The cycloaspeptides: uncovering a new model for methylated nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT: The cycloaspeptides are bioactive pentapeptides produced by various filamentous fungi, which have garnered interest from the agricultural industry due to the reported insecticidal activity of the minor metabolite, cycloaspeptide E. Genome sequencing, bioinformatics and heterologous expression confirmed that the cycloaspeptide gene cluster contains a minimal 5-module nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and a new type of trans-acting N-methyltransferase (N-MeT). Deletion of the N-MeT encoding gene and subsequent feeding studies determined that two modules of the NRPS preferentially accept and incorporate N-methylated amino acids. This discovery allowed the development of a system with unprecedented control over substrate supply and thus output, both incr

SUBMITTER: de Mattos-Shipley KMJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5941284 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature