Processing 2-Methyl-l-Tryptophan through Tandem Transamination and Selective Oxygenation Initiates Indole Ring Expansion in the Biosynthesis of Thiostrepton

Journal of the American Chemical Society

5 years ago

Processing 2-Methyl-l-Tryptophan through Tandem Transamination and Selective Oxygenation Initiates Indole Ring Expansion in the Biosynthesis of Thiostrepton

Jiequn Wu, Jia Ji, Fang Zhang, Wen Liu, Yinlong Guo, Zhi Lin, Shuaixiang Zhou

Thiostrepton (TSR), an archetypal member of the family of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified thiopeptide antibiotics, possesses a biologically important quinaldic acid (QA) moiety within the side-ring system of its characteristic thiopeptide framework. QA is derived from an independent l-Trp residue; however, its associated transformation process remains poorly understood. We here report that during the formation of QA, the key expansion of an indole to a quinoline relies on the activities of the pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent protein TsrA and the flavoprotein TsrE. These proteins act in tandem to process the precursor 2-methyl- l-Trp through reversible transamination and selective oxygenation, thereby initiating a highly reactive rearrangement in which selective C2–N1 bond cleavage via hydrolysis for indole ring-opening is closely coupled with C2′–N1 bond formation via condensation for recyclization and ring expansion in the production of a quinoline ketone intermediate. This indole ring-expansion mechanism is unusual, and represents a new strategy found in nature for l-Trp-based functionalization.

Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jacs.7b05337

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b05337