EvdS6 is a bifunctional decarboxylase from the everninomicin gene cluster.

The everninomicins are bacterially produced antibiotic octasaccharides characterized by the presence of two interglycosidic spirocyclic ortho-δ-lactone (orthoester) moieties. The terminating G- and H-ring sugars, L-lyxose and C-4 branched sugar ß-D-eurekanate, are proposed to be biosynthetically derived from nucleotide diphosphate pentose sugar pyranosides; however, the identity of these precursors and their biosynthetic origin remain to be determined. Herein we identify a new glucuronic acid decarboxylase from Micromonospora belonging to the superfamily of short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase enzymes, EvdS6. Biochemical characterization demonstrated that EvdS6 is an NAD+-dependent bifunctional enzyme that produces a mixture of two products, differing in the sugar C-4 oxidation state. This product distribution is atypical for glucuronic acid decarboxylating enzymes, most of which favor production of the reduced sugar and a minority of which favor release of the oxidized product. Spectroscopic and stereochemical analysis of reaction products revealed that the first product released is the oxidatively produced 4-keto-D-xylose and the second product is the reduced D-xylose. X-ray crystallographic analysis of EvdS6 at 1.51 Å resolution with bound co-factor and TDP demonstrated that the overall geometry of the EvdS6 active site is conserved with other SDR enzymes and enabled studies probing structural determinants for the reductive half of the net neutral catalytic cycle. Critical active site threonine and aspartate residues were unambiguously identified as essential in the reductive step of the reaction and resulted in enzyme variants producing almost exclusively the keto sugar. This work defines potential precursors for the G-ring L-lyxose and resolves likely origins of the H-ring ß-D-eurekanate sugar precursor.

Dissection of the Enzymatic Process for Forming a Central Imidazopiperidine Heterocycle in the Biosynthesis of a Series c Thiopeptide Antibiotic.

Thiopeptide antibiotics are a family of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptide natural products of significant interest in anti-infective agent development. These antibiotics are classified into five subfamilies according to differences in the central 6-membered heterocycle of the thiopeptide framework. The mechanism through which imidazopiperidine, the most heavily functionalized central domain characteristic of a series c thiopeptide, is formed remains unclear. Based on mining and characterization of the genes specifically involved in the biosynthesis of Sch40832, we here report an enzymatic process for transforming a series b thiopeptide into a series c product through a series a intermediate. This process starts with F420-dependent hydrogenation of the central dehydropiperidine unit to a saturated piperidine unit. With the activity of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, the piperidine-thiazole motif of the intermediate undergoes an unusual oxygenation-mediated rearrangement to provide an imidazopiperidine heterocycle subjected to further S-methylation and aldehyde reduction. This study represents the first biochemical reconstitution of the pathway forming a stable series c thiopeptide.

Discovery of an Unexpected 1,4-Oxazepine-Linked seco-Fluostatin Heterodimer by Inactivation of the Oxidoreductase-Encoding Gene flsP.

Fluostatins belong to the atypical angucyclinone aromatic polyketides featuring a distinctive tetracyclic benzo[a]fluorene skeleton. To understand the formation of the heavily oxidized A-ring in fluostatins, a flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding oxidoreductase-encoding gene flsP was inactivated, leading to the production of an unprecedented 1,4-oxazepine-linked seco-fluostatin heterodimer difluostatin I (7) and five new fluostatin-related derivatives, fluostatins T-X (8-12). Their structures were elucidated by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction analysis, and biosynthetic considerations. Difluostatin I (7) represents the first example with an A-ring-cleaved 3',4'-seco-fluostatin skeleton. The absolute configuration of fluostatin T (8) was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Fluostatin W (11) contains an uncommon isoxazolinone ring. These findings highlight the structural diversity of fluostatins.

Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme GenB3 Catalyzes C-3',4'-dideoxygenation in gentamicin biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The C-3',4'-dideoxygenation structure in gentamicin can prevent deactivation by aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase (APH(3')) in drug-resistant pathogens. However, the enzyme catalyzing the dideoxygenation step in the gentamicin biosynthesis pathway remains unknown. RESULTS: Here, we report that GenP catalyzes 3' phosphorylation of the gentamicin biosynthesis intermediates JI-20A, JI-20Ba, and JI-20B. We further demonstrate that the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme GenB3 uses these phosphorylated substrates to form 3',4'-dideoxy-4',5'-ene-6'-oxo products. The following C-6'-transamination and the GenB4-catalyzed reduction of 4',5'-olefin lead to the formation of gentamicin C. To the best of our knowledge, GenB3 is the first PLP-dependent enzyme catalyzing dideoxygenation in aminoglycoside biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS: This discovery solves a long-standing puzzle in gentamicin biosynthesis and enriches our knowledge of the chemistry of PLP-dependent enzymes. Interestingly, these results demonstrate that to evade APH(3') deactivation by pathogens, the gentamicin producers evolved a smart strategy, which utilized their own APH(3') to activate hydroxyls as leaving groups for the 3',4'-dideoxygenation in gentamicin biosynthesis.

Loseolamycins: A Group of New Bioactive Alkylresorcinols Produced after Heterologous Expression of a Type III PKS from Micromonospora endolithica.

Natural products are a valuable source of biologically active compounds with potential applications in medicine and agriculture. Unprecedented scaffold diversity of natural products and biocatalysts from their biosynthetic pathways are of fundamental importance. Heterologous expression and refactoring of natural product biosynthetic pathways are generally regarded as a promising approach to discover new secondary metabolites of microbial origin. Here, we present the identification of a new group of alkylresorcinols after transcriptional activation and heterologous expression of the type III polyketide synthase of Micromonospora endolithica. The most abundant compounds loseolamycins A1 and A2 have been purified and their structures were elucidated by NMR. Loseolamycins contain an unusual branched hydroxylated aliphatic chain which is provided by the host metabolism and is incorporated as a starter fatty acid unit. The isolated loseolamycins show activity against gram-positive bacteria and inhibit the growth of the monocot weed Agrostis stolonifera in a germination assay. The biosynthetic pathway leading to the production of loseolamycins is proposed in this paper.

The bifunctional enzyme, GenB4, catalyzes the last step of gentamicin 3',4'-di-deoxygenation via reduction and transamination activities.

BACKGROUND: New semi-synthetic aminoglycoside antibiotics generally use chemical modifications to avoid inactivity from pathogens. One of the most used modifications is 3',4'-di-deoxygenation, which imitates the structure of gentamicin. However, the mechanism of di-deoxygenation has not been clearly elucidated. RESULTS: Here, we report that the bifunctional enzyme, GenB4, catalyzes the last step of gentamicin 3',4'-di-deoxygenation via reduction and transamination activities. Following disruption of genB4 in wild-type M. echinospora, its products accumulated in 6'-deamino-6'-oxoverdamicin (1), verdamicin C2a (2), and its epimer, verdamicin C2 (3). Following disruption of genB4 in M. echinospora ΔgenK, its products accumulated in sisomicin (4) and 6'-N-methylsisomicin (5, G-52). Following in vitro catalytic reactions, GenB4 transformed sisomicin (4) to gentamicin C1a (9) and transformed verdamicin C2a (2) and its epimer, verdamicin C2 (3), to gentamicin C2a (11) and gentamicin C2 (12), respectively. CONCLUSION: This finding indicated that in addition to its transamination activity, GenB4 exhibits specific 4',5' double-bond reducing activity and is responsible for the last step of gentamicin 3',4'-di-deoxygenation. Taken together, we propose three new intermediates that may refine and supplement the specific biosynthetic pathway of gentamicin C components and lay the foundation for the complete elucidation of di-deoxygenation mechanisms.

Artificial control of the multistep oxidation reactions catalyzed by the cytochrome P450 enzyme RosC.

The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase RosC catalyzes the three-step oxidation reactions, which leads to the formation of a hydroxy, formyl, and carboxy group at C-20 during rosamicin biosynthesis in Micromonospora rosaria IFO13697. To determine if amino acid substitutions in RosC could allow for the control of the multistep oxidation reactions, we screened RosC random mutants. The RosC mutant RM30, with five amino acid substitutions (P107S, L176Q, S254N, V277A, and I319N), catalyzed only the first step of the oxidation reaction. Whole-cell assays using Escherichia coli cells expressing RosC mutants with single and double amino acid substitutions derived from RM30 indicated that P107S/L176Q, P107S/V277A, P107S/I319N, L176Q/V277A, L176Q/I319N, and S254N/V277A significantly reduced the catalytic activity of the second reaction, which is alcohol oxidation. Of the previously mentioned mutants, double mutants containing L176Q, which was presumed to occur in the FG loop region, lost the total catalytic activity of the third reaction (aldehyde oxidation). Additionally, an engineered M. rosaria strain with rosC disruption, which introduced the gene encoding the RosC mutants P107S/L176Q and P107S/V277A preferentially produced 20-dihydrorosamicin, which is formed after the first oxidation reaction of RosC.

Directed evolution of a remarkably efficient Kdnase from a bacterial neuraminidase.

N-acetylneuraminic acid (5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid), which is the principal sialic acid family member of the non-2-ulosonic acids and their various derivatives, is often found at the terminal position on the glycan chains that adorn all vertebrate cells. This terminal position combined with subtle variations in structure and linkage to the underlying glycan chains between humans and other mammals points to the importance of this diverse group of nine-carbon sugars as indicators of the unique aspects of human evolution and is relevant to understanding an array of human conditions. Enzymes that catalyze the removal N-acetylneuraminic acid from glycoconjugates are called neuraminidases. However, despite their documented role in numerous diseases, due to the promiscuous activity of many neuraminidases, our knowledge of the functions and metabolism of many sialic acids and the effect of the attachment to cellular glycans is limited. To this end, through a concerted effort of generation of random and site-directed mutagenesis libraries, subsequent screens and positive and negative evolutionary selection protocols, we succeeded in identifying three enzyme variants of the neuraminidase from the soil bacterium Micromonospora viridifaciens with markedly altered specificity for the hydrolysis of natural Kdn (3-deoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid) glycosidic linkages compared to those of N-acetylneuraminic acid. These variants catalyze the hydrolysis of Kdn-containing disaccharides with catalytic efficiencies (second-order rate constants: kcat/Km) of greater than 105 M-1 s-1; the best variant displayed an efficiency of >106 M-1 s-1 at its optimal pH.

Application of Genetic Engineering Approaches to Improve Bacterial Metabolite Production.

Genetic engineering is a powerful method to improve the fermentation yield of bacterial metabolites. Since many biosynthetic mechanisms of bacterial metabolites have been unveiled, genetic engineering approaches have been applied to various issues of biosynthetic pathways, such as transcription, translation, post-translational modification, enzymes, transporters, etc. In this article, natamycin, avermectins, gentamicins, piperidamycins, and ß-valienamine have been chosen as examples to review recent progress in improving their production by genetic engineering approaches. In these cases, not only yields of target products have been increased, but also yields of by-products have been decreased, and new products have been created.

Characterization of Micromonocyclol Synthase from the Marine Actinomycete Micromonospora marina.

As a member of a large phylogenetic clade of enzymes in Micromonospora, a terpene synthase from M. marina is functionally characterized to produce micromonocyclol. This diterpene alcohol features a rare 15-membered ring, which prevented elucidation of the only stereocenter by labeling experiments. This problem was addressed by chemical transformation into bicyclic brominated derivatives, whose rigidified skeletons allowed for a stereochemical assignment. Using this strategy, a complete stereochemical model of the cyclization mechanism was also elaborated.

What Your Crystal Structure Will Not Tell You about Enzyme Function.

Enzyme function requires that enzyme structures be dynamic. Substrate binding, product release, and transition state stabilization typically involve different enzyme conformers. Furthermore, in multistep enzyme-catalyzed reactions, more than one enzyme conformation may be important for stabilizing different transition states. While X-ray crystallography provides the most detailed structural information of any current methodology, X-ray crystal structures of enzymes capture only those conformations that fit into the crystal lattice, which may or may not be relevant to function. Solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods can provide an alternative approach to characterizing enzymes under nonperturbing and controllable conditions, allowing one to identify and localize dynamic processes that are important to function. However, many enzymes are too large for standard approaches to making sequential resonance assignments, a critical first step in analyzing and interpreting the wealth of information inherent in NMR spectra. This Account describes our long-standing NMR-based research into structural and dynamic aspects of function in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase superfamily. These heme-containing enzymes typically catalyze the oxidation of unactivated C-H and C═C bonds in a multitude of substrates, often with complete regio- and stereospecificity. Over 600 000 genes in GenBank have been assigned to P450s, yet all known P450 structures exhibit a highly conserved and unique fold. This combination of functional and structural conservation with a vast substrate clientele, each substrate having multiple possible sites for oxidation, makes the P450s a unique target for understanding the role of enzyme structure and dynamics in determining a particular substrate-product combination. P450s are large by solution NMR standards, requiring us to develop specialized approaches for making sequential resonance assignments and interpreting the spectral changes that occur as a function of changing conditions (e.g., oxidation and spin state changes, ligand, substrate or effector binding). Solution conformations are characterized by the fitting of residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) measured for sequence-specifically assigned amide N-H correlations to alignment tensors optimized in the course of restrained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The conformational ensembles obtained by such RDC-restrained simulations, which we call "soft annealing", are then tested by site-directed mutation and spectroscopic and activity assays for relevance. These efforts have gained us insights into cryptic conformational changes associated with substrate and redox partner binding that were not suspected from crystal structures, but were shown by subsequent work to be relevant to function. Furthermore, it appears that many of these changes can be generalized to P450s besides those that we have characterized, providing guidance for enzyme engineering efforts. While past research was primarily directed at the more tractable prokaryotic P450s, our current efforts are aimed at medically relevant human enzymes, including CYP17A1, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4.

The Structure of the Bifunctional Everninomicin Biosynthetic Enzyme EvdMO1 Suggests Independent Activity of the Fused Methyltransferase-Oxidase Domains.

Members of the orthosomycin family of natural products are decorated polysaccharides with potent antibiotic activity and complex biosynthetic pathways. The defining feature of the orthosomycins is an orthoester linkage between carbohydrate moieties that is necessary for antibiotic activity and is likely formed by a family of conserved oxygenases. Everninomicins are octasaccharide orthosomycins produced by Micromonospora carbonacea that have two orthoester linkages and a methylenedioxy bridge, three features whose formation logically requires oxidative chemistry. Correspondingly, the evd gene cluster encoding everninomicin D encodes two monofunctional nonheme iron, α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxygenases and one bifunctional enzyme with an N-terminal methyltransferase domain and a C-terminal oxygenase domain. To investigate whether the activities of these domains are linked in the bifunctional enzyme EvdMO1, we determined the structure of the N-terminal methyltransferase domain to 1.1 Å and that of the full-length protein to 3.35 Å resolution. Both domains of EvdMO1 adopt the canonical folds of their respective superfamilies and are connected by a short linker. Each domain's active site is oriented such that it faces away from the other domain, and there is no evidence of a channel connecting the two. Our results support EvdMO1 working as a bifunctional enzyme with independent catalytic activities.

Efficient production of trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline from glucose using a new trans-proline 4-hydroxylase in Escherichia coli.

trans-4-Hydroxy-l-proline (trans-4Hyp) is widely used as a valuable building block for the organic synthesis of many pharmaceuticals such as carbapenem antibiotics. The major limitation for industrial bioproduction of trans-4Hyp is the low titer and productivity by using the existing trans-proline 4-hydroxylases (trans-P4Hs). Herein, three new trans-P4Hs from Alteromonas mediterranea (AlP4H), Micromonospora sp. CNB394 (MiP4H) and Sorangium cellulosum (ScP4H) were discovered through genome mining and enzymatic determination. These trans-P4Hs were introduced into an l-proline-producing chassis cell, and the recombinant strain overexpressing AlP4H produced the highest concentration of trans-4Hyp (3.57 g/L) from glucose in a shake flask. In a fed-batch fermentation with a 5 L bioreactor, the best strain SEcH (pTc-B74A-alp4h) accumulated 45.83 g/L of trans-4Hyp within 36 h, with the highest productivity (1.27 g/L/h) in trans-4Hyp fermentation from glucose, to the best of our knowledge. This study provides a promising hydroxylase candidate for efficient industrial production of trans-4Hyp.

A dual role for a polyketide synthase in dynemicin enediyne and anthraquinone biosynthesis.

Dynemicin A is a member of a subfamily of enediyne antitumour antibiotics characterized by a 10-membered carbocycle fused to an anthraquinone, both of polyketide origin. Sequencing of the dynemicin biosynthetic gene cluster in Micromonospora chersina previously identified an enediyne polyketide synthase (PKS), but no anthraquinone PKS, suggesting gene(s) for biosynthesis of the latter were distant from the core dynemicin cluster. To identify these gene(s), we sequenced and analysed the genome of M. chersina. Sequencing produced a short list of putative PKS candidates, yet CRISPR-Cas9 mutants of each locus retained dynemicin production. Subsequently, deletion of two cytochromes P450 in the dynemicin cluster suggested that the dynemicin enediyne PKS, DynE8, may biosynthesize the anthraquinone. Together with 18O-labelling studies, we now present evidence that DynE8 produces the core scaffolds of both the enediyne and anthraquinone, and provide a working model to account for their formation from the programmed octaketide of the enediyne PKS.

Methyltransferases of gentamicin biosynthesis.

Gentamicin C complex from Micromonospora echinospora remains a globally important antibiotic, and there is revived interest in the semisynthesis of analogs that might show improved therapeutic properties. The complex consists of five components differing in their methylation pattern at one or more sites in the molecule. We show here, using specific gene deletion and chemical complementation, that the gentamicin pathway up to the branch point is defined by the selectivity of the methyltransferases GenN, GenD1, and GenK. Unexpectedly, they comprise a methylation network in which early intermediates are ectopically modified. Using whole-genome sequence, we have also discovered the terminal 6'-N-methyltransfer required to produce gentamicin C2b from C1a or gentamicin C1 from C2, an example of an essential biosynthetic enzyme being located not in the biosynthetic gene cluster but far removed on the chromosome. These findings fully account for the methylation pattern in gentamicins and open the way to production of individual gentamicins by fermentation, as starting materials for semisynthesis.

Structural determinants of bacterial lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase functionality.

Bacterial lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMO10s) use redox chemistry to cleave glycosidic bonds in the two foremost recalcitrant polysaccharides found in nature, namely cellulose and chitin. Analysis of correlated mutations revealed that the substrate-binding and copper-containing surface of LPMO10s composes a network of co-evolved residues and interactions, whose roles in LPMO functionality are unclear. Here, we mutated a subset of these correlated residues in a newly characterized C1/C4-oxidizing LPMO10 from Micromonospora aurantiaca (MaLPMO10B) to the corresponding residues in strictly C1-oxidizing LPMO10s. We found that surface properties near the catalytic copper, i.e. side chains likely to be involved in substrate positioning, are major determinants of the C1:C4 ratio. Several MaLPMO10B mutants almost completely lost C4-oxidizing activity while maintaining C1-oxidizing activity. These mutants also lost chitin-oxidizing activity, which is typically observed for C1/C4-oxidizing, but not for C1-oxidizing, cellulose-active LPMO10s. Selective loss in C1-oxidizing activity was not observed. Additional mutational experiments disclosed that neither truncation of the MaLPMO10B family 2 carbohydrate-binding module nor mutations altering access to the solvent-exposed axial copper coordination site significantly change the C1:C4 ratio. Importantly, several of the mutations that altered interactions with the substrate exhibited reduced stability. This effect could be explained by productive substrate binding that protects LPMOs from oxidative self-inactivation. We discuss these stability issues in view of recent findings on LPMO catalysis, such as the involvement of H2O2 Our results show that residues on the substrate-binding surface of LPMOs have co-evolved to optimize several of the interconnected properties: substrate binding and specificity, oxidative regioselectivity, catalytic efficiency, and stability.

Structural Basis of the Selectivity of GenN, an Aminoglycoside N-Methyltransferase Involved in Gentamicin Biosynthesis.

Gentamicins are heavily methylated, clinically valuable pseudotrisaccharide antibiotics produced by Micromonospora echinospora. GenN has been characterized as an S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent methyltransferase with low sequence similarity to other enzymes. It is responsible for the 3″-N-methylation of 3″-dehydro-3″-amino-gentamicin A2, an essential modification of ring III in the biosynthetic pathway to the gentamicin C complex. Purified recombinant GenN also efficiently catalyzes 3″-N-methylation of related aminoglycosides kanamycin B and tobramycin, which both contain an additional hydroxymethyl group at the C5″ position in ring III. We have obtained eight cocrystal structures of GenN, at a resolution of 2.2 Šor better, including the binary complex of GenN and S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH) and the ternary complexes of GenN, SAH, and several aminoglycosides. The GenN structure reveals several features not observed in any other N-methyltransferase that fit it for its role in gentamicin biosynthesis. These include a novel N-terminal domain that might be involved in protein:protein interaction with upstream enzymes of the gentamicin X2 biosynthesis and two long loops that are involved in aminoglycoside substrate recognition. In addition, the analysis of structures of GenN in complex with different ligands, supported by the results of active site mutagenesis, has allowed us to propose a catalytic mechanism and has revealed the structural basis for the surprising ability of native GenN to act on these alternative substrates.

Improving gentamicin B and gentamicin C1a production by engineering the glycosyltransferases that transfer primary metabolites into secondary metabolites biosynthesis.

Gentamicin B and gentamicin C1a are the direct precursor for Isepamicin and Etimicin synthesis, respectively. Although producing strains have been improved for many years, both gentamicin B titer and gentamicin C1a titer in the fermentation are still low. Because all gentamicin components are biosynthesized using UDP-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) and UDP-xylose as precursors, we tried to explore strategies for development of strains capable of directing greater fluxes of these precursors into production of gentamicins. The glycosyltransferases KanM1 and GenM2, which are responsible for UDP-GlcNAc and UDP-xylose transfer, respectively, were overexpressed in gentamicin B producing strain Micromonospora echinospora JK4. It was found that gentamicin B could be improved by up to 54% with improvement of KanM1 and GenM2 expression during appropriately glucose feeding. To prove this strategy is widely usable, the KanM1 and GenM2 were also overexpressed in gentamicin C1a producing strain, titers of gentamicin C1a improved by 45% when compared with titers of the starting strain. These results demonstrated overexpression the glycosyltransferases that transfer primary metabolites into secondary metabolites is workable for improvement of gentamicins production.

Alkaline proteases from a newly isolated Micromonospora chaiyaphumensis S103: Characterization and application as a detergent additive and for chitin extraction from shrimp shell waste.

The present study was undertaken to characterize the extracellular thermostable serine alkaline proteases from newly actinomycete strain Micromonospora chaiyaphumensis S103 and to describe their evaluation in commercial detergents and shrimp waste deproteinization. This proteolytic crude extract was active and stable in alkaline solution. It was extremely stable in the pH range of 5.0-12.0. The optimum pH and temperature were 8.0 and 70°C, respectively, using casein as a substrate. The thermoactivity and thermostability of proteases were enhanced by the addition of 5mM Ca2+. Proteases from S103 were also used for shrimp wastes deproteinization in the process of chitin preparation. The percent of protein removal after 3h hydrolysis at 45°C with an enzyme/substrate ratio of 20U/mg had reached 93%. Furthermore, S103 crude enzyme was stable towards several organic solvents and retained 100% of its original activity after 90days of incubation in the presence of methanol, hexane, acetone, and DMSO. These properties make S103 proteases an ideal choice for application in detergent formulations, chitin production, and enzymatic peptide synthesis.

Characterisation of 6-DMATSMo from Micromonospora olivasterospora leading to identification of the divergence in enantioselectivity, regioselectivity and multiple prenylation of tryptophan prenyltransferases.

Prenylated secondary metabolites including indole derivatives usually demonstrate improved biological and pharmacological activities, which make them promising candidates for drug discovery and development. The transfer reactions of a prenyl moiety from a prenyl donor, e.g. dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), to an acceptor is catalysed by prenyltransferases. One special group of such enzymes uses DMAPP and tryptophan as substrates with dimethylallyltryptophans as reaction products and functions therefore as dimethylallyltryptophan synthases (DMATSs). Sequence homology search with known tryptophan prenyltransferases from Streptomyces led to identification of a putative prenyltransferase gene MolI14.36 in Micromonospora olivasterospora. Expression and biochemical investigations revealed that MolI14.36 acts as a tryptophan C6-prenyltransferase (6-DMATSMo). Study on substrate specificity of 6-DMATSMo displayed a significantly high activity towards d-tryptophan, which prompted us to carry out comparative studies on enantioselectivity, regioselectivity and multiple prenylation ability of additional DMATSs including FgaPT2, 5-DMATS, 5-DMATSSc, 6-DMATSSv, 6-DMATSSa and 7-DMATS towards l- and d-isomers of tryptophan and their analogues. The relative activities of the tested enzymes towards d-tryptophan differ clearly from each other. Incubation of l-, d-isomers or the racemates of 5-, 6- and 7-methyltryptophan revealed distinctly different preferences of the DMATS enzymes. Interestingly, 6-DMATSMo and 5-DMATSSc accepted 5-methyl-d-tryptophan much better than the l-enantiomer. Furthermore, the conversion yields of the d-isomers were strongly inhibited in the reactions with racemates. More interestingly, the regioselectivities of FgaPT2, 5-DMATSSc and 7-DMATS towards d-tryptophan and its C5-methylated derivative differed clearly from those of the l-forms. In addition, both mono- and diprenylated products were clearly detected for 5-DMATSSc with l- and d-enantiomers of tryptophan and their methylated derivatives.