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1. In Vitro Reconstitution of Fimsbactin Biosynthesis from Acinetobacter baumannii

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.2c00573  

   Yang, Jinping; Wencewicz, Timothy A. (July 2022, ACS Chemical Biology)

   He, Chuan; Seyedsayamdost, Mohammed R. (Ed.)

   Siderophores produced via non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) pathways serve as critical virulence factors for many pathogenic bacteria. An improved knowledge of siderophore biosynthesis guides the development of inhibitors, vaccines, and other therapeutic strategies. Fimsbactin A is a mixed ligand siderophore derived from human pathogenic Acinetobacter baumannii that contains phenolate-oxazoline, catechol, and hydroxamate metal chelating groups branching from a central L-Ser tetrahedral unit via amide and ester linkages. Fimsbactin A is derived from two molecules of L-Ser, two molecules of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), and one molecule of L-Orn and is a product of the fbs biosynthetic operon. Here, we report the complete in vitro reconstitution of fimsbactin A biosynthesis in a cell-free system using purified enzymes. We demonstrate the conversion of L-Orn to N1-acetyl-N1-hydroxy-putrescine (ahPutr) via ordered action of FbsJ (decarboxylase), FbsI (flavin N-monooxygenase), and FbsK (N-acetyltransferase). We achieve conversion of L-Ser, DHB, and L-Orn to fimsbactin A using FbsIJK in combination with the NRPS modules FbsEFGH. We also demonstrate chemoenzymatic conversion of synthetic ahPutr to fimsbactin A using FbsEFGH and establish the substrate selectivity for the NRPS adenylation domains in FbsH (DHB) and FbsF (L-Ser). We assign a role for the type II thioesterase FbsM in producing the shunt metabolite 2-(2,3-dihydroxyphenyl)-4,5-dihydrooxazole-4-carboxylic acid (DHB-oxa) via cleavage of the corresponding thioester intermediate that is tethered to NRPS peptidyl carrier domains during biosynthetic assembly. We propose a mechanism for branching NRPS-derived peptides via amide and ester linkages via the dynamic equilibration of N-DHB-Ser and O-DHB-Ser thioester intermediates via hydrolysis of DHB-oxa thioester intermediates. We also propose a genetic signature for NRPS ‘branching’ in the presence of a terminating C-T-C motif (FbsG). 

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2. Concise synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted quinoline derivatives via ruthenium-catalyzed three-component deaminative coupling reaction of anilines, aldehydes and amines

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ob00348e  

   Shakenov, Aldiyar; Gnyawali, Krishna Prasad; Yi, Chae S. (May 2023, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry)

   The Ru–H complex (PCy 3 ) 2 (CO)RuHCl (1) was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the three-component deaminative coupling reaction of anilines with aldehydes and allylamines to form 2,3-disubstituted quinoline products. The analogous coupling reaction of anilines with aldehydes and cyclic enamines led to the selective formation of the tricyclic quinoline derivatives. The reaction profile study showed that the imine is initially formed from the dehydrative coupling of aniline and aldehyde, and it undergoes the deaminative coupling and annulation reaction with amine substrate to form the quinoline product. The catalytic coupling method provides a step-efficient synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted quinoline derivatives without employing any reactive reagents or forming wasteful byproducts. 

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3. Hierarchical routing in carbon metabolism favors iron-scavenging strategy in iron-deficient soil Pseudomonas species

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2016380117  

   Mendonca, Caroll M.; Yoshitake, Sho; Wei, Hua; Werner, Anne; Sasnow, Samantha S.; Thannhauser, Theodore W.; Aristilde, Ludmilla (December 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   High-affinity iron (Fe) scavenging compounds, or siderophores, are widely employed by soil bacteria to survive scarcity in bioavailable Fe. Siderophore biosynthesis relies on cellular carbon metabolism, despite reported decrease in both carbon uptake and Fe-containing metabolic proteins in Fe-deficient cells. Given this paradox, the metabolic network required to sustain the Fe-scavenging strategy is poorly understood. Here, through multiple 13 C-metabolomics experiments with Fe-replete and Fe-limited cells, we uncover how soil Pseudomonas species reprogram their metabolic pathways to prioritize siderophore biosynthesis. Across the three species investigated ( Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5, and Pseudomonas putida S12), siderophore secretion is higher during growth on gluconeogenic substrates than during growth on glycolytic substrates. In response to Fe limitation, we capture decreased flux toward the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle during the metabolism of glycolytic substrates but, due to carbon recycling to the TCA cycle via enhanced anaplerosis, the metabolism of gluconeogenic substrates results in an increase in both siderophore secretion (up to threefold) and Fe extraction (up to sixfold) from soil minerals. During simultaneous feeding on the different substrate types, Fe deficiency triggers a hierarchy in substrate utilization, which is facilitated by changes in protein abundances for substrate uptake and initial catabolism. Rerouted metabolism further promotes favorable fluxes in the TCA cycle and the gluconeogenesis–anaplerosis nodes, despite decrease in several proteins in these pathways, to meet carbon and energy demands for siderophore precursors in accordance with increased proteins for siderophore biosynthesis. Hierarchical carbon metabolism thus serves as a critical survival strategy during the metal nutrient deficiency. 

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4. Photoinduced Nitric Oxide Exchange in the Diazeniumdiolate Siderophore, Pandorachelin

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acschembio.5c00484  

   Susman, Melanie; Makris, Christina; Butler, Alison (September 2025, ACS Chemical Biology)

   C-diazeniumdiolate siderophores are a small class of photoactive bacterial Fe(III) chelators. Driven by genome mining, we discovered a new C-type diazeniumdiolate siderophore, pandorachelin, produced by the rhizospheric bacterium, Pandoraea norimbergensis DSM 11628. The biosynthetic gene cluster encoding the production of pandorachelin is conserved across several Pandoraea species. Pandoraea spp. are environmentally widespread and are increasingly prevalent clinical pathogens, spurring new interest in their metabolites. UV irradiation photolytically cleaves the N–N bonds within the diazeniumdiolate-containing graminine constituents of pandorachelin. With EPR spin trapping, we directly detect nitric oxide released from the two C-diazeniumdiolate ligands of pandorachelin upon UV irradiation. Additionally, we show that nitric oxide can react with the intermediates during the photoreaction to re-construct the diazeniumdiolate groups via exchange of the distal NO, and thereby recover Fe(III)-binding capacity. The photochemistry of this class of siderophores points to a broader biological role, both in their propensity to release the biological signaling molecule, nitric oxide, and in their ability to undergo photoinduced NO exchange. 

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5. Siderophore production and utilization by marine bacteria in the North Pacific Ocean

   https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12373  

   Park, Jiwoon; Durham, Bryndan P; Key, Rebecca S; Groussman, Ryan D; Bartolek, Zinka; Pinedo‐Gonzalez, Paulina; Hawco, Nicholas J; John, Seth G; Carlson, Michael_C G; Lindell, Debbie; et al (July 2023, Limnology and Oceanography)

   Abstract Siderophores are strong iron‐binding molecules produced and utilized by microbes to acquire the limiting nutrient iron (Fe) from their surroundings. Despite their importance as a component of the iron‐binding ligand pool in seawater, data on the distribution of siderophores and the microbes that use them are limited. Here, we measured the concentrations and types of dissolved siderophores during two cruises in April 2016 and June 2017 that transited from the iron‐replete, low‐macronutrient North Pacific Subtropical Gyre through the North Pacific Transition Zone (NPTZ) to the iron‐deplete, high‐macronutrient North Pacific Subarctic Frontal Zone (SAFZ). Surface siderophore concentrations in 2017 were higher in the NPTZ (4.0–13.9 pM) than the SAFZ (1.2–5.1 pM), which may be partly attributed to stimulated siderophore production by environmental factors such as dust‐derived iron concentrations (up to 0.51 nM). Multiple types of siderophores were identified on both cruises, including ferrioxamines, amphibactins, and iron‐free forms of photoreactive siderophores, which suggest active production and use of diverse siderophores across latitude and depth. Siderophore biosynthesis and uptake genes and transcripts were widespread across latitude, and higher abundances of these genes and transcripts at higher latitudes may reflect active siderophore‐mediated iron uptake by the local bacterial community across the North Pacific. The variability in the taxonomic composition of bacterial communities that transcribe putative ferrioxamine, amphibactin, and salmochelin transporter genes at different latitudes further suggests that the microbial groups involved in active siderophore production and usage change depending on local conditions. 

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