skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Spatial regulation of a common precursor from two distinct genes generates metabolite diversity

Journal Article · · Chemical Science (Online)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/c5sc01058f· OSTI ID:1244808

In secondary metabolite biosynthesis, core synthetic genes such as polyketide synthase genes or non-ribosomal peptide synthase genes usually encode proteins that generate various backbone precursors. These precursors are modified by other tailoring enzymes to yield a large variety of different secondary metabolites. The number of core synthesis genes in a given species correlates, therefore, with the number of types of secondary metabolites the organism can produce. In our study, heterologous expression of all the A. terreus NRPS-like genes showed that two NRPS-like proteins, encoded by atmelA and apvA, release the same natural product, aspulvinone E. More interestingly, further experiments revealed that the aspulvinone E produced by two different genes accumulates in different fungal compartments. And this spatial control of aspulvinone E production is likely to be regulated by their own specific promoters. Comparative genomics indicates that atmelA and apvA might share a same ancestral gene and the gene apvA is inserted in a highly conserved region in Aspergillus species that contains genes coding for life-essential proteins. The study also identified one trans-prenyltransferase AbpB which is capable of prenylating two different substrates aspulvinones and butyrolactones. In total, our study shows the first example in which the locally distribution of the same natural product could lead to its incorporation into different SM pathways.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1244808
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-107520; BM0101020
Journal Information:
Chemical Science (Online), Vol. 6, Issue 10; ISSN 2041-6539
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (35)

SMURF: Genomic mapping of fungal secondary metabolite clusters journal September 2010
Fungal secondary metabolism — from biochemistry to genomics journal December 2005
Assembly-Line Enzymology for Polyketide and Nonribosomal Peptide Antibiotics:  Logic, Machinery, and Mechanisms journal August 2006
Twenty-five coregulated transcripts define a sterigmatocystin gene cluster in Aspergillus nidulans. journal February 1996
Illuminating the Diversity of Aromatic Polyketide Synthases in Aspergillus nidulans journal April 2012
A survey of nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes in Aspergillus nidulans journal March 2009
Application of an Efficient Gene Targeting System Linking Secondary Metabolites to their Biosynthetic Genes in Aspergillus terreus journal June 2013
Terrequinone A biosynthesis through L-tryptophan oxidation, dimerization and bisprenylation journal August 2007
An Efficient System for Heterologous Expression of Secondary Metabolite Genes in Aspergillus nidulans journal May 2013
Transient disruption of non-homologous end-joining facilitates targeted genome manipulations in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans journal March 2008
Biosynthesis of fungal melanins and their importance for human pathogenic fungi journal March 2003
Low-Volume Toolbox for the Discovery of Immunosuppressive Fungal Secondary Metabolites journal April 2013
Co-ordination between BrlA regulation and secretion of the oxidoreductase FmqD directs selective accumulation of fumiquinazoline C to conidial tissues in A spergillus fumigatus: Fumiquinazoline biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus journal April 2014
The highly divergent beta-tubulins of Aspergillus nidulans are functionally interchangeable. journal November 1989
Tubulins in Aspergillus nidulans journal April 2004
Synthesis and assembly of fungal melanin journal December 2011
Microbial ultraviolet sunscreens journal October 2011
Aspulvinones from a mangrove rhizosphere soil-derived fungus Aspergillus terreus Gwq-48 with anti-influenza A viral (H1N1) activity journal March 2013
Titration-Based Screening for Evaluation of Natural Product Extracts: Identification of an Aspulvinone Family of Luciferase Inhibitors journal November 2011
Metabolic products of Aspergillus terreus. IX. Biosynthesis of butyrolactone derivatives isolated from strains IFO 8835 and 4100. journal January 1983
The biosynthesis of shikimate metabolites journal January 1984
Shikimate and Phenylalanine Biosynthesis in the Green Lineage journal January 2013
Purification and characterization of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate:aspulvinone dimethylallyltransferase from Aspergillus terreus journal June 1978
Substrate promiscuity of secondary metabolite enzymes: prenylation of hydroxynaphthalenes by fungal indole prenyltransferases journal June 2011
Genome-Based Deletion Analysis Reveals the Prenyl Xanthone Biosynthesis Pathway in Aspergillus nidulans journal March 2011
Two Separate Gene Clusters Encode the Biosynthetic Pathway for the Meroterpenoids Austinol and Dehydroaustinol in Aspergillus nidulans journal February 2012
Ralfuranone Biosynthesis in Ralstonia solanacearum Suggests Functional Divergence in the Quinone Synthetase Family of Enzymes journal March 2011
Molecular genetic analysis reveals that a nonribosomal peptide synthetase-like (NRPS-like) gene in Aspergillus nidulans is responsible for microperfuranone biosynthesis journal May 2012
Identification and catalytic characterization of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase-like (NRPS-like) enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of echosides from Streptomyces sp. LZ35 journal August 2014
The biosynthesis of shikimate metabolites journal November 2002
Metabolic products of Aspergillus terreus. X. Biosynthesis of asterriquinones. journal January 1990
Aryl-aldehyde Formation in Fungal Polyketides: Discovery and Characterization of a Distinct Biosynthetic Mechanism journal February 2014
Molecular Genetic Characterization of a Cluster in A. terreus for Biosynthesis of the Meroterpenoid Terretonin journal November 2012
Prototype of an intertwined secondary-metabolite supercluster journal September 2013
Spatial and temporal control of fungal natural product synthesis journal January 2014

Cited By (4)