title: Total Biosynthesis and Diverse Applications of the Nonribosomal Peptide-Polyketide Siderophore Yersiniabactin.
abstract: Yersiniabactin (Ybt) is a mixed nonribosomal peptide-polyketide natural product natively produced by the pathogen Yersinia pestis. The compound enables iron scavenging capabilities upon host infection and is biosynthesized by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase featuring a polyketide synthase module. This pathway has been engineered for expression and biosynthesis using Escherichia coli as a heterologous host. In the current work, the biosynthetic process for Ybt formation was improved through the incorporation of a dedicated step to eliminate the need for exogenous salicylate provision. When this improvement was made, the compound was tested in parallel applications that highlight the metal-chelating nature of the compound. In the first application, Ybt was assessed as a rust remover, demonstrating a capacity of ∼40% compared to a commercial removal agent and ∼20% relative to total removal capacity. The second application tested Ybt in removing copper from a variety of nonbiological and biological solution mixtures. Success across a variety of media indicates potential utility in diverse scenarios that include environmental and biomedical settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Mahmoud Kamal
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Samar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fawaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Guojian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA blainepf@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Blaine A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Pfeifer
mesh_terms: D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D060847:Metabolic Engineering; D010636:Phenols / Q000378:metabolism*; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D013844:Thiazoles; C104398:yersiniabactin; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron