Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    Polyene macrollide biosynthesis in streptomycetes and related bacteria: recent advances from genome sequencing and experimental studies
    The polyene macrolide group includes important antifungal drugs, to which resistance does not arise readily. Chemical and biological methods have been used in attempts to make polyene antibiotics with fewer toxic side effects. Genome sequencing of producer organisms is contributing to this endeavour, by providing access to new compounds and by enabling yield improvement for polyene analogues obtained by engineered biosynthesis. This recent work is also enhancing bioinformatic methods for deducing the structures of cryptic natural products from their biosynthetic enzymes. The stereostructure of candicidin D has recently been determined by NMR spectroscopy. Genes for the corresponding polyketide synthase have been uncovered in several different genomes. Analysis of this new information strengthens the view that protein sequence motifs can be used to predict double bond geometry in many polyketides. Chemical studies have shown that improved polyenes can be obtained by modifying the mycosamine sugar that is common to most of these compounds. Glycoengineered analogues might be produced by biosynthetic methods, but polyene glycosyltransferases show little tolerance for donors other than GDP-α-D-mycosamine. Genome sequencing has revealed extending glycosyltransferases that add a second sugar to the mycosamine of some polyenes. NppY of Pseudonocardia autotrophica uses UDP-N-acetyl-α-D-glucosamine as donor whereas PegA from Actinoplanes caeruleus uses GDP-α-D-mannose. These two enzymes show 51 % sequence identity and are also closely related to mycosaminyltransferases. These findings will assist attempts to construct glycosyltransferases that transfer alternative UDP- or (d)TDP-linked sugars to polyene macrolactones.
      600Scopus© Citations 34
  • Publication
    Engineered biosynthesis and characterisation of disaccharide-modified 8-deoxyamphoteronolides
    Several polyene macrolides are potent antifungal agents that have severe side effects. Increased glycosylation of these compounds can improve water solubility and reduce toxicity. Three extending glycosyltransferases are known to add hexoses to the mycosaminyl sugar residues of polyenes. The Actinoplanes caeruleus PegA enzyme catalyses attachment of a D-mannosyl residue in a β-1,4 linkage to the mycosamine of the aromatic heptaene 67-121A to form 67-121C. NppY from Pseudonocardia autotrophica adds an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine to the mycosamine of 10-deoxynystatin. NypY from Pseudonocardia sp. P1 adds an extra hexose to a nystatin, but the identity of the sugar is unknown. Here, we express the nypY gene in Streptomyces nodosus amphL and show that NypY modifies 8-deoxyamphotericins more efficiently than C-8 hydroxylated forms. The modified heptaene was purified and shown to be mannosyl-8-deoxyamphotericin B. This had the same antifungal activity as amphotericin B but was slightly less haemolytic. Chemical modification of this new disaccharide polyene could give better antifungal antibiotics.
      700Scopus© Citations 7