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James Staunton

Publications and source records attributed to James Staunton.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Stereochemistry of catalysis by the ketoreductase activity in the first extension module of the erythromycin polyketide synthase.

Multiple ketoreductase activities play a crucial role in establishing the stereochemistry of the products of modular polyketide synthases (PKSs), but there has been little systematic scrutiny of catalysis by individual ketoreductases. To allow this, a diketide synthase, consisting of the loading module, first extension module, and the chain-terminating thioesterase of the erythromycin-producing PKS of Saccharopolyspora erythraea, has been expressed and purified. The DNA encoding the ketoreductase-1 domain in this construct is flanked by unique restriction sites so that another ketoreductase domain can be readily substituted. The purified recombinant diketide synthase catalyzes, at a very low rate (k(cat) equals 2.5 x 10(-3) s(-1)), the specific production of the diketide (2S,3R)-2-methyl-3-hydroxypentanoic acid. The activity of the ketoreductase domain in this model synthase was analyzed using as a model substrate (+/-)-2-methyl-3-oxopentanoic acid N-acetylcysteaminyl (NAC) ester for which k(cat)/K(m) was 21.7 M(-1) s(-1). The NAC thioester of (2S,3R)-2-methyl-3-hydroxypentanoic acid was the major product and was strongly preferred over other stereoisomers as a substrate in the reverse reaction. The bicyclic ketone (9RS)-trans-1-decalone, a known substrate for ketoreductase in fatty acid synthase, was found also to be an effective substrate for the ketoreductase of the diketide synthase. Only the (9R)-trans-1-decalone was reduced, selectively and reversibly, to the (1S,9R)-trans-decalol. The stereochemical course of reduction and oxidation is exactly as found previously for the ketoreductase of animal fatty acid synthase, an additional indication of the close similarity of these enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Fragmentation studies on monensin A and B by accurate-mass electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

Monensin A and B were studied by electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and the fragment ions were confirmed by accurate-mass measurements. Analyses were performed on both a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) and a Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. The analysis revealed that fragment ions were produced by Grob-Wharton fragmentations and pericyclic rearrangements in addition to various simple neutral losses. A study of the protonated and sodiated sodium salt revealed different fragmentation pathways for these species, thus complementary structural information could be gained. A complete fragmentation pathway of monensin A and B protonated sodium salt [(M-H+Na)+H])+) and sodiated sodium salt [(M-H+Na)+Na](+) is proposed. MS(3) analysis confirmed the separate fragmentation pathways.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed2002

Structural elucidation studies on 14- and 16-membered macrolide aglycones by accurate-mass electrospray sequential mass spectrometry.

Collision induced dissociation sequential mass spectrometry was used to investigate the fragmentation of the heptaketide macrolide aglycones, 6-deoxyerythronolide B (6-dEB), erythronolide B (EB), and acetate-starter EB (Ac-EB). The fragmentations of two previously reported octaketide analogs produced by "stuttering" of the erythromycin polyketide synthase, stuttered-6-dEB and acetate-starter stuttered-6-dEB were also studied. The accuracy with which the mass of each fragment was measured allowed it to be attributed to an unambiguous formula. Most of the experiments were repeated using samples dissolved in deuterated solvents. These data were then used to deduce plausible fragmentation pathways of the five compounds which were shown to have a high degree of similarity. Preliminary fragmentation analysis of a novel octaketide analog was performed and the structure was predicted as stuttered EB. Subsequent scale-up of the bacterial fermentations, followed by isolation and characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed this prediction. Further fragmentation experiments were then performed on this compound, which provided further evidence of the similarity of the fragmentation schemes. These results demonstrate the utility of collision induced dissociation sequential mass spectrometry analysis in the preliminary screening of bacterial fermentations for new polyketides. These studies were performed by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2002

Skipping in a hybrid polyketide synthase. Evidence for ACP-to-ACP chain transfer.

A tetraketide synthase containing a loading module (LM), the extension modules erythromycin module 1, rapamycin module 2, and erythromycin module 2 (LM-Ery1-Rap2-Ery2-TE), when expressed in Saccharopolyspora erythraea strain JC2, produced as previously reported a mixture of tetraketide lactones (minor products) and triketide lactones (major products). Several alternative plausible mechanisms by which this "skipping" phenomenon might occur may be proposed. Site-directed mutagenesis of the ketosynthase (KS) and acylcarrier protein (ACP) domains in the interpolated module has shown that skipping within the hybrid PKS involves passage of the growing polyketide through the interpolated module, by direct ACP-to-ACP transfer of the polyketide chain.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed2002

Fragmentation studies on monensin A by sequential electrospray mass spectrometry.

Monensin A was studied by electrospray ionisation sequential mass spectrometry (ESI-MSn) and all fragments were confirmed by accurate-mass measurements. Analyses were performed on both a quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-tof) and a Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. MSn analysis shows that depending on sample preparation the ion at m/z 671 consists of two different ions with the same accurate-mass. It is either the monensin protonated parent ion or a different ion structure derived from the loss of water from the water adduct of monensin. Both ions show different fragmentation patterns. Major fragment ions from the protonated parent ion were produced by Grob-Wharton type fragmentations in addition to various simple neutral losses. The fragmentation pathways of the two different m/z 671 ions are proposed.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry↗
PubMed2002

Fragmentation studies on lasalocid acid by accurate mass electrospray mass spectrometry.

Lasalocid acid is an important polyether ionophore veterinary drug. Polyether ionophores have been the subject of MS study for many years, but this is the first rigorous study of the complex fragmentation processes occurring in ESI MS/MS for lasalocid, underpinned by high-resolution accurate-mass measurement. Initial low-resolution analyses were performed on an ion-trap instrument. High-resolution analyses were performed on a Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. The MS/MS analysis of the pseudo-molecular ion shows that fragment ions are produced either by beta-elimination or by neutral losses of water. Additional ions were observed in the source dissociation analysis, indicating that additional fragmentation reactions occur in the source region. Some of these ions can then undergo additional ion-ion or ion-molecule reactions before being extracted from the source. The study of both the protonated and sodiated sodium salts shows the same fragmentation pathways, with fragment ions containing two sodiums at low intensity. A fragmentation pathway of the lasalocid acid protonated sodium salt [(M-H+Na)+H]+ (m/z 613) and sodiated sodium salt [(M-H+Na)+Na]+ (m/z 635) is presented. The increased understanding afforded by this study will help in the development of unequivocal analytical methods for lasalocid and related polyether ionophore veterinary drugs.

Coccidiostats↗
PubMed2002

Engineering specificity of starter unit selection by the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase.

Chain initiation on many modular polyketide synthases is mediated by acyl transfer from the CoA ester of a dicarboxylic acid, followed by decarboxylation in situ by KSQ, a ketosynthase-like decarboxylase domain. Consistent with this, the acyltransferase (AT) domains of all KSQ-containing loading modules are shown here to contain a key arginine residue at their active site. Site-specific replacement of this arginine residue in the oleandomycin (ole) loading AT domain effectively abolished AT activity, consistent with its importance for catalysis. Substitution of the ole PKS loading module, or of the tylosin PKS loading module, for the erythromycin (ery) loading module gave polyketide products almost wholly either acetate derived or propionate derived, respectively, instead of the mixture found normally. An authentic extension module AT domain, rap AT2 from the rapamycin PKS, functioned appropriately when engineered in the place of the ole loading AT domain, and gave rise to substantial amounts of C13-methylerythromycins, as predicted. The role of direct acylation of the ketosynthase domain of ex-tension module 1 in chain initiation was confirmed by demonstrating that a mutant of the triketide synthase DEBS1-TE, in which the 4'-phosphopante-theine attachment site for starter acyl groups was specifically removed, produced triketide lactone pro-ducts in detectable amounts.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed2002

Parallel pathways for oxidation of 14-membered polyketide macrolactones in Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

The glycosyltransferases OleG1 and OleG2 and the cytochrome P450 oxidase OleP from the oleandomycin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces antibioticus have been expressed, either separately or from artificial gene cassettes, in strains of Saccharopolyspora erythraea blocked in erythromycin biosynthesis, to investigate their potential for the production of diverse novel macrolides from erythronolide precursors. OleP was found to oxidize 6-deoxyerythronolide B, but not erythronolide B. However, OleP did oxidize derivatives of erythronolide B in which a neutral sugar is attached at C-3. The oxidized products 3-O-mycarosyl-8a-hydroxyerythronolide B, 3-O-mycarosyl-8,8a-epoxyerythronolide B, 6-deoxy-8-hydroxyerythronolide B and the olefin 6-deoxy-8,8a-dehydroerythronolide B were all isolated and their structures determined. When oleP and the mycarosyltransferase eryBV were co-expressed in a gene cassette, 3-O-mycarosyl-6-deoxy-8,8a-dihydroxyerythronolide B was directly obtained. When oleG2 was co-expressed in a gene cassette together with oleP, 6-deoxyerythronolide B was converted into a mixture of 3-O-rhamnosyl-6-deoxy-8,8a-dehydroerythronolide B and 3-O-rhamnosyl-6-deoxy-8,8a-dihydroxyerythronolide B, confirming previous reports that OleG2 can transfer rhamnose, and confirming that oxidation by OleP and attachment of the neutral sugar to the aglycone can occur in either order. Similarly, four different 3-O-mycarosylerythronolides were found to be substrates for the desosaminyltransferase OleG1. These results provide additional insight into the nature of the intermediates in OleP-mediated oxidation, and suggest that oleandomycin biosynthesis might follow parallel pathways in which epoxidation either precedes or follows attachment of the neutral sugar.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2002

Increasing the efficiency of heterologous promoters in actinomycetes.

An Escherichia coli-actinomycete shuttle vector, pCJW93, was constructed which places cloned genes under the control of the thiostrepton-inducible tip promoter from Streptomyces lividans. We also constructed expression vectors bearing the actII-ORF4/PactI activator-promoter system of the actinorhodin biosynthetic pathway of Streptomyces coelicolor. With both types of vector, levels of expression varied widely in different actinomycete strains, indicating different levels of the host factors needed for optimal expression. Deletion of the actII-ORF4 activator gene from one such plasmid in Saccharopolyspora erythraea drastically reduced expression from the cognate actI promoter, showing that host factors are required for optimal production of the activator protein itself. However, a low copy number expression vector pWIZ1 for the polyketide synthase DEBS1-TE, in which the promoter for the activator gene was replaced by the strong heterologous ermE* promoter of S. erythraea directed highly efficient production of polyketide synthase protein in Streptomyces cinnamonensis; and the levels of triketide lactone product found were up to 100-fold greater than were produced by the same plasmid in which actII-ORF4 was expressed from its own promoter. Ensuring appropriate expression of a specific activator protein should enable more convenient and consistent heterologous expression of genes in a broad range of actinomycete hosts.

Actinobacteria↗