The biosynthetic gene cluster of zorbamycin, a member of the bleomycin family of antitumor antibiotics, from Streptomyces flavoviridis ATCC 21892.

The biosynthetic gene cluster for the glycopeptide-derived antitumor antibiotic zorbamycin (ZBM) was cloned by screening a cosmid library of Streptomyces flavoviridis ATCC 21892. Sequence analysis revealed 40 ORFs belonging to the ZBM biosynthetic gene cluster. However, only 23 and 22 ORFs showed striking similarities to the biosynthetic gene clusters for the bleomycins (BLMs) and tallysomycins (TLMs), respectively; the remaining ORFs do not show significant homology to ORFs from the related BLM and TLM clusters. The ZBM gene cluster consists of 16 nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes encoding eight complete NRPS modules, three incomplete didomain NRPS modules, and eight freestanding single NRPS domains or associated enzymes, a polyketide synthase (PKS) gene encoding one PKS module, six sugar biosynthesis genes, as well as genes encoding other biosynthesis and resistance proteins. A genetic system using Escherichia coli-Streptomyces flavoviridis intergeneric conjugation was developed to enable ZBM gene cluster boundary determinations and biosynthetic pathway manipulations.

Biochemical evaluation of a 108-member deglycobleomycin library: viability of a selection strategy for identifying bleomycin analogues with altered properties.

The bleomycins (BLMs) are clinically used glycopeptide antitumor antibiotics that have been shown to mediate the sequence-selective oxidative damage of both DNA and RNA. Previously, we described the solid-phase synthesis of a library of 108 unique analogues of deglycoBLM A6, a congener that cleaves DNA analogously to BLM itself. Each member of the library was assayed for its ability to effect single- and double-strand nicking of duplex DNA, sequence-selective DNA cleavage, and RNA cleavage in the presence and absence of a metal ion cofactor. All of the analogues tested were found to mediate concentration-dependent plasmid DNA relaxation to some extent, and a number exhibited double-strand cleavage with an efficiency comparable to or greater than deglycoBLM A6. Further, some analogues having altered linker and metal-binding domains mediated altered sequence-selective cleavage, and a few were found to cleave a tRNA3Lys transcript both in the presence and in the absence of a metal cofactor. The results provide insights into structural elements within BLM that control DNA and RNA cleavage. The present study also permits inferences to be drawn regarding the practicality of a selection strategy for the solid-phase construction and evaluation of large libraries of BLM analogues having altered properties.