Volume 64, Issue 28 e202504925
Research Article

Cytochrome P450 Mediated Cyclohexane Ring Formation in Forazoline Biosynthesis

Xinru Chen

Xinru Chen

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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Yujie Zhang

Yujie Zhang

State Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuguan Road, Beijing, 100049 China

Both authors contributed equally to this work.

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Shiqi Li

Shiqi Li

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

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Weiting Liao

Weiting Liao

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

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Dr. Weixin Tao

Dr. Weixin Tao

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

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Prof. Zixin Deng

Prof. Zixin Deng

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

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Prof. Tim S Bugni

Prof. Tim S Bugni

Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 53705 USA

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Prof. Hao Su

Corresponding Author

Prof. Hao Su

State Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308 China

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 A Yuguan Road, Beijing, 100049 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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Prof. Fan Zhang

Corresponding Author

Prof. Fan Zhang

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

Key Laboratory of Combinatorial Biosynthesis and Drug Discovery, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430071 China

E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

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First published: 06 May 2025

Graphical Abstract

FrazP2, a cytochrome P450, catalyzes cyclohexane ring formation in forazoline A, a marine-derived antifungal from Actinomadura sp. WMMB-499. Structural and mechanistic studies have uncovered a radical-mediated cyclization, unlocking opportunities to engineer P450s for the generation of novel antifungal forazoline analogues.

Abstract

Forazoline A, produced by the marine actinomycete Actinomadura sp. WMMB-499, is a unique PK/NRP hybrid macrolactone with promising antifungal in vivo efficacy through a previously unreported mechanism. Although a PKS/NRPS gene cluster was identified as a candidate for forazoline production, the precise biosynthetic pathway and the functions of the tailoring enzymes remain unclear. In this work, the functions of three cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases (FrazP1P2P3) were characterized. Notably, FrazP2 was found to mediate cyclohexane ring formation from an 1,3,6-triene precursor during forazoline A biosynthesis, as confirmed by genetic and biochemical analysis. To gain structural and mechanistic insight into the activity of FrazP2, the crystal structure of a FrazP2-substrate complex has been solved at 2.3 Å resolution. The molecular dynamics simulations and DFT calculations revealed an unprecedented enzyme-catalyzed oxidative cyclization reaction by FrazP2. These findings expand our understanding of the catalytic diversity of cytochrome P450s, contributing to the diversification of natural products and enabling the creation of unnatural derivatives with increased antifungal potency.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the Supporting Information of this article.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.