scholarly journals Conservation of griseofulvin genes in the gsf gene cluster among fungal genomes

Author(s):  
Parisa Aris ◽  
Lihong Yan ◽  
Yulong Wei ◽  
Ying Chang ◽  
Bihong Shi ◽  
...  

Abstract The polyketide griseofulvin is a natural antifungal compound and research in griseofulvin has been key in establishing our current understanding of polyketide biosynthesis. Nevertheless, the griseofulvin gsf biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) remains poorly understood in most fungal species, including Penicillium griseofulvum where griseofulvin was first isolated. To elucidate essential genes involved in griseofulvin biosynthesis, we performed third-generation sequencing to obtain the genome of Penicillium griseofulvum strain D-756. Furthermore, we gathered publicly available genome of 11 other fungal species in which gsf gene cluster was identified. In a comparative genome analysis, we annotated and compared the gsf BGC of all 12 fungal genomes. Our findings show no gene rearrangements at the gsf BGC. Furthermore, seven gsf genes are conserved by most genomes surveyed whereas the remaining six were poorly conserved. This study provides new insights into differences between gsf BGC and suggests that seven gsf genes are essential in griseofulvin production.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1858-1868
Author(s):  
David Pizarro ◽  
Pradeep K Divakar ◽  
Felix Grewe ◽  
Ana Crespo ◽  
Francesco Dal Grande ◽  
...  

Abstract Lichen-forming fungi are known to produce a large number of secondary metabolites. Some metabolites are deposited in the cortical layer of the lichen thallus where they exert important ecological functions, such as UV filtering. The fact that closely related lineages of lichen-forming fungi can differ in cortical chemistry suggests that natural product biosynthesis in lichens can evolve independent from phylogenetic constraints. Usnic acid is one of the major cortical pigments in lichens. Here we used a comparative genomic approach on 46 lichen-forming fungal species of the Lecanoromycetes to elucidate the biosynthetic gene content and evolution of the gene cluster putatively responsible for the biosynthesis of usnic acid. Whole-genome sequences were gathered from taxa belonging to different orders and families of Lecanoromycetes, where Parmeliaceae is the most well-represented taxon, and analyzed with a variety of genomic tools. The highest number of biosynthetic gene clusters was found in Evernia prunastri, Pannoparmelia angustata, and Parmotrema austrosinense, respectively, and lowest in Canoparmelia nairobiensis, Bulbothrix sensibilis, and Hypotrachyna scytodes. We found that all studied species producing usnic acid contain the putative usnic acid biosynthetic gene cluster, whereas the cluster was absent in all genomes of species lacking usnic acid. The absence of the gene cluster was supported by an additional unsuccessful search for ß-ketoacylsynthase, the most conserved domain of the gene cluster, in the genomes of species lacking usnic acid. The domain architecture of this PKS cluster—homologous to the already known usnic acid PKS cluster (MPAS) and CYT450 (MPAO)—varies within the studied species, whereas the gene arrangement is highly similar in closely related taxa. We hypothesize that the ancestor of these lichen-forming fungi contained the putative usnic acid producing PKS cluster and that the gene cluster was lost repeatedly during the evolution of these groups. Our study provides insight into the genomic adaptations to the evolutionary success of these lichen-forming fungal species and sets a baseline for further exploration of biosynthetic gene content and its evolutionary significance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Sho Nishimura ◽  
Kazune Nakamura ◽  
Miyako Yamamoto ◽  
Daichi Morita ◽  
Teruo Kuroda ◽  
...  

Information on microbial genome sequences is a powerful resource for accessing natural products with significant activities. We herein report the unveiling of lucensomycin production by Streptomyces achromogenes subsp. streptozoticus NBRC14001 based on the genome sequence of the strain. The genome sequence of strain NBRC14001 revealed the presence of a type I polyketide synthase gene cluster with similarities to a biosynthetic gene cluster for natamycin, which is a polyene macrolide antibiotic that exhibits antifungal activity. Therefore, we investigated whether strain NBRC14001 produces antifungal compound(s) and revealed that an extract from the strain inhibited the growth of Candida albicans. A HPLC analysis of a purified compound exhibiting antifungal activity against C. albicans showed that the compound differed from natamycin. Based on HR-ESI-MS spectrometry and a PubChem database search, the compound was predicted to be lucensomycin, which is a tetraene macrolide antibiotic, and this prediction was supported by the results of a MS/MS analysis. Furthermore, the type I polyketide synthase gene cluster in strain NBRC14001 corresponded well to lucesomycin biosynthetic gene cluster (lcm) in S. cyanogenus, which was very recently reported. Therefore, we concluded that the antifungal compound produced by strain NBRC14001 is lucensomycin.


2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 4172-4183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Gull�n ◽  
Carlos Olano ◽  
Mohamed S. Abdelfattah ◽  
Alfredo F. Bra�a ◽  
J�rgen Rohr ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The biosynthetic gene cluster for the aromatic polyketide steffimycin of the anthracycline family has been cloned and characterized from “Streptomyces steffisburgensis” NRRL 3193. Sequence analysis of a 42.8-kbp DNA region revealed the presence of 36 open reading frames (ORFs) (one of them incomplete), 24 of which, spanning 26.5 kb, are probably involved in steffimycin biosynthesis. They code for all the activities required for polyketide biosynthesis, tailoring, regulation, and resistance but show no evidence of genes involved in l-rhamnose biosynthesis. The involvement of the cluster in steffimycin biosynthesis was confirmed by expression of a region of about 15 kb containing 15 ORFS, 11 of them forming part of the cluster, in the heterologous host Streptomyces albus, allowing the isolation of a biosynthetic intermediate. In addition, the expression in S. albus of the entire cluster, contained in a region of 34.8 kb, combined with the expression of plasmid pRHAM, directing the biosynthesis of l-rhamnose, led to the production of steffimycin. Inactivation of the stfX gene, coding for a putative cyclase, revealed that this enzymatic activity participates in the cyclization of the fourth ring, making the final steps in the biosynthesis of the steffimycin aglycon similar to those in the biosynthesis of jadomycin or rabelomycin. Inactivation of the stfG gene, coding for a putative glycosyltransferase involved in the attachment of l-rhamnose, allowed the production of a new compound corresponding to the steffimycin aglycon compound also observed in S. albus upon expression of the entire cluster.


Author(s):  
Joana Martins ◽  
Niina Leikoski ◽  
Matti Wahlsten ◽  
Joana Azevedo ◽  
Jorge Antunes ◽  
...  

Cyanobactins are a family of linear and cyclic peptides produced through the post-translational modification of short precursor peptides. Anacyclamides are macrocyclic cyanobactins with a highly diverse sequence that are common in the genus <i>Anabaena</i>. A mass spectrometry-based screening of potential cyanobactin producers led to the discovery of a new prenylated member of this family of compounds, anacyclamide D8P (<b>1</b>), from <i>Sphaerospermopsis</i> sp. LEGE 00249. The anacyclamide biosynthetic gene cluster (<i>acy</i>) encoding the novel macrocyclic prenylated cyanobactin, was sequenced. Heterologous expression of the acy gene cluster in <i>Escherichia</i> <i>coli</i> established the connection between genomic and mass spectrometric data. Unambiguous establishment of the type and site of prenylation required the full structural elucidation of <b>1</b> using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), which demonstrated that a forward prenylation occurred on the tyrosine residue. Compound <b>1</b> was tested in pharmacologically or ecologically relevant biological assays and revealed moderate antimicrobial activity towards the fouling bacterium <i>Halomonas aquamarina</i> CECT 5000.<br>


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