Epimerization at C-3'' in butirosin biosynthesis by an NAD(+) -dependent dehydrogenase BtrE and an NADPH-dependent reductase BtrF.

Butirosin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic consisting two epimers at C-3'' of ribostamycin/xylostasin with a unique 4-amino-2-hydroxybutyrate moiety at C-1 of the aminocyclitol 2-deoxystreptamine (2DOS). To date, most of the enzymes encoded in the biosynthetic gene cluster for butirosin, from the producing strain Bacillus circulans, have been characterized. A few unknown functional proteins, including nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide cofactor-dependent dehydrogenase/reductase (BtrE and BtrF), are supposed to be involved in the epimerization at C-3'' of butirosin B/ribostamycin but remain to be characterized. Herein, the conversion of ribostamycin to xylsostasin by BtrE and BtrF in the presence of NAD(+) and NADPH was demonstrated. BtrE oxidized the C-3'' of ribostamycin with NAD(+) to yield 3''-oxoribostamycin. BtrF then reduced the generated 3''-oxoribostamycin with NADPH to produce xylostasin. This reaction step was the last piece of butirosin biosynthesis to be described.

Biosynthesis of ribostamycin derivatives by reconstitution and heterologous expression of required gene sets.

Ribostamycin is a 4,5-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine (DOS)-containing aminoglycoside antibiotics and naturally produced by Streptomyces ribosidificus ATCC 21294. It is also an intermediate in the biosynthesis of butirosin and neomycin. In the biosynthesis of ribostamycin, DOS is glycosylated to generate paromamine which is converted to neamine by successive dehydrogenation followed by amination, and finally ribosylation of neamine gives ribostamycin. Here, we report the biosynthesis of 6'-deamino-6'-hydroxyribostamycin (a ribostamycin derivative or pseudoribostamycin) in Streptomyces venezuelae YJ003 by reconstructing gene cassettes for direct ribosylation of paromamine. A trace amount of pseudoribostamycin was detected with ribostamycin in the isolates of ribostamycin cosmid heterologously expressed in Streptomyces lividans TK24. It has also indicated that the ribosyltransferase can accept both neamine and paromamine. Thus, the present in vivo modification of ribostamycin could be useful for the production of hybrid compounds to defend against bacterial resistance to aminoglycosides.

Heterologous production of ribostamycin derivatives in engineered Escherichia coli.

Aminoglycosides are a class of important antibiotic compounds used for various therapeutic indications. In recent times, their efficacy has been curtailed due to the rapid development of bacterial resistance. There is a need to develop novel derivatives with an improved spectrum of activity and higher sensitivity against pathogenic bacteria. Although efforts have been focused on the development of newer therapeutic agents by chemical synthesis, to our knowledge, there has been no attempt to harness the potential of microorganisms for this purpose. Escherichia coli affords a widely studied cellular system that could be utilized not only for understanding but also for attempting to engineer the biosynthetic pathway of secondary metabolites. The primary metabolic pathway of E. coli can be engineered to divert the precursor pool required for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Utilizing this approach previously, we engineered E. coli host and generated E. coli M1. Here, we produced a ribostamycin derivative in the engineered host by heterologous expression of the recombinants constructed from the genes encoding the biosynthetic pathway in aminoglycoside-producing strains. The products obtained from the transformants were isolated, analyzed and verified to be ribostamycin derivatives. The study further demonstrated the importance of E. coli as surrogate antibiotic producer and also offered future possibility for the production of other aminoglycoside derivatives through genetic engineering and expression in a heterologous background.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics. 3. Epimino derivatives of neamine, ribostamycin, and kanamycin B.

2',3'-Epimino analogues of neamine, ribostamycin, and kanamycin B possessing little or no intrinsic antimicrobial activity were designed to enhance the activity of kanamycin A against bacterial strains that elaborate aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferases. Routes were devised for their synthesis from the parent antibiotics and the 2'',3''-epimino analogue of kanamycin B also was prepared. None of these analogues was active against phosphotransferase-producing bacteria, although the kanamycin B derivatives showed very weak activity against nonresistant strains. At 8 and 32 microgram/mL, the 2',3'-epimino analogue of neamine produced a small synergistic effect on the activity of kanamycin A against a strain of Escherichia coli that produces aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase II. The N3-(carbobenzyloxy) derivative of this analogue produced a small effect against the same strain, and it, as well as the 2'',3''-epimino analogue of kanamycin B, slightly enhanced the activity of kanamycin A against a strain of Proteus rettgeri that elaborates a similar enzyme.

Bioconversion of ribostamycin (SF-733). III. Formation, structure and synthesis of 3-N-carboxymethyl ribostamycin.

A new inactivated product of ribostamycin (SF-733), 3-N-carboxymethyl ribostamycin, was obtained from the broth of Streptomyces ribosidificus which was grown on a medium containing D-xylose. Detection and some biochemical mechanism of N-carboxymethylation were discussed, and structure of 3-N-carboxymethyl ribostamycin was proposed based on the chemical degradation and synthesis.

Bioconversion of ribostamycin (SF-733). II. Isolation and structure of 3-N-acetylribostamycin, a microbiologically inactive product of ribostamycin produced by Streptomyces ribosidificus.

The isolation and structure determination of 3-N-acetylribostamycin, a microbiologically inactive derivative, produced enzymatically from ribostamycin by Streptomyces ribosidificus is described. The location of the acetyl group was established by mass and NMR spectrometry of the new compound and its derivatives, and by optical rotation studies conducted on N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-deoxystreptamine. The latter compound was obtained by partial acid hydrolysis of tri-N-ethoxycarbonyl-N-acetylribostamycin.