Polymer degrading marine Microbulbifer bacteria: an un(der)utilized source of chemical and biocatalytic novelty

• Weimao Zhong and
• Vinayak Agarwal

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1635–1651, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.146

• together with genes encoding the production of polybrominated pyrroles [138][139][140]. The Microbulbifer BGCs lack genes for brominated pyrrole biosynthesis and polybrominated pyrroles have not been reported to be produced by Microbulbifer bacteria. Future studies looking at the evolutionary relationship

• has been shared. Unlike the bulbiferamides mentioned above, the pseudobulbiferamides were not exclusively excreted out of the bacterial colonies. Biosynthesis The first genome sequence of a Microbulbifer bacterium was reported by Howard et al. in 2003 [117]. Now, more than 70 Microbulbifer genomes are

• typical Microbulbifer genome contains less than ten BGCs, as identified by antiSMASH, which implies that a large fraction of their genome is not devoted to natural product biosynthesis. The bulbiferamides and the pseudobulbiferamides represent the first and to date the only examples of peptidic natural

Mining raw plant transcriptomic data for new cyclopeptide alkaloids

• Draco Kriger,
• Michael A. Pasquale,
• Brigitte G. Ampolini and
• Jonathan R. Chekan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1548–1559, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.138

• -terminal Phe residue. Additional 663.3192 and 581.3345 m/z features were also present in the GNPS network, but MS/MS fragmentation could not definitively support a specific structure. For a better understanding of the biosynthesis of burpitides in G. jasminoides, we explored the genomic context by using

• base pairs (Figure 6B). While the proposed gene cluster is missing a potential peptidase, it contains all the other proteins necessary for the biosynthesis of GJA649 and the other putative G. jasminoides cyclopeptide alkaloids. New cyclopeptide alkaloids in Alternanthera bettzickiana Based on the

• precursor rulesets for the biosynthesis of this emerging class of plant natural products. Experimental Construction of precursor peptide HMM A custom hidden Markov model designed to target the precursor peptides from split burpitide pathways was created to favor producers of known burpitides. Sequences

Bioinformatic prediction of the stereoselectivity of modular polyketide synthase: an update of the sequence motifs in ketoreductase domain

• Changjun Xiang,
• Shunyu Yao,
• Ruoyu Wang and
• Lihan Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1476–1485, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.131

• : bioinformatics; conserved motifs; ketoreductase; polyketide synthase; stereocontrol; Introduction Type I modular polyketide synthases (PKSs) are large enzyme complexes that play a crucial role in the biosynthesis of bacterial polyketides, including many important clinical drugs such as erythromycin (antibiotic

• ) [3][4]. The building blocks for PKS biosynthesis often include malonyl-CoA or methylmalonyl-CoA, which are loaded onto the ACP by the AT domain. Subsequently, the KS domain catalyzes the decarboxylative Claisen condensation between the ACP-tethered extender unit and the KS-tethered growing chain. The

• stereoselectivity of a KR. Such promiscuity can also be observed in the MycA KR in mycolactone biosynthesis, which accepts both α-substituted and α-unsubstituted substrates while retaining the same stereoselectivity for the β-hydroxy group [28]. To further investigate the sequence features of each module type, we

Computation-guided scaffold exploration of 2E,6E-1,10-trans/cis-eunicellanes

• Zining Li,
• Sana Jindani,
• Volga Kojasoy,
• Teresa Ortega,
• Erin M. Marshall,
• Khalil A. Abboud,
• Sandra Loesgen,
• Dean J. Tantillo and
• Jeffrey D. Rudolf

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1320–1326, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.115

• ) of alkenes in the 10-membered ring (Figure 1A). During biosynthesis, the eunicellane skeleton is first constructed by terpene synthases that cyclize the diterpene precursor geranylgeranyl diphosphate (Figure 1B) [5][6][7][8][9]. The latter two structural elements, the configurations of the 6/10

• system and the C2–C3 alkene, are instilled by these terpene synthases. Four types of eunicellane synthases are known (Figure 1B). The first eunicellane synthase identified, Bnd4 from the biosynthesis of benditerpenoic acid in Streptomyces sp. (CL12-4) [5], forms a cis-eunicellane named benditerpetriene

• (1) [6]. In 1, the C2–C3 and C6–C7 alkenes are E-configured, with the latter alkene configuration being conserved in all known eunicellane cyclization mechanisms. The first trans-eunicellane synthase, AlbS from the biosynthesis of albireticulone in Streptomyces albireticuli [10], was also identified

Cofactor-independent C–C bond cleavage reactions catalyzed by the AlpJ family of oxygenases in atypical angucycline biosynthesis

• Jinmin Gao,
• Liyuan Li,
• Shijie Shen,
• Guomin Ai,
• Bin Wang,
• Fang Guo,
• Tongjian Yang,
• Hui Han,
• Zhengren Xu,
• Guohui Pan and
• Keqiang Fan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1198–1206, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.102

• Sciences, No. 1 Yanqihu East Road, Beijing 101408, China State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China 10.3762/bjoc.20.102 Abstract Biosynthesis of atypical angucyclines involves unique oxidative B-ring

• cofactor-independent manner. Keywords: angucyclines; aromatic polyketide; biosynthesis; cofactor-independent oxygenase; oxidative rearrangement reaction; Introduction The angucyclines represent a large class of natural products biosynthesized by type II polyketide synthases. Within this category, a

• cleavage and rearrangement in atypical angucycline biosynthesis are catalyzed by the AlpJ-family oxygenases, encompassing AlpJ, JadG, and GilOII. Biochemical analyses reveal the capability to transform the shared angucycline intermediate, dehydrorabelomycin (DHR, 1), into products with unique chemical

Stability trends in carbocation intermediates stemming from germacrene A and hedycaryol

• Naziha Tarannam,
• Prashant Kumar Gupta,
• Shani Zev and
• Dan Thomas Major

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1189–1197, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.101

• several significant processes, terpenoids play an indispensable role in cell-wall and membrane biosynthesis, sensing, plant defense, electron transport, or conversion of light into chemical energy [1][2]. Based on the number of hydrocarbon units, terpenes are classified into various families like

• germacrene A and hedycaryol and how this might affect product distribution in chemical synthesis and biosynthesis. Additionally, we compare the effect of the choice of DFT functional and basis set on the results. Methods The structures of all studied intermediate carbocations originating from germacrene A

• between the stability of hedycaryols (ΔΔEe) and C+···OH bond distances. Biosynthesis of (A) germacrene A and (B) hedycaryol from FPP. Here the abbreviations represent, FPP = farnesyl diphosphate, GAS = germacrene A synthase, OPP = diphosphate. O–C(cation) bond lengths (Å) in the hedycaryol cations

Bismuth(III) triflate: an economical and environmentally friendly catalyst for the Nazarov reaction

• Manoel T. Rodrigues Jr.,
• Aline S. B. de Oliveira,
• Ralph C. Gomes,
• Amanda Soares Hirata,
• Lucas A. Zeoly,
• Hugo Santos,
• João Arantes,
• Catarina Sofia Mateus Reis-Silva,
• João Agostinho Machado-Neto,
• Leticia Veras Costa-Lotufo and
• Fernando Coelho

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1167–1178, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.99

• inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 10 ng/mL, lepistatin A (3), along with two other new chlorinated analogs, that were isolated from Basidiomycete Lepista sordida culture, pauciflorol F (4), isolated from Vatica pauciflora, which is an important building block for the biosynthesis of bioactive polyphenols

Mild and efficient synthesis and base-promoted rearrangement of novel isoxazolo[4,5-b]pyridines

• Vladislav V. Nikol’skiy,
• Mikhail E. Minyaev,
• Maxim A. Bastrakov and
• Alexey M. Starosotnikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1069–1075, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.94

• activity, such as antibacterial [8], anticancer [9] or antiproliferative [10]. In addition, isoxazolo[4,5-b]pyridines were found to inhibit cytochrome P450 CYP17 responsible for the biosynthesis of androgens and estrogen precursors [11]. Some biologically active isoxazolo[4,5-b]pyridines are shown on

A Diels–Alder probe for discovery of natural products containing furan moieties

• Alyssa S. Eggly,
• Namuunzul Otgontseren,
• Carson B. Roberts,
• Amir Y. Alwali,
• Haylie E. Hennigan and
• Elizabeth I. Parkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1001–1010, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.88

• methylenomycin A. Specifically, an MMF binds to the TetR family transcriptional repressor (TFTR) resulting in the complex being released from the DNA ultimately allowing for gene transcription and production of enzymatic machinery necessary for the biosynthesis of methylenomycin A [6][7]. To date, there have

Enhancing structural diversity of terpenoids by multisubstrate terpene synthases

• Min Li and
• Hui Tao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 959–972, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.86

• Min Li Hui Tao Department of Otolaryngology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China

• -methyltransferases, or engineered lepidopteran mevalonate pathways. The substrate promiscuity of TSs not only expands the structural diversity of terpenes but also highlights their potential for the discovery of novel terpenoids via combinatorial biosynthesis. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge on

• combinatorial biosynthesis. An important review published previously comprehensively addressed the transformation of synthetic prenyl-substrate analogs by TSs as well as TS-mimicking chemical transformations [13]. In this review, we discuss representative MSTSs originating from different species that use

Confirmation of the stereochemistry of spiroviolene

• Yao Kong,
• Yuanning Liu,
• Kaibiao Wang,
• Tao Wang,
• Chen Wang,
• Ben Ai,
• Hongli Jia,
• Guohui Pan,
• Min Yin and
• Zhengren Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 852–858, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.77

• stereochemistry by X-ray crystallography using a hydrazone derivative of 1. Results and Discussion Our work commenced with the heterologous production of spiroviolene by E. coli using a recently developed isopentenol utilization pathway for the efficient supply of two C5 precursors for terpene biosynthesis

Activity assays of NnlA homologs suggest the natural product N-nitroglycine is degraded by diverse bacteria

• Kara A. Strickland,
• Brenda Martinez Rodriguez,
• Ashley A. Holland,
• Shelby Wagner,
• Michelle Luna-Alva,
• David E. Graham and
• Jonathan D. Caranto

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 830–840, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.75

• noursei, an NNG-producing bacterium, did not reveal any NnlA homologs. Interestingly, four NMOs are annotated in the S. noursei genome. These enzymes could protect S. noursei from NNG toxicity during its biosynthesis. Meanwhile, we posit that NnlA protects non-NNG producing bacteria from exposure. In vivo

Discovery and biosynthesis of bacterial drimane-type sesquiterpenoids from Streptomyces clavuligerus

• Dongxu Zhang,
• Wenyu Du,
• Xingming Pan,
• Xiaoxu Lin,
• Fang-Ru Li,
• Qingling Wang,
• Qian Yang,
• Hui-Min Xu and
• Liao-Bin Dong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 815–822, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.73

• genome mining and heterologous expression, we identified a cav biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of DMTs 2–4, along with a P450, CavA, responsible for introducing the C-2 and C-3 hydroxy groups. Furthermore, the substrate scope of CavA revealed its ability to hydroxylate drimenol

• analogs. This discovery not only broadens the known chemical diversity of DMTs from bacteria, but also provides new insights into DMT biosynthesis in bacteria. Keywords: bacterial terpenoid; cytochrome P450s; drimane-type sesquiterpenoid; Streptomyces clavuligerus; terpenoid biosynthesis; Introduction

• emphasize the potential of DMTs as substances with broad and significant biological activities. The biosynthetic pathways for DMTs, especially for calidoustene C, (+)-isoantrocin, and (−)-antrocin, have been extensively elucidated [6][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] (Figure 1b). In the biosynthesis of

Methodology for awakening the potential secondary metabolic capacity in actinomycetes

• Shun Saito and
• Midori A. Arai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 753–766, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.69

• , and the associated undiscovered secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes are called “silent” genes. This review outlines several approaches to further activate the metabolic potential of actinomycetes. Keywords: actinomycete; co-culture; heat shock metabolites (HSMs); secondary metabolites; silent

• considered to have been completely characterized. This may be because the number of discovered compounds is small compared to the number of secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes harbored by actinomycetes [26][27][28]. For example, in Streptomyces avermitilis, 38 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene

• identified. These as yet undiscovered secondary metabolite biosynthesis genes are called “silent genes”, because they are either not expressed or their expression levels are low under normal culture conditions. A number of studies have reported methods to activate these genes, and many new compounds have

Research progress on the pharmacological activity, biosynthetic pathways, and biosynthesis of crocins

• Zhongwei Hua,
• Nan Liu and
• Xiaohui Yan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 741–752, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.68

• cell suspension culture, heterologous biosynthesis, and total synthesis [16][17]. Crocins can be obtained from plant cell culture, but the production is prone to epigenetic silencing and toxic intermediates. The chemical synthesis of crocins is challenging due to the presence of numerous chiral centers

• derivatives in microorganisms has been achieved by various teams. This article comprehensively reviews the research progress on the extraction, separation, pharmacological activity, biosynthesis, and synthetic biology of crocins. The biosynthesis of crocins is depicted in detail to shed light on the efficient

• retinopathy [70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. Biosynthesis The biosynthetic pathways of crocins have recently been studied extensively. Crocin biosynthesis can be divided into three stages: 1) biosynthesis of lycopene (5) from simple carbon resources, 2) cleavage of lycopene (5), β-carotene (6

Substrate specificity of a ketosynthase domain involved in bacillaene biosynthesis

• Zhiyong Yin and
• Jeroen S. Dickschat

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 734–740, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.67

• second ketosynthase of the polyketide synthase BaeJ involved in bacillaene biosynthesis (BaeJ-KS2). For this purpose, both enantiomers of a 13C-labelled N-acetylcysteamine thioester (SNAC ester) surrogate of the proposed natural intermediate of BaeJ-KS2 were synthesised, including an enzymatic step with

• glutamate decarboxylase, and incubated with BaeJ-KS2. Substrate binding was demonstrated through 13C NMR analysis of the products against the background of various control experiments. Keywords: bacillaene; biosynthesis; enzyme mechanisms; isotopes; trans-AT polyketide synthases; Introduction Polyketides

• only for the incorporation of one extender unit [2][3]. Although enzyme domains with various specialised catalytic functions can be found as integral part of polyketide synthases, three domain types are fundamental to their biosynthesis, resembling the same logic as observed for fatty acid biosynthesis

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of macrocyclic peptides and polyketides via thioesterase-catalyzed macrocyclization

• Senze Qiao,
• Zhongyu Cheng and
• Fuzhuo Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 721–733, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.66

• .20.66 Abstract Chemoenzymatic strategies that combine synthetic and enzymatic transformations offer efficient approaches to yield target molecules, which have been increasingly employed in the synthesis of bioactive natural products. In the biosynthesis of macrocyclic nonribosomal peptides, polyketides

• for these natural products that aim to address the common issues in classical synthetic approaches and increase synthetic efficiencies, which have the potential to facilitate further pharmaceutical research. Keywords: biosynthesis; chemoenzymatic synthesis; macrocyclic peptides; macrocyclic

• responsible for the structural diversity of natural products, both NRPS and PKS contain thioesterase (TE) domains in the final elongation module, which contribute to terminating biosynthesis [13][14]. Typically, TE domains cleave the thioester bond between the last PCP or ACP domain and the intermediate of

Genome mining of labdane-related diterpenoids: Discovery of the two-enzyme pathway leading to (−)-sandaracopimaradiene in the fungus Arthrinium sacchari

• Fumito Sato,
• Terutaka Sonohara,
• Shunta Fujiki,
• Akihiro Sugawara,
• Yohei Morishita,
• Taro Ozaki and
• Teigo Asai

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 714–720, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.65

• underexplored family of natural products. In the biosynthesis of fungal LRDs, bifunctional terpene cyclases (TCs) consisting of αβγ domains are generally used to synthesize the polycyclic skeletones of LRDs. Herein, we conducted genome mining of LRDs in our fungal genome database and identified a unique pair of

• of TCs in fungi. Keywords: diterpenoids; fungi; genome mining; labdane; terpene cyclase; Introduction Terpenoids are a structurally diverse family of natural products, including more than 80,000 compounds [1]. In the biosynthesis of terpenoids, terpene cyclases (TCs) add structural diversity and

• understand the evolutionary traits of TCs. Among terpenoids, labdane-related diterpenoids (LRDs) are an important class which includes biologically active molecules such as plant hormone gibberellins (Figure 1A). In their biosynthesis, class II TCs often synthesize copalyl diphosphate (CPP) or its

Isolation and structure determination of a new analog of polycavernosides from marine Okeania sp. cyanobacterium

• Kairi Umeda,
• Naoaki Kurisawa,
• Ghulam Jeelani,
• Tomoyoshi Nozaki,
• Kiyotake Suenaga and
• Arihiro Iwasaki

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 645–652, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.57

• . Polycavernoside E (1) exhibited moderate antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Furthermore, the isolation of polycavernoside E (1) from marine cyanobacteria provides additional evidence that marine cyanobacteria, and not red algae, are responsible for the biosynthesis of

Production of non-natural 5-methylorsellinate-derived meroterpenoids in Aspergillus oryzae

• Jia Tang,
• Yixiang Zhang and
• Yudai Matsuda

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 638–644, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.56

• , demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in the generation of structural analogues of meroterpenoids. Keywords: biosynthesis; meroterpenoids; natural products; pathway engineering; terpene cyclases; Introduction Meroterpenoids are a class of natural products partially biosynthesized from a terpenoid

• strong inosine 5-monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor [6]. The biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids has garnered interest in the organic chemistry field due to their structural complexity and associated intriguing enzymatic reactions and has thus been extensively researched for over a decade, providing

• a general understanding of their biosynthesis [7][8]. Polyketide–terpenoid hybrids are among the largest families of meroterpenoids. Orsellinic acid, an aromatic polyketide, and its analogues have been commonly identified as polyketide components in fungal meroterpenoids. Notably, 3,5

Chemical and biosynthetic potential of Penicillium shentong XL-F41

• Ran Zou,
• Xin Li,
• Xiaochen Chen,
• Yue-Wei Guo and
• Baofu Xu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 597–606, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.52

• cytochrome P450, pyridoxal-dependent decarboxylase, glutamine synthase, and tryptophan dimethyltransferase (Figure 5). These genes are likely crucial for the biosynthesis of the newly isolated alkaloids, 1 and 2. In examining the XL-F41 genome for methyltransferase domain-containing BGCs, we found a

• -monooxygenase, to form quinoline rings [26]. Quinine is frequently cited as one of the primary forms of quinoline rings in secondary metabolic pathways. Francesco Trenti et al. [27] studied some of the biosynthesis processes of quinine, in which enzymes involved are much more complex than primary metabolism

A myo-inositol dehydrogenase involved in aminocyclitol biosynthesis of hygromycin A

• Michael O. Akintubosun and
• Melanie A. Higgins

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 589–596, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.51

• aminocyclitol moieties. The biosynthesis of the aminocyclitol has been proposed to proceed through six enzymatic steps from glucose 6-phosphate through myo-inositol to the final methylenedioxy-containing aminocyclitol. Although there is some in vivo evidence for this proposed pathway, biochemical support for

• family containing Hyg17 and discuss genome mining strategies that target this protein family to identify biosynthetic clusters for natural product discovery. Keywords: aminocyclitol; biosynthesis; hygromycin A; inositol dehydrogenase; myo-inositol; Introduction Hygromycin A is a natural product that

• essential for in vivo antimicrobial activity suggesting a distinct biological function independent of ribosome binding. The hygromycin A biosynthetic gene cluster has been identified and the biosynthesis of the aminocyclitol has been proposed (Figure 1) [8][9]. Starting from glucose-6-phosphate, the pathway

Recent developments in the engineered biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoids

• Zhiyang Quan and
• Takayoshi Awakawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 578–588, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.50

• members exhibit beneficial biological activities. This mini-review highlights recent advances in the engineered biosynthesis of meroterpenoid compounds with C15 and C20 terpenoid moieties, with the reconstruction of fungal meroterpenoid biosynthetic pathways in heterologous expression hosts and the

• of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase [4]. In this mini-review, we focus on the fungal meroterpenoids biosynthesis, especially terpenonid cyclizations and post-cyclization modifications, which mostly contribute to the skeletal diversity. Several terpenoid cyclases and αKG-dependent dioxygenases

• will be discussed as examples of engineering biosynthetic pathways and key enzymes involved in fungal meroterpenoid biosynthesis. Furthermore, a construction of the artificial biosynthetic pathway composed of the fungal meroterpenoids pathway and the pathway from other species, in fungal host

Development of a chemical scaffold for inhibiting nonribosomal peptide synthetases in live bacterial cells

• Fumihiro Ishikawa,
• Sho Konno,
• Hideaki Kakeya and
• Genzoh Tanabe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 445–451, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.39

• biosynthesis by using small molecules can help to elucidate their natural functions and their potential as therapeutic targets. NRPs are synthesized by large, versatile, and multifunctional proteins called nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), which are composed of multiple modules and subdivided domains

• penetrate cells. The application of this new scaffold to NRPS inhibitors involved in the production of virulence factors could thus facilitate the development of new antibiotics. Biosynthesis of gramicidin S. Modules comprise the PCP, A, E, C, and TE domains. PCP, peptidyl carrier protein; A1, ʟ-Phe

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel–Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

• Periklis X. Kolagkis,
• Eirini M. Galathri and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 379–426, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.36

• related environments [8]. The mechanism of action involves the binding of BIMs to the penicillin-restricting protein PBP2a which inhibits the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall, making the treatment feasible without any toxicity to human cells [9][10]. The applications of BIMs have also been extended