Significance
Natural products produced by
Streptomyces
are widely used in the treatment of various medical conditions. Over the years, thousands of metabolites with complex chemical structures have been isolated from cultures of these soil bacteria. An evolutionary pressure that promotes chemical diversity appears to be critical for generation of this rich source of biologically active compounds. This is reflected in the biosynthetic enzymes, where functions of similar proteins may greatly differ. Here, we have clarified the molecular basis of how a classical methyltransferase has evolved into an unusual hydroxylase on the biosynthetic pathways of two anthracycline anticancer agents. Detailed understanding of enzymes involved in antibiotic biosynthesis will facilitate future protein engineering efforts for generation of improved bioactive natural products.
标题:重要性
自然产物由链霉菌生产,在治疗各种医疗状况中被广泛使用。多年来,从这些土壤细菌的培养物中分离出了成千上万具有复杂化学结构的代谢产物。促进化学多样性的进化压力似乎对生成这种丰富的生物活性化合物来源至关重要。这体现在生物合成酶中,类似蛋白质的功能可能有很大不同。在这里,我们已经阐明了一个经典的甲基转移酶如何演变成两种蒽环类抗癌药物的生物合成途径中不寻常的羟化酶的分子基础。对参与抗生素生物合成的酶的详细理解将有助于未来的蛋白质工程努力,以生成改进的生物活性天然产物。