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An important challenge in natural product biosynthesis is the biosynthetic design and production of artificial peptides. One of the most promising strategies is reprogramming adenylation (A) domains to expand the substrate repertoire of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). Therefore, the precise detection of subtle structural changes in the substrate binding pockets of A domains might accelerate their reprogramming. Here we show that an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a combination of small-molecule probes can detect the effects of substrate binding pocket residue substitutions in A-domains. When coupled with a set of aryl acid A-domain variants (total of nine variants), the ELISA can analyze the subtle differences in their active-site architectures. Furthermore, the ELISA-based screening was able to identify the variants with substrate binding pockets that accepted a non-cognate substrate from an original pool of 45. These studies demonstrate that ELISA is a reliable platform for providing insights into the active-site properties of A-domains and can be applied for the reprogramming of NRPS A-domains.

Although 4,5-didehydroguadiscine (12a), an alkaloid with potent melanogenesis-inhibitory activity isolated from Hornschuchia obliqua (Annonaceae), consists of an aporphine nucleus with an aromatized B-ring, to date, it has not been utilized as a template for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of pharmacological activities because of its exceptional structure. Accordingly, herein, five analogs (12b-12f) of 12a and five benzylisoquinoline analogs (13b-13f) lacking the C11a-C11b bond of 12b-12f were prepared. The inhibitory effects of 12b-12f and 13b-13f on melanogenesis in theophylline-stimulated B16 melanoma 4A5 cells were examined and compared with those of 12a. Melanogenesis-inhibitory activities of 12b-12f were the same as that of 12a, whereas the melanogenesis-inhibitory activities of 13b-13f were significantly inferior to those of 12a and 12b-12f. These results suggest that the C11a-C11b bond plays an essential role in the melanogenesis-inhibitory activities of 12a-12e.

Nonribosomal peptide (NRP) natural products are among the most promising resources for drug discovery and development, owing to their wide range of biological activities and therapeutic applications. These peptide metabolites are biosynthesized by large multienzyme machinery known as NRP synthetases (NRPSs). The structural complexity of a number of NRPs poses an enormous challenge in their synthesis. A major issue in this field is reprogramming NRPS machineries to allow the biosynthetic production of artificial peptides. NRPS adenylation (A) domains are responsible for the incorporation of a wide variety of amino acids and can be considered as reprogramming sites; therefore, advanced methods to accelerate the functional prediction and assessment of A-domains are required. This Concept article demonstrates that activity-based protein profiling of NRPSs offers a simple, rapid, and robust analytical platform for A-domains and provides insights into enzyme-substrate candidates and active-site microenvironments. It also describes the background associated with the development and application of a method to analyze endogenous NRPS machinery in its natural environment.

The red maple and sugar maple (Acer rubrum and A. saccharum, respectively) contain acertannins (ginnalins and maplexins), galloylated derivatives of 1,5-anhydro- d -glucitol (1,5-AG, 1). These compounds have a variety of potential medicinal properties and we have shown that some of them promote the expression of ceramide synthase 3. We now report on the beneficial effects of ginnalin B, (6-O-galloyl-1,5-AG, 5), leading to acceleration of skin metabolism and reduction of the turnover time. Ginnalin B dose-dependently increased the relative amount of keratin 10, keratin 1, and filaggrin gene, with maximal increase of 1.7-, 2.9, and 5.2-fold at 100 μM, respectively. The validation study showed that it had superior capacity to induce multiple stages of keratinocyte differentiation and significantly elevated the immunostaining site of keratin 10 and filaggrin in a 3-dimensional cultured human skin model, by 1.2 and 2.8-fold, respectively. Furthermore, ginnalin B caused the arrest of proliferation at the G0/G1 phase but it did not induce apoptotic cell death in normal human keratinocytes. Molecular studies revealed that ginnalin B up-regulated the levels of NOTCH1 and a concomitant increase p21 expression. Ginnalin B, therefore, represents a new class of promising functional and medical cosmetic compound and it could contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis of the epidermis.

Four chain-extended analogs (12a–12d) and two related de-O-sulfonated analogs (13a and 13c) by introducing alkyl groups (a: R = C3H7, b R = C6H13, c: R = C8H17, d: R = C10H21) to the side chains of salacinol (1), a natural α-glucosidase inhibitor from Ayurvedic traditional medicine “Salacia”, were synthesized. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of all the synthesized analogs were evaluated in vitro. Against human intestinal maltase, the inhibitory activities of 12a and 13a with seven-carbon side chain were equal to that of 1. In contrast, analogs (12b–12d, and 13c) exhibited higher level of inhibitory activity against the same enzyme than 1 and had equal or higher potency than those of the clinically used anti-diabetics, voglibose, acarbose, and miglitol. Thus, elongation of the side chains of 1 was effective for specifically increasing the inhibitory activity against human intestinal maltase.

A facile and highly diastereoselective approach toward the synthesis of potent salacinol-type α-glucosidase inhibitors, originally isolated from plants of the genus "Salacia", was developed using the S-alkylation of thiosugars with epoxides in HFIP (∼90%, dr, α/β = ∼ 26/1). The dr ratio of the product was significantly improved by the protocol as compared to that of the conventional S-alkylation of thiosugars (dr, α/β = ∼ 8/1). The protocol could be used for gram scale synthesis of the desired compounds. The 3'-O-benzylated salacinol analogs, which are the most potent in vitro inhibitors to date, were synthesized and evaluated in vivo; all analogs suppressed blood glucose levels in maltose-loaded mice, at levels comparable to those of the antidiabetic agent, voglibose.

Structural and activity studies have revealed the dynamic and transient actions of carrier protein (CP) activity in primary and secondary metabolic pathways. CP-mediated interactions play a central role in nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis, serving as covalent tethers for amino acid and aryl acid substrates and enabling the growth of peptide intermediates. Strategies are therefore required to study protein-protein interactions efficiently. Herein, we describe activity-based probes used to demonstrate the protein-protein interactions between aryl CP (ArCP) and aryl acid adenylation (A) domains as well as the substrate specificities of aryl acid A-domains. When coupled with in-gel fluorescence imaging, this strategy allows visualization of the protein-protein interactions required to recognize and transfer the substrate to the partner ArCP. This technique has potential for the analysis of protein-protein interactions within these biosynthetic enzymes at the molecular level and for use in development of the combinatorial biosynthesis of new nonribosomal peptides.

The first total syntheses of the geranylated pyranocoumarins, mameasins C (1) and D (2), aromatase inhibitors isolated from the flowers of Mammea siamensis, were accomplished in five steps, starting from phloroglucinol 3. In this strategy, the characteristic pyran ring-fused coumarin core of 1 and 2 was effectively constructed by Friedel-Crafts acylation of 3, followed by Reformatsky reaction of the resultant ketone to give a key coumarin intermediate 9. Compound 9 was converted to targets 1 and 2 in a stepwise manner by successive C-acylation and O-geranylation, followed by a [1,3]-sigmatropic geranyl shift. Furthermore, screening of intermediates obtained in the synthetic pathway to 1 and 2 revealed that de-geranylated pyranocoumarins (10 and 11) show superior aromatase inhibitory activity as compared to the natural products 1 and 2.

Andrimid (Adm) synthase, which belongs to the type-II system of enzymes, produces Adm in Pantoea agglomerans. The adm biosynthetic gene cluster lacks canonical acyltransferases (ATs) to load the malonyl group to acyl carrier proteins (ACPs), suggesting that a malonyl-CoA: ACP transacylase (MCAT) from the producer organism's fatty acid synthase (FAS) complex provides the essential acyltransferase (AT) activity in Adm biosynthesis. Here we report that the MCAT is essential for catalysis of the transacylation of malonate from malonyl-CoA to AdmA polyketide synthase (PKS) ACP in vitro. Furthermore, a catalytic self-malonylation of the AdmA PKS ACP was not observed in reactions without MCAT, while many type II PKS ACPs are capable of catalyzing the self-acylation process. This lack of self-malonylation was validated by amino acid sequence analysis of the AdmA PKS ACP and the type II PKS ACPs. These results show that the MCAT from the producer organism's FAS complex provides the missing AT activity in trans, suggesting a functional protein-protein interaction between the fatty acid and polyketide synthases in the Adm assembly line.

We describe a proof-of-concept study of a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system for the adenylation (A) domains of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) with active-site-directed probes coupled to a 5'-O-N-(aminoacyl)sulfamoyladenosine scaffold. A biotin functionality immobilizes the probes onto a streptavidin-coated solid support. Dissociation constants were determined with a series of ligands, including enzyme substrates and a library of sulfamoyloxy-linked aminoacyl/aryl-AMP analogues. As it enables direct readout of protein-ligand interaction, the competitive ELISA technique provided information on comparative structure- activity relationships and insights into the enzyme active-site architecture of NRPS A-domains. These studies indicate that the ELISA technique can accelerate the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of the A-domains with new scaffolds that perturb the production of NRPS-related virulence factors.

The recent discovery that an ERK signaling modulator [ACA-28 (2a)] preferentially kills human melanoma cell lines by inducing ERK-dependent apoptosis has generated significant interest in the field of anti-cancer therapy. In the first SAR study on 2a, here, we successfully developed candidates (2b, 2c) both of which induce more potent and selective apoptosis towards ERK-active melanoma cells than 2a, thus revealing the structural basis for inducing the ERK-dependent apoptosis and proposing the therapeutic prospect of these candidates against ERK-dependent cancers represented by melanoma.

A hitherto unreported member of γ-alkylidenebutenolides in Melodorum fruticosum (Annonaceae), (4E)-6-benzoyloxy-7-hydroxy-2,4-heptadiene-4-olide, named as isofruticosinol (4) was isolated from the methanol extract of flowers, along with the known related butenolides, namely, the (4Z)-isomer (3) of 4, melodrinol (1), and its (4E)-isomer (2). To unambiguously determine the absolute configuration at the C-6 position in these butenolides, the first total syntheses of both enantiomers of 2–4 were achieved over 6–7 steps from commercially available D- or L-ribose (D- and L-5). Using the same protocol, both enantiomers of 1 were also synthesized. Based on chiral HPLC analysis of all synthetic compounds (S- and R-1–4), all naturally occurring butenolides were assigned as partial racemic mixtures with respect to the chiral center at C-6 (enantiomeric ratio, 6S/6R = ∼83/17). Furthermore, the melanogenesis inhibitory activities of S- and R-1–4 were evaluated, with all shown to be potent inhibitors with IC50 values i...

Phosphopantetheinylation is an essential post-translational protein modification to primary and secondary metabolic pathways that ensures bacterial cell viability and virulence, and it is used in the production of many pharmaceuticals. Traditional methods have not provided a comprehensive understanding of these modifications. By using chemical proteomic probes for adenylation and thiolation domains in nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), chemoproteomics has been applied to survey and validate the cellular activity of 4-[3-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridin-2-yl]-N-(4-methoxypyridin-2-yl)piperazine-1-carbothioamide (ML267), which is a potent and selective small-molecule 4'-phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) inhibitor that attenuates secondary metabolism and viability of bacterial cells. ML267 inhibited Sfp-type PPTase and antagonized phosphopantetheinylation in cells, which resulted in a decrease in phosphopantetheinylated NRPSs and the attenuation of Sfp-PPTase-dependent metabolite production. These results indicate that this chemoproteomics platform should enable a precise interpretation of the cellular activities of Sfp-type PPTase inhibitors.

The biosynthetic origins of epoxyquinols A (1) and B (2) produced by an unidentified fungus have attracted considerable interest because these compounds could be assembled from a biosynthetic precursor, epoxycyclohexenone aldehyde (3), via an electrocyclization/intermolecular Diels-Alder dimerization cascade reaction. Furthermore, very little is known about the biosynthetic origins of naturally occurring epoxyquinone moieties. We herein describe the incorporation of (13)C at specific positions within the structure of a shunt product, epoxycyclohexenone (4), using stable isotope feeding experiments with sodium [1-(13)C]-acetate and sodium [1,2-(13)C2]-acetate. The results of these experiments strongly suggest that the epoxyquinone skeleton is assembled by a polyketide synthase.

A putative 7-dimethylallyl tryptophan synthase (DMATS) gene from a fungal Neosartorya sp. was cloned and overexpressed as a soluble His 6 -fusion protein in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was found to catalyze the prenylation of l -tryptophan at the C7 position of the indole moiety in the presence of dimethylallyl diphosphate; thus, it functions as a 7-DMATS. In this study, we describe the biochemical characterization of 7-DMATS from Neosartorya sp., referred to as 7-DMATS Neo , and the structural basis of the regioselective prenylation of l -tryptophan at the C7 position by comparison of the three-dimensional structural models of 7-DMATS Neo with FgaPT2 (4-DMATS) from Aspergillus fumigatus .

Derived from the genus maple (Acer), acertannins are a group of gallotannins which have a characteristic 1,5-anhydro- d -glucitol (1,5-AG) occupying the central core position in the tannic acid structure whose hydroxyl groups have one or more galloyl residues. We have synthesized all ten naturally-occurring acertannins and seven new acertannin derivatives from 1,5-AG. Side-by-side comparisons revealed that 2,4,6-tri- O -galloyl-1,5-AG 21 (maplexin E) and maplexin F 22 (2,3,6-tri- O -galloyl-1,5-AG) were good inhibitors of ceramidase (CDase). In contrast, the core anhydrosugar 1,5-AG 12 itself and 3′,4′,5′-trimethoxy benzoyl derivatives 23 – 25 did not show CDase inhibition. Metabolic labelling experiments using NBD-hexanoic acid revealed that 50 μM of 6- O -galloyl-1,5-AG 16 (Ginnalin B), 2,6-di- O -galloyl-1,5-AG 19 (Ginnalin A), and 4,6-di- O -galloyl-1,5-AG 4 increased intracellular NBD-labeled ceramide, by 2.3, 2.2, and 2.1-fold, respectively. It is noteworthy that these acertannins 16 , 19 , and 4 promoted ceramide synthase 3 (CERS3) gene expression. Acertannins, therefore, represent a new class of potential intracellular ceramide regulators exhibiting both CDase inhibition and ceramide synthase promotion.

Genetic approaches have greatly contributed to our understanding of nonribosomal peptide biosynthetic machinery; however, proteomic investigations are limited. Here, we developed a highly sensitive detection strategy for multidomain nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) by using a multiple-labeling technique with active-site-directed probes for adenylation domains. When applied to gramicidin S-producing and -nonproducing strains of Aneurinibacillus migulanus (DSM 5759 and DSM 2895, respectively), the multiple technique sensitively detected an active multidomain NRPS (GrsB) in lysates obtained from the organisms. This functional proteomics method revealed an unknown inactive precursor (or other inactive form) of GrsB in the nonproducing strain. This method provides a new option for the direct detection, functional analysis, and high-resolution identification of low-abundance active NRPS enzymes in native proteomic environments.

One-step conversion of various types of formate esters into the corresponding O-silyl ethers under neutral reaction conditions was established by employing samarium diiodide in the presence of chlorosilane reagents.

A concise enantiospecific synthesis of nemorensic acid 3, a necic acid component of the macropyrrolizidine alkaloid nemorensine 2, isolated from Senecio nemorensis L., is described. Reaction of an epsilon-halo-alpha,beta-unsaturated ester (8), readily accessible from a monoterpene (-)-carvone, with samarium iodide gave a fragmentation product (9), where a carbon-carbon bond cleavage reaction occurred between the gamma and delta positions of the carbonyl group, regioselectively. Deprotection of the silyl group of 9 brought about an intramolecular cyclization to provide tetrahydrofuran derivatives (10), which, upon chemical modification of the side chain, gave nemorensic acid.

We targeted the development of an affinity probe for adenylation (A) domains that can facilitate enrichment, identification, and quantification of A domain-containing modules in nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-polyketide synthase (PKS) hybrids and NRPSs. A 5′-O-sulfamoyladenosine (AMS) non-hydrolyzable analogue of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) has been reported as a scaffold for the design of inhibitors exhibiting tight binding of adenylation enzymes. Here we describe the application of an affinity probe for A domains. Our synthetic probe, a biotinylated l-Phe-AMS (l-Phe-AMS-biotin) specifically targets the A domains in NRPS modules that activates l-Phe to an aminoacyladenylate intermediate in both recombinant NRPS enzyme systems and whole proteomes.

Catalytic antibody 27C1 bears binding sites for both a substrate- and a functionalized small nonprotein component in the active site. We investigated the possibility of exploiting imine and enamine intermediates using a primary amine molecule into the active site of antibody 27C1. The antibody catalyzed β-keto acid decarboxylation with a rate enhancement (kcat/Km/kuncat) of 140,000, as well as highly regioselective cross-aldol reactions of ketones and p-nitrobenzaldehyde. These studies provide new strategies for the generation of catalytic antibodies possessing binding sites for functionalized components.

(−)-Invictolide, a component of the queen recognition pheromone of Solenopsis invicta, was stereoselectively synthesized starting from (−)-carvone, where the regioselective carbon-carbon bond cleavage reaction of γ-halo ester with samarium diiodide was successfully involved as an important reaction.

One-step conversion of various types of formate esters into the corresponding O-silyl ethers under neutral reaction conditions was established by employing samarium diiodide in the presence of chlorosilane reagents.

Reaction of α-amino carbonyl compounds with SmI2 in THF–HMPA in the presence of a proton source afforded the deamination products, where the fragmentation occurred between the nitrogen and the carbon α to the carbonyl group.

Samarium(II) diiodide-promoted regioselective fragmentation of the γ-halogeno esters 12 and 13 afforded the olefins 14 and 20, respectively, which were converted into the necic acid components, crobarbatic acid and a known advanced intermediate of integerrinecic acid lactone, of macropyrrolizidine alkaloids.