Ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide (RiPP) pathways produce a diverse array of natural products. A subset of these pathways depends on radical -adenosylmethionine proteins to modify the RiPP-produced peptide. Mycofactocin biosynthesis is one example of an-adenosylmethionine protein-dependent RiPP pathway. Recently, it has been shown that MftC catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of the C-terminal tyrosine (Tyr-30) on the mycofactocin precursor peptide MftA; however, this product has not been verified by techniques other than MS. Herein, we provide a more detailed study of MftC catalysis and report a revised mechanism for MftC chemistry. We show that MftC catalyzes the formation of two isomeric products. Using a combination of MS, isotope labeling, and H andC NMR techniques, we established that the major product, MftA*, is a tyramine-valine-cross-linked peptide formed by MftC through two -adenosylmethionine-dependent turnovers. In addition, we show that the hydroxyl group on MftA Tyr-30 is required for MftC catalysis. Furthermore, we show that a substitution in the penultimate MftA Val-29 position causes the accumulation of an MftA** minor product. TheH NMR spectrum indicates that this minor product contains an αβ-unsaturated bond that likely arises from an aborted intermediate of MftA* synthesis. The finding that MftA* is the major product formed during MftC catalysis could have implications for the further elucidation of mycofactocin biosynthesis.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a promising source of new antimicrobials in the face of rising antibiotic resistance. Here, we report a scalable platform that combines high-throughput bioinformatics with automated biosynthetic gene cluster refactoring for rapid evaluation of uncharacterized gene clusters. As a proof of concept, 96 RiPP gene clusters that originate from diverse bacterial phyla involving 383 biosynthetic genes are refactored in a high-throughput manner using a biological foundry with a success rate of 86%. Heterologous expression of all successfully refactored gene clusters in Escherichia coli enables the discovery of 30 compounds covering six RiPP classes: lanthipeptides, lasso peptides, graspetides, glycocins, linear azol(in)e-containing peptides, and thioamitides. A subset of the discovered lanthipeptides exhibit antibiotic activity, with one class II lanthipeptide showing low µM activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, an ESKAPE pathogen. Overall, this work provides a robust platform for rapidly discovering RiPPs.

The domain of unknown function 692 (DUF692) is an emerging family of post-translational modification enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products. Members of this family are multinuclear iron-containing enzymes, and only two members have been functionally characterized to date: MbnB and TglH. Here, we used bioinformatics to select another member of the DUF692 family, ChrH, that is encoded in the genomes of the Chryseobacterium genus along with a partner protein ChrI. We structurally characterized the ChrH reaction product and show that the enzyme complex catalyzes an unprecedented chemical transformation that results in the formation of a macrocycle, an imidazolidinedione heterocycle, two thioaminals, and a thiomethyl group. Based on isotopic labeling studies, we propose a mechanism for the four-electron oxidation and methylation of the substrate peptide. This work identifies the first SAM-dependent reaction catalyzed by a DUF692 enzyme complex, further expanding the repertoire of remarkable reactions catalyzed by these enzymes. Based on the three currently characterized DUF692 family members, we suggest the family be called multinuclear non-heme iron dependent oxidative enzymes (MNIOs).

Mycofactocin (MFT) is a putative ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified (RiPP) redox cofactor. The biosynthesis of MFT is encoded by the gene cluster mftABCDEF. While processing of the precursor peptide by MftB, MftC, and MftE has been shown to result in the formation of the small molecule 3-amino-5-[(p-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-4,4-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (AHDP), no activity has been shown for the putative dehydrogenase MftD and the putative glycosyltransferase MftF. In addition, evidence demonstrating that MFT is a redox cofactor has only been limited to the requirement of mft genes for ethanol assimilation in M. smegmatis mc2155. Here, we demonstrate that MftD catalyzes the oxidative deamination of AHDP, forming an α-keto moiety on the resulting molecule which we call premycofactocin (PMFT). We characterize PMFT by 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques and by high-resolution mass spectrometry data to solve its structure. We further characterized PMFT by cyclic voltammetry and found its midpoint potential to be ~255 mV. Lastly, we demonstrate that PMFT is a biologically active redox cofactor that oxidizes NADH bound by M. smegmatis carveol dehydrogenase (MsCDH) and can be used by MsCDH in the oxidation of carveol. These data demonstrate for the first time that PMFT functions as a biologically active redox mediator and provides the most direct evidence to date that MFT is a RiPP-derived redox cofactor.

Mycofactocin is a putative redox cofactor and is classified as a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP). Some RiPP natural products, including mycofactocin, rely on a radical S-adenosylmethionine (RS, SAM) protein to modify the precursor peptide. Mycofactocin maturase, MftC, is a unique RS protein that catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation and C-C bond formation on the precursor peptide MftA. However, the number, chemical nature, and catalytic roles for the MftC [Fe-S] clusters remain unknown. Here, we report that MftC binds a RS [4Fe-4S] cluster and two auxiliary [4Fe-4S] clusters that are required for MftA modification. Furthermore, electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of MftC suggest that SAM and MftA affect the environments of the RS and Aux I cluster whereas the Aux II cluster is unaffected by the substrates. Lastly, reduction potential assignments of individual [4Fe-4S] clusters by protein film voltammetry show that their potentials are within 100 mV of each other.