Tailoring enzyme-rich environmental DNA clones: a source of enzymes for generating libraries of unnatural natural products

J Am Chem Soc. 2010 Nov 10;132(44):15661-70. doi: 10.1021/ja105825a.

Abstract

A detailed bioinformatics analysis of six glycopeptide biosynthetic gene clusters isolated from soil environmental DNA (eDNA) megalibraries indicates that a subset of these gene clusters contains collections of tailoring enzymes that are predicted to result in the production of new glycopeptide congeners. In particular, sulfotransferases appear in eDNA-derived gene clusters at a much higher frequency than would be predicted from the characterization of glycopeptides from cultured Actinomycetes . Enzymes found on tailoring-enzyme-rich eDNA clones associated with these six gene clusters were used to produce a series of new sulfated glycopeptide derivatives in both in vitro and in vivo derivatization studies. The derivatization of known natural products with eDNA-derived tailoring enzymes is likely to be a broadly applicable strategy for generating libraries of new natural product variants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biological Products / genetics*
  • Computational Biology*
  • DNA / chemistry*
  • DNA / genetics
  • Enzymes*
  • Gene Library*
  • Glycopeptides / chemistry
  • Glycopeptides / genetics
  • Multigene Family*
  • Soil Microbiology

Substances

  • Biological Products
  • Enzymes
  • Glycopeptides
  • DNA