Epimerization and substrate gating by a TE domain in ?-lactam antibiotic biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: Nonribosomal peptide synthetases are versatile engines of bioactive natural product biosynthesis that function according to the multiple carrier thiotemplate mechanism. C-terminal thioesterase (TE) domains of these giant modular proteins typically catalyze product release by hydrolysis or macrocyclization. We now report an unprecedented, dual-function TE that is involved in the biosynthesis of nocardicin A, which is the paradigm monocyclic ?-lactam antibiotic. Contrary to our expectation, a stereodefined series of potential peptide substrates for the nocardicin TE domain failed to undergo hydrolysis. The stringent discrimination against peptide intermediates was overcome by prior monocyclic ?-lactam formation at an L-seryl site. Kinetic data are interpreted such that the TE domain acts as a gatekeeper to hold the assembling peptide on an upstream domain until ?-lactam formation takes place and then rapidly catalyzes epimerization, which has not been observed previously as a TE catalytic function, and thioesterase cleavage to discharge a fully fledged pentapeptide ?-lactam harboring nocardicin G, the universal precursor of the nocardicins.

SUBMITTER: Gaudelli NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3961552 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature