skip to main content


Title: In Vitro Reconstitution of Fimsbactin Biosynthesis from Acinetobacter baumannii
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).  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1654611
NSF-PAR ID:
10357526
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Editor(s):
He, Chuan; Seyedsayamdost, Mohammed R.
Date Published:
Journal Name:
ACS Chemical Biology
ISSN:
1554-8929
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Amphi-enterobactin is an amphiphilic siderophore isolated from a variety of microbialVibriospecies. Like enterobactin, amphi-enterobactin is a triscatecholate siderophore; however, it is framed on an expanded tetralactone core comprised of fourl-Ser residues, of which onel-Ser is appended by a fatty acid and the remainingl-Ser residues are appended by 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate (DHB). Fragments of amphi-enterobactin composed of 2-Ser-1-DHB-FA and 3-Ser-2-DHB-FA have been identified in the supernatant ofVibrio campbelliispecies. The origin of these fragments has not been determined, although two distinct isomers could exist for 2-Ser-1-DHB-FA and three distinct isomers could exist for 3-Ser-2-DHB-FA. The fragments of amphi-enterobactin could originate from hydrolysis of the amphi-enterobactin macrolactone, or from premature release due to an inefficient biosynthetic pathway. Unique masses in the tandem MS analysis establish that certain fragments isolated from the culture supernatant must originate from hydrolysis of the amphi-enterobactin macrolactone, while others cannot be distinguished from premature release during biosynthesis or hydrolysis of amphi-enterobactin.

    Graphical abstract

     
    more » « less
  2. The vast majority of bacteria require iron to grow. A significant iron acquisition strategy is the production of siderophores, which are secondary microbial metabolites synthesized to sequester iron(III). Siderophore structures encompass a variety of forms, of which highly modified peptidic siderophores are of interest herein. State‐of‐the‐art genome mining tools, such as antiSMASH (antibiotics & Secondary Metabolite Analysis SHell), hold the potential to predict and discover new peptidic siderophores, including a combinatoric suite of triscatechol siderophores framed on a triserine‐ester backbone of the general class, (DHB‐ l / d CAA‐ l Ser) 3 (CAA, cationic amino acid). Siderophores with l / d Arg, l / d Lys and l Orn, but not d Orn, were predicted in bacterial genomes. Fortuitously the d Orn siderophore was identified, yet its lack of prediction highlights the limitation of current genome mining tools. The full combinatoric suite of these siderophores, which form chiral iron(III) complexes, reveals stereospecific coordination chemistry encoded in microbial genomes. The chirality embedded in this suite of Fe(III)‐siderophores raises the question of whether the relevant siderophore‐mediated iron acquisition pathways are stereospecific and selective for ferric siderophore complexes of a defined configuration. 
    more » « less
  3. Ferric complexes of triscatechol siderophores may assume one of two enantiomeric configurations at the iron site. Chirality is known to be important in the iron uptake process, however an understanding of the molecular features directing stereospecific coordination remains ambiguous. Synthesis of the full suite of (DHB L/D Lys L/D Ser) 3 macrolactone diastereomers, which includes the siderophore cyclic trichrysobactin (CTC), enables the effects that the chirality of Lys and Ser residues exert on the configuration of the Fe( iii ) complex to be defined. Computationally optimized geometries indicate that the Λ/Δ configurational preferences are set by steric interactions between the Lys sidechains and the peptide backbone. The ability of each (DHB L/D Lys L/D Ser) 3 diastereomer to form a stable Fe( iii ) complex prompted a genomic search for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) encoding the synthesis of these diastereomers in microbes. The genome of the plant pathogen Dickeya chrysanthemi EC16 was sequenced and the genes responsible for the biosynthesis of CTC were identified. A related but distinct BGC was identified in the genome of the opportunistic pathogen Yersinia frederiksenii ATCC 33641; isolation of the siderophore from Y. frederiksenii ATCC 33641, named frederiksenibactin (FSB), revealed the triscatechol oligoester, linear -(DHB L Lys L Ser) 3 . Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy establishes that Fe( iii )–CTC and Fe( iii )–FSB are formed in opposite enantiomeric configuration, consistent with the results of the ferric complexes of the cyclic (DHB L/D Lys L/D Ser) 3 diastereomers. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Siderophores belonging to the ferrichrome family are essential for the viability of fungal species and play a key role for virulence of numerous pathogenic fungi. Despite their biological significance, our understanding of how these iron-chelating cyclic hexapeptides are assembled by non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzymes remains poorly understood, primarily due to the nonlinearity exhibited by the domain architecture. Herein, we report the biochemical characterization of the SidC NRPS, responsible for construction of the intracellular siderophore ferricrocin. In vitro reconstitution of purified SidC reveals its ability to produce ferricrocin and its structural variant, ferrichrome. Application of intact protein mass spectrometry uncovers several non-canonical events during peptidyl siderophore biosynthesis, including inter-modular loading of amino acid substrates and an adenylation domain capable of poly-amide bond formation. This work expands the scope of NRPS programming, allows biosynthetic assignment of ferrichrome NRPSs, and sets the stage for reprogramming towards novel hydroxamate scaffolds.

     
    more » « less
  5. The NIS synthetase family of enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of siderophores is increasingly associated with bacterial virulence. Proteins in this class represent outstanding potential drug targets, assuming that basic biochemical and structural characterizations can be completed. Towards this goal, we have mated an improved synthesis of the non-commercial amino acid N-hydroxy-N-succinylcadaverine (HSC, 6) with an isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assay that profiles the iterative stages of HSC trimerization and macrocyclization by NIS synthetase DesD from Streptomyces coelicolor. HSC synthesis begins with multigram-scale Gabrielle and tert-butyl N-(benzyloxy)carbamate alkylations of 1-bromo-5-chloropentane following prior literature, but the end-game reported herein has two advantages for greater material throughput: (1) hydrogenolysis of benzyl ether and Cbz blocking groups is best accomplished with Pearlman’s catalyst at 40 psi of H2 and (2) purification of neutral (zwitterionic) HSC is effected by simple flash chromatography over silica gel in MeOH. HSC is subsequently shown to be a substrate for NIS synthetase DesD, which catalyzes three successive amide bond syntheses via adenyl monophosphate ester intermediates. We quantify and present the iterative and overall enzyme kinetic constants associated with formation of the cyclotrimeric siderophore desferrioxamine E (dfoE, 1). 
    more » « less