Combinatorial Assembly of Modular Glucosides via Carboxylesterases Regulates C. elegans Starvation Survival.

ABSTRACT: The recently discovered modular glucosides (MOGLs) form a large metabolite library derived from combinatorial assembly of moieties from amino acid, neurotransmitter, and lipid metabolism in the model organism C. elegans. Combining CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, comparative metabolomics, and synthesis, we show that the carboxylesterase homologue Cel-CEST-1.2 is responsible for specific 2-O-acylation of diverse glucose scaffolds with a wide variety of building blocks, resulting in more than 150 different MOGLs. We further show that this biosynthetic role is conserved for the closest homologue of Cel-CEST-1.2 in the related nematode species C. briggsae, Cbr-CEST-2. Expression of Cel-cest-1.2 and MOGL biosynthesis are strongly induced by starvation condit

SUBMITTER: Wrobel CJJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8594405 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature