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A Mononuclear Iron-Dependent Methyltransferase Catalyzes Initial Steps in Assembly of the Apratoxin A Polyketide Starter Unit.

ABSTRACT: Natural product biosynthetic pathways contain a plethora of enzymatic tools to carry out difficult biosynthetic transformations. Here, we discover an unusual mononuclear iron-dependent methyltransferase that acts in the initiation steps of apratoxin A biosynthesis (AprA MT1). Fe3+-replete AprA MT1 catalyzes one or two methyl transfer reactions on the substrate malonyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein), whereas Co2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+ support only a single methyl transfer. MT1 homologues exist within the "GNAT" (GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase) loading modules of several modular biosynthetic pathways with propionyl, isobutyryl, or pivaloyl starter units. GNAT domains are thought to catalyze decarboxylation of malonyl-CoA and acetyl transfer to a carrier protein. In AprA, the GNAT domain lacks both decarboxylation and acyl transfer activity. A crystal structure of the AprA MT1-GNAT di-domain with bound Mn2+, malonate, and the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) reveals that the malonyl substrate is a bidentate metal ligand, indicating that the metal acts as a Lewis acid to promote methylation of the malonyl ?-carbon. The GNAT domain is truncated relative to functional homologues. These results afford an expanded understanding of MT1-GNAT structure and activity and permit the functional annotation of homologous GNAT loading modules both with and without methyltransferases, additionally revealing their rapid evolutionary adaptation in different biosynthetic contexts.

SUBMITTER: Skiba MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5784268 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Mononuclear Iron-Dependent Methyltransferase Catalyzes Initial Steps in Assembly of the Apratoxin A Polyketide Starter Unit.

Skiba Meredith A MA Sikkema Andrew P AP Moss Nathan A NA Tran Collin L CL Sturgis Rebecca M RM Gerwick Lena L Gerwick William H WH Sherman David H DH Smith Janet L JL

ACS chemical biology 20171114 12

Natural product biosynthetic pathways contain a plethora of enzymatic tools to carry out difficult biosynthetic transformations. Here, we discover an unusual mononuclear iron-dependent methyltransferase that acts in the initiation steps of apratoxin A biosynthesis (AprA MT1). Fe3+-replete AprA MT1 catalyzes one or two methyl transfer reactions on the substrate malonyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein), whereas Co2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+ support onl ...[more]

PMID: 29096064

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Project description:Nitramines are key constituents of most of the explosives currently in use and consequently contaminate soil and groundwater at many military facilities around the world. Toxicity from nitramine contamination poses a health risk to plants and animals. Thus, understanding how nitramines are biodegraded is critical to environmental remediation. The biodegradation of synthetic nitramine compounds such as hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) has been studied for decades, but little is known about the catabolism of naturally produced nitramine compounds. In this study, we report the isolation of a soil bacterium, Variovorax sp. strain JS1663, that degrades N-nitroglycine (NNG), a naturally produced nitramine, and the key enzyme involved in its catabolism. Variovorax sp. JS1663 is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming motile bacterium isolated from activated sludge based on its ability to use NNG as a sole growth substrate under aerobic conditions. A single gene (nnlA) encodes an iron-dependent enzyme that releases nitrite from NNG through a proposed ?-elimination reaction. Bioinformatics analysis of the amino acid sequence of NNG lyase identified a PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) domain. PAS domains can be associated with heme cofactors and function as signal sensors in signaling proteins. This is the first instance of a PAS domain present in a denitration enzyme. The NNG biodegradation pathway should provide the basis for the identification of other enzymes that cleave the N-N bond and facilitate the development of enzymes to cleave similar bonds in RDX, nitroguanidine, and other nitramine explosives.IMPORTANCE The production of antibiotics and other allelopathic chemicals is a major aspect of chemical ecology. The biodegradation of such chemicals can play an important ecological role in mitigating or eliminating the effects of such compounds. N-Nitroglycine (NNG) is produced by the Gram-positive filamentous soil bacterium Streptomyces noursei This study reports the isolation of a Gram-negative soil bacterium, Variovorax sp. strain JS1663, that is able to use NNG as a sole growth substrate. The proposed degradation pathway occurs via a ?-elimination reaction that releases nitrite from NNG. The novel NNG lyase requires iron(II) for activity. The identification of a novel enzyme and catabolic pathway provides evidence of a substantial and underappreciated flux of the antibiotic in natural ecosystems. Understanding the NNG biodegradation pathway will help identify other enzymes that cleave the N-N bond and facilitate the development of enzymes to cleave similar bonds in synthetic nitramine explosives.

Dataset Information

A Mononuclear Iron-Dependent Methyltransferase Catalyzes Initial Steps in Assembly of the Apratoxin A Polyketide Starter Unit.

Publications

A Mononuclear Iron-Dependent Methyltransferase Catalyzes Initial Steps in Assembly of the Apratoxin A Polyketide Starter Unit.

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