title: Activation and characterization of a cryptic polycyclic tetramate macrolactam biosynthetic gene cluster.
abstract: Polycyclic tetramate macrolactams (PTMs) are a widely distributed class of natural products with important biological activities. However, many of these PTMs have not been characterized. Here we apply a plug-and-play synthetic biology strategy to activate a cryptic PTM biosynthetic gene cluster SGR810-815 from Streptomyces griseus and discover three new PTMs. This gene cluster is highly conserved in phylogenetically diverse bacterial strains and contains an unusual hybrid polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase, which resembles iterative polyketide synthases known in fungi. To further characterize this gene cluster, we use the same synthetic biology approach to create a series of gene deletion constructs and elucidate the biosynthetic steps for the formation of the polycyclic system. The strategy we employ bypasses the traditional laborious processes to elicit gene cluster expression and should be generally applicable to many other silent or cryptic gene clusters for discovery and characterization of new natural products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Yunzi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Zengyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Ryan E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Cobb
authors.forename: Huimin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D017353:Gene Deletion; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D047029:Lactams, Macrocyclic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D005810:Multigene Family; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000235:genetics; D048630:Polyketide Synthases / Q000235:genetics; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D013305:Streptomyces griseus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D048170:Streptomyces lividans / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D047029:Lactams, Macrocyclic; D048630:Polyketide Synthases; D010453:Peptide Synthases; C104385:non-ribosomal peptide synthase