Bacterial Alkaloids Prevent Amoebal Predation.
Bacterial defense mechanisms have evolved to protect bacteria against predation by nematodes, predatory bacteria, or amoebae. We identified novel bacterial alkaloids (pyreudiones A-D) that protect the producer, Pseudomonas fluorescens HKI0770, against amoebal predation. Isolation, structure elucidation, total synthesis, and a proposed biosynthetic pathway for these structures are presented. The generation of P. fluorescens gene-deletion mutants unable to produce pyreudiones rendered the bacterium edible to a variety of soil-dwelling amoebae.
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Junior Research Group Chemistry of Microbial Communication, Jena, Germany.
Martin
0000-0002-4977-2541
M
Klapper
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Junior Research Group Chemistry of Microbial Communication, Jena, Germany.
Sebastian
0000-0002-4087-0225
S
Götze
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Junior Research Group Chemistry of Microbial Communication, Jena, Germany.
Robert
R
Barnett
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany.|Bio Pilot Plant, Jena, Germany.
Karsten
K
Willing
Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745, Jena, Germany. pierre.stallforth@leibniz-hki.de.|Junior Research Group Chemistry of Microbial Communication, Jena, Germany. pierre.stallforth@leibniz-hki.de.
Pierre
0000-0001-7260-9921
P
Stallforth
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000656:Amoeba / Q000187:drug effects*; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000470:Alkaloids
alkaloids; bacterial defense; biosynthesis; natural products; pyrrolizidine alkaloids