FR-900098 is a potent chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of malaria. Here we report the heterologous production of this compound in E. coli by re-constructing the entire biosynthetic pathway using a three plasmid system. Based on this system, whole cell feeding assays in combination with in vitro enzymatic activity assays reveal an unprecedented functional role of nucleotide conjugation and lead to the complete elucidation of the previously unassigned late biosynthetic steps. These studies also suggest a biosynthetic route to a second phosphonate antibiotic, FR-33289. A thorough understanding of the FR-900098 biosynthetic pathway now opens the possibilities for metabolic engineering in E. coli to increase production of the antimalarial antibiotic and combinatorial biosynthesis to generate novel derivatives of FR-900098.
The enzyme FrbF from Streptomyces rubellomurinus has attracted significant attention due to its role in the biosynthesis of the antimalarial phosphonate FR-900098. The enzyme catalyzes acetyl transfer onto the hydroxamate of the FR-900098 precursors cytidine 5-monophosphate-3-aminopropylphosphonate and cytidine 5-monophosphate-N-hydroxy-3-aminopropylphosphonate. Despite the established function as a bona fide N-acetyltransferase, FrbF shows no sequence similarity to any member of the GCN5-like N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) superfamily. Here, we present the 2.0 Å resolution crystal structure of FrbF in complex with acetyl-CoA, which demonstrates a unique architecture that is distinct from those of canonical GNAT-like acetyltransferases. We also utilized the co-crystal structure to guide structure-function studies that identified the roles of putative active site residues in the acetyltransferase mechanism. The combined biochemical and structural analyses of FrbF provide insights into this previously uncharacterized family of N-acetyltransferases and also provide a molecular framework toward the production of novel N-acyl derivatives of FR-900098.
The Fe(II) and α-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylase FrbJ was previously demonstrated to utilize FR-900098 synthesizing a second phosphonate FR-33289. Here we assessed its ability to hydroxylate other possible substrates, generating a library of potential antimalarial compounds. Through a series of bioassays and in vitro experiments, we identified two new antimalarials.
We report here the enzymatic biosynthesis of FR-900098 analogues and establish an in vivo platform for the biosynthesis of N-propionyl derivative FR-900098P. FR-900098P is found to be a significantly more potent inhibitor of Plasmodium falciparum 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (PfDxr) than the parent compound, and thus a more promising antimalarial drug candidate.
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