. To effect the production of epi-isozizaene in S. avermitilis, the sav3032 gene was cloned and placed under control of a copy of the native S. avermitilis promoter rpsJp (sav4925). The derived expression construct was introduced by transformation into a large-deletion mutant of S. avermitilis SUKA16 and the resulting transformants accumulated epi-isozizaene. The previously characterized oxidized epi-isozizaene metabolites (4R)- and (4S)-albaflavenols and albaflavenone, as well as a previously undescribed doubly oxidized epi-isozizaene derivative were isolated from cultures of S. avermitilis SUKA16 transformants in which sav3032 was coexpressed with the P450-encoding sav3031. This new metabolite was identified as 4β,5β-epoxy-2-epi-zizaan-6β-ol which is most likely formed by oxidation of (4S)-albaflavenol.

Topics: Alkyl and Aryl Transferases; Bacterial Proteins; Biosynthetic Pathways; Cloning, Molecular; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Oxidation-Reduction; Sesquiterpenes; Streptomyces

Epi-isozizaene synthase from Streptomyces coelicolor catalyzes the multistep cyclization of farnesyl diphosphate (2, FPP) to the tricyclic sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (+)-epi-isozizaene (3), which is converted in turn to the antibiotic albaflavenone (1) in a two-step, cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidation. Competitive incubation of deuterated and nondeuterated samples of (3S)-NPP and (3RS)-NPP followed by GC-MS analysis of the degree of deuteration in the resulting labeled epi-isozizaene established that (3R)-NPP is the natural cyclization intermediate. Incubation of (3RS)-(Z)-[1-(2)H]NPP (4b) with epi-isozizaene synthase gave [11(anti)-(2)H]epi-isozizaene (3b), indicating that the S(N)' cyclization of 4 involves the predicted anti stereochemistry, consistent with the inference from earlier experiments with chirally deuterated FPP. Incubation of separate samples of [12,12,12-(2)H(3)]FPP (2d) and [13,13,13-(2)H(3)]FPP (2e) gave epi-isozizaenes 3d and 3e, thereby establishing the stereochemical course of the cyclization of the proposed intermediate acorenyl cation 6, as well as the stereochemistry of the successive 1,2-methyl migration and deprotonation that generate the final product. Further insights into the mechanism and the role of the enzyme came from site-directed mutagenesis of active site residues in two universally conserved Mg(2+)-binding domains and the identification of six minor sesquiterpene products 9-13 and 15 produced by the wild-type and mutant proteins. The aberrant products are believed to result from derailment and premature quenching of the normal intermediates of the cationic cyclization cascade.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Sesquiterpenes; Stereoisomerism; Streptomyces coelicolor