Geschmack ist vorhersagbar: Mit FlavorMiner. FlavorMiner heißt das Tool, das IPB-Chemiker und Partner aus Kolumbien jüngst entwickelt haben. Das Programm kann, basierend auf maschinellem Lernen (KI), anhand der…
Seit Februar 2021 bietet Wolfgang Brandt, ehemaliger Leiter der Arbeitsgruppe Computerchemie am IPB, sein Citizen Science-Projekt zur Pilzbestimmung an. Dafür hat er in regelmäßigen Abständen öffentliche Vorträge zur Vielfalt…
Prasad, A.; Breithaupt, C.; Nguyen, D.-A.; Lilie, H.; Ziegler, J.; Stubbs, M. T.;Mechanism of chorismate dehydratase MqnA, the first enzyme of the futalosine pathway, proceeds via substrate-assisted catalysisJ. Biol. Chem.298102601(2022)DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102601
MqnA, the only chorismate dehydratase known so far, catalyzes the initial step in the biosynthesis of menaquinone via the futalosine pathway. Details of the MqnA reaction mechanism remain unclear. Here, we present crystal structures of Streptomyces coelicolor MqnA and its active site mutants in complex with chorismate and the product 3-enolpyruvyl-benzoate, produced during heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. Together with activity studies, our data are in line with dehydration proceeding via substrate assisted catalysis, with the enol pyruvyl group of chorismate acting as catalytic base. Surprisingly, structures of the mutant Asn17Asp with copurified ligand suggest that the enzyme converts to a hydrolase by serendipitous positioning of the carboxyl group. All complex structures presented here exhibit a closed Venus flytrap fold, with the enzyme exploiting the characteristic ligand binding properties of the fold for specific substrate binding and catalysis. The conformational rearrangements that facilitate complete burial of substrate/product, with accompanying topological changes to the enzyme surface, could foster substrate channeling within the biosynthetic pathway.
Publikation
de Moura, P. H. B.; de Sousa, A. A.; Porzel, A.; Wessjohann, L. A.; Leal, I. C. R.; Martins, R. C. C.;Characterization of antibacterial proanthocyanidins of Dalbergia monetaria, an amazonian medicinal plant, by UHPLC-HRMS/MSPlanta Med.86858– 866(2020)DOI: 10.1055/a-1170-8016
Dalbergia monetaria is an Amazonian plant whose bark is widely used to treat urinary tract infections. This paper describes a bio-guided study of ethanolic extracts from the bark and leaves of D. monetaria, in a search for metabolites active against human pathogenic bacteria. In vitro assays were performed against 10 bacterial strains, highlighting methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fractioning of the extracts was performed using instrumental and classical techniques, and samples were characterized by UHPLC-HRMS/MS. Ethyl acetate fractions from bark and leaves showed similar antibacterial activities. EAFB is enriched in isoflavone C-glucosides and EAFL enriched in proanthocyanidins. Subfractions from EAFL presented higher activity and showed a complex profile of proanthocyanidins constructed by (epi)-cassiaflavan and (epi)-catechin units, including dimers, trimers and tetramers. The fragmentation pattern emphasized the neutral loss of cassiaflavan units by quinone-methide fission. Fraction SL7-6, constituted by (ent)-cassiaflavan-(ent)-cassiaflavan-(epi)-catechin isomers, showed the lowest MIC against the S. aureus and P. aeruginosa with values corresponding to 64 and 32 µg/mL, respectively. Cassiaflavan-proanthocyanidins have not been found previously in another botanical genus, except in Cassia, and the traditional medicinal use of D. monetaria might be related to the antibacterial activity of proanthocyanidins characterized in the species.
Publikation
Jouda, J.-B.; Njoya, E. M.; Fobofou, S. A. T.; Zhou, Z. Y.; Qiang, Z.; Mbazoa, C. D.; Brandt, W.; Zhang, G.-l.; Wandji, J.; Wang, F.;Natural Polyketides Isolated from the Endophytic Fungus
Phomopsis sp. CAM212 with a Semisynthetic Derivative Downregulating
the ERK/IκBα Signaling PathwaysPlanta Med.861032-1042(2020)DOI: 10.1055/a-1212-2930
AbstractThree previously undescribed natural products, phomopsinin A – C
(1 – 3), together with three known compounds, namely,
cis-hydroxymellein (4), phomoxanthone A (5) and
cytochalasin L-696,474 (6), were isolated from the solid culture of
Phomopsis sp. CAM212, an endophytic fungus obtained from Garcinia
xanthochymus. Their structures were determined on the basis of
spectroscopic data, including IR, NMR, and MS. The absolute configurations of
1 and 2 were assigned by comparing their experimental and
calculated ECD spectra. Acetylation of compound 1 yielded 1a, a
new natural product derivative that was tested together with other isolated
compounds on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Cytochalasin
L-696,474 (6) was found to significantly inhibit nitric oxide production,
but was highly cytotoxic to the treated cells, whereas compound 1
slightly inhibited nitric oxide production, which was not significantly
different compared to lipopolysaccharide-treated cells. Remarkably, the
acetylated derivative of 1, compound 1a, significantly inhibited
nitric oxide production with an IC50 value of 14.8 µM and no
cytotoxic effect on treated cells, thereby showing the importance of the acetyl
group in the anti-inflammatory activity of 1a. The study of the mechanism
of action revealed that 1a decreases the expression of inducible nitric
oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase 2, and proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 without an
effect on IL-1β expression. Moreover, it was found that 1a exerts
its anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7
macrophage cells by downregulating the activation of ERK1/2 and by preventing
the translocation of nuclear factor κB. Thus, derivatives of phomopsinin
A (1), such as compound 1a, could provide new anti-inflammatory
leads.
Publikation
Matern, A.; Böttcher, C.; Eschen-Lippold, L.; Westermann, B.; Smolka, U.; Döll, S.; Trempel, F.; Aryal, B.; Scheel, D.; Geisler, M.; Rosahl, S.;A substrate of the ABC transporter PEN3 stimulates bacterial flagellin (flg22)-induced callose deposition in Arabidopsis thalianaJ. Biol. Chem.2946857-6870(2019)DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA119.007676
Nonhost resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana against Phytophthora infestans, a filamentous eukaryotic microbe and the causal agent of potato late blight, is based on a multilayered defense system. Arabidopsis thaliana controls pathogen entry through the penetration-resistance genes PEN2 and PEN3, encoding an atypical myrosinase and an ABC transporter, respectively, required for synthesis and export of unknown indole compounds. To identify pathogen-elicited leaf surface metabolites and further unravel nonhost resistance in Arabidopsis, we performed untargeted metabolite profiling by incubating a P. infestans zoospore suspension on leaves of WT or pen3 mutant Arabidopsis plants. Among the plant-secreted metabolites, 4-methoxyindol-3-yl-methanol and S-(4-methoxy-indol-3-yl-methyl) cysteine were detected in spore suspensions recollected from WT plants, but at reduced levels from the pen3 mutant plants. In both whole-cell and microsome-based assays, 4-methoxyindol-3-yl-methanol was transported in a PEN3-dependent manner, suggesting that this compound is a PEN3 substrate. The syntheses of both compounds were dependent on functional PEN2 and phytochelatin synthase 1. None of these compounds inhibited mycelial growth of P. infestans in vitro. Of note, exogenous application of 4-methoxyindol-3-yl methanol slightly elevated cytosolic Ca2+ levels and enhanced callose deposition in hydathodes of seedlings treated with a bacterial pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), flagellin (flg22). Loss of flg22-induced callose deposition in leaves of pen3 seedlings was partially reverted by the addition of 4-methoxyindol-3-yl methanol. In conclusion, we have identified a specific indole compound that is a substrate for PEN3 and contributes to the plant defense response against microbial pathogens.