Tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) with a C1-aryl-substituted groups are common in many natural and synthetic compounds of biological importance. Currently, their enantioselective synthesis are primarily reliant on chemical catalysis. Enzymatic synthesis using imine reductase is very attractive, because of the cost-effectiveness, high catalytic efficiency, and enantioselectivity. However, the steric hindrance of the 1-aryl substituents make this conversion very challenging, and current successful examples are mostly restricted to the simple alkyl-THIQs. In this report, through extensive evaluation of a large collection of IREDs (including 88 enzymes), we successfully identified a panel of steric-hindrance tolerated IREDs. These enzymes are able to convert meta- and para-substituted chloro-, methyl-, and methoxyl-benzyl dihydroisoquinolines (DHIQs) into corresponding R- or S- THIQs with very high enantioselectivity and conversion. Among them, the two most hindrance-tolerated enzymes (with different stereospecificity) are also able to convert ortho-substituted chloro-, methyl-, and methoxyl-benzyl DHIQs and dimethoxyl 1-chlorobenzyl-DHIQs with good enantiometric excess. Furthermore, using in silico modeling, a highly conserved tryptophan residue (W191) was identified to be critical for substrate accommodation in the binding cavity of the S-selective IRED (IR45). Replacing W191 with alanine can dramatically increase the catalytic performance by decreasing the K m value by 2 orders of magnitude. Our results provide an effective route to synthesize these important classes of THIQs. Moreover, the disclosed sequences and substrate binding model set a solid basis to generate more-efficient and broad-selective enzymes via protein engineering.
It has been brought to our attention that, in our 2017 published article, 1 the absolute configuration of product of compound 11a, reduced by IR2 and IR45, were reported incorrectly. We apologize for this mistake and note the specific reporting issues and errors below, with their corrections.
β-Ketoacyl-ACP synthase III (KAS III) is a class of important CÀ C bond-forming enzymes that mostly catalyze the initiation of polyketide and fatty acid biosynthesis. In this study, we elucidated an unusual polyketide synthase (PKS) system that involves two unique KAS IIIs (AsuC3 and C4) in the biosynthesis of the upper triene chain of asukamycin. Significantly, AsuC3 and C4 have both initiation and iterative elongation activity, while being functionally biased toward the elongation and initiation steps, respectively. Mutational analysis revealed that their catalytic activities rely on the catalytic triad Cys-His-Asn. Unlike other KAS IIIs, AsuC3 and C4 are very promiscuous and can accept various lengths of acyl-CoAs with either cyclic, branched or linear acyl moieties. By cooperation with the permissive ketoreductase (AsuC7) and dehydratase (AsuC8/C9), a large variety of polyenes can be efficiently synthesized. This study significantly broadens the understanding of KAS IIIs and polyketide biosynthesis.
Emerging antimicrobial resistant fungal pathogens are a growing threat, and fungicides with novel modes of action are urgently needed to prevent critical failures in global food security. Fenpicoxamid, the prodrug of UK-2A, is a member of a new class of antifungal agents that displays no cross-resistance to other fungicides. Rational engineering of its structure using a biosynthetic approach is a promising avenue for developing more potent fungicides. Herein, through in vitro enzymatic reconstitution, we elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of UK-2A. Its biosynthesis involves a flexible AMP-binding protein and dilactone formation assembly enzymes that are able to select and incorporate highly diverse substituted salicylic acids into the dilactone scaffold. By introducing diverse salicylic acids into the in vitro biosynthetic pathway, we successfully generate 14 novel deacyl UK-2A analogues. This study reveals the flexibility of the biosynthetic pathway of UK-2A and provides an effective solution to rationally engineer its crucial C3 moiety.
β‐Ketoacyl‐ACP synthase III (KAS III) is a class of important C−C bond‐forming enzymes that mostly catalyze the initiation of polyketide and fatty acid biosynthesis. In this study, we elucidated an unusual polyketide synthase (PKS) system that involves two unique KAS IIIs (AsuC3 and C4) in the biosynthesis of the upper triene chain of asukamycin. Significantly, AsuC3 and C4 have both initiation and iterative elongation activity, while being functionally biased toward the elongation and initiation steps, respectively. Mutational analysis revealed that their catalytic activities rely on the catalytic triad Cys‐His‐Asn. Unlike other KAS IIIs, AsuC3 and C4 are very promiscuous and can accept various lengths of acyl‐CoAs with either cyclic, branched or linear acyl moieties. By cooperation with the permissive ketoreductase (AsuC7) and dehydratase (AsuC8/C9), a large variety of polyenes can be efficiently synthesized. This study significantly broadens the understanding of KAS IIIs and polyketide biosynthesis.
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