Publications

• Identification of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene cluster encoding the biosynthetic enzymes for assembly of the virulence-conferring siderophore mycobactin.

  Quadri L.E.N., Sello J., Keating T.A., Weinreb P.H., Walsh C.T.

  <h4>Background</h4>Many pathogenic bacteria secrete iron-chelating siderophores as virulence factors in the iron-limiting environments of their vertebrate hosts to compete for ferric iron. Mycobacterium tuberculosis mycobactins are mixed polyketide/nonribosomal peptides that contain a hydroxyarylo ... >> More

  <h4>Background</h4>Many pathogenic bacteria secrete iron-chelating siderophores as virulence factors in the iron-limiting environments of their vertebrate hosts to compete for ferric iron. Mycobacterium tuberculosis mycobactins are mixed polyketide/nonribosomal peptides that contain a hydroxyaryloxazoline cap and two N-hydroxyamides that together create a high-affinity site for ferric ion. The mycobactin structure is analogous to that of the yersiniabactin and vibriobactin siderophores from the bacteria that cause plague and cholera, respectively.<h4>Results</h4>A ten-gene cluster spanning 24 kilobases of the M. tuberculosis genome, designated mbtA-J, contains the core components necessary for mycobactin biogenesis. The gene products MbtB, MbtE and MbtF are proposed to be peptide synthetases, MbtC and MbtD polyketide synthases, MbtI an isochorismate synthase that provides a salicylate activated by MbtA, and MbtG a required hydroxylase. An aryl carrier protein (ArCP) domain is encoded in mbtB, and is probably the site of siderophore chain initiation. Overproduction and purification of the mbtB ArCP domain and MbtA in Escherichia coli allowed validation of the mycobactin initiation hypothesis, as sequential action of PptT (a phosphopantetheinyl transferase) and MbtA (a salicyl-AMP ligase) resulted in the mbtB ArCP domain being activated as salicyl-S-ArCP.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Mycobactins are produced in M. tuberculosis using a polyketide synthase/nonribosomal peptide synthetase strategy. The mycobactin gene cluster has organizational homologies to the yersiniabactin and enterobactin synthetase genes. Enzymatic targets for inhibitor design and therapeutic intervention are suggested by the similar ferric-ion ligation strategies used in the siderophores from Mycobacteria, Yersinia and E. coli pathogens. << Less

  Chem. Biol. 5:631-645(1998) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 2 other entries.

• A latent oxazoline electrophile for N-O-C bond formation in pseudomonine biosynthesis.

  Sattely E.S., Walsh C.T.

  Nitrogen-heteroatom bonds figure prominently in the structural, chemical, and functional diversity of natural products. In the case of Pseudomonas siderophore pseudomonine, an N-O hydroxamate linkage is found uncommonly configured in an isoxazolidinone ring. In an effort to understand the biogenes ... >> More

  Nitrogen-heteroatom bonds figure prominently in the structural, chemical, and functional diversity of natural products. In the case of Pseudomonas siderophore pseudomonine, an N-O hydroxamate linkage is found uncommonly configured in an isoxazolidinone ring. In an effort to understand the biogenesis of this heterocycle, we have characterized the pseudomonine synthetase in vitro and reconstituted the complete biosynthetic pathway. Our results indicate that the isoxazolidinone of pseudomonine arises from spontaneous rearrangement of an oxazoline precursor. To the best of our knowledge, this is a previously uncharacterized mode of post-assembly line heterocyclization. Our results establish the oxygen of the ubiquitous siderophore hydroxamate functionality as a nucleophile and may be indicative of general strategy for N-O-C bond formation in nature. << Less

  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130:12282-12284(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 7 other entries.

• Assembly of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa nonribosomal peptide siderophore pyochelin: In vitro reconstitution of aryl-4, 2-bisthiazoline synthetase activity from PchD, PchE, and PchF.

  Quadri L.E., Keating T.A., Patel H.M., Walsh C.T.

  Three Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteins involved in biogenesis of the nonribosomal peptide siderophore pyochelin, PchD, PchE, and PchF, have been expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli and are found to produce the tricyclic acid hydroxyphenyl-thiazolyl-thiazolinyl-carboxylic acid (HPTT-COOH ... >> More

  Three Pseudomonas aeruginosa proteins involved in biogenesis of the nonribosomal peptide siderophore pyochelin, PchD, PchE, and PchF, have been expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli and are found to produce the tricyclic acid hydroxyphenyl-thiazolyl-thiazolinyl-carboxylic acid (HPTT-COOH), an advanced intermediate containing the aryl-4,2-bis-heterocyclic skeleton of the bithiazoline class of siderophores. The three proteins contain three adenylation domains, one specific for salicylate activation and two specific for cysteine activation, and three carrier protein domains (two in PchE and one in PchF) that undergo posttranslational priming with phosphopantetheine to enable covalent tethering of salicyl and cysteinyl moieties as acyl-S-enzyme intermediates. Two cyclization domains (Cy1 in PchE and Cy2 in PchF) create the two amide linkages in the elongating chains and the cyclodehydrations of acylcysteine moieties into thiazolinyl rings. The ninth domain, the most downstream domain in PchF, is the chain-terminating, acyl-S-enzyme thioester hydrolase that releases the HPTT-S-enzyme intermediate to the observed tandem bis-heterocyclic acid product. A PchF-thioesterase domain active site double mutant fails to turn over, but a monocyclic hydroxyphenyl-thiazolinyl-cysteine (HPT-Cys) product continues to be released from PchE, allowing assignment of the cascade of acyl-S-enzyme intermediates involved in initiation, elongation, and termination steps. << Less

  Biochemistry 38:14941-14954(1999) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 5 other entries.