Discovery of the Lanthipeptide Curvocidin†and Structural Insights into its Trifunctional Synthetase CuvL.

Lanthipeptides are ribosomally-synthesized natural products from bacteria featuring stable thioether-crosslinks and various bioactivities. Herein, we report on a new clade of tricyclic class-IV lanthipeptides with curvocidin from Thermomonospora curvata as its first representative. We obtained crystal structures of the corresponding lanthipeptide synthetase CuvL that showed a circular arrangement of its kinase, lyase and cyclase domains, forming a central reaction chamber for the iterative substrate processing involving nine catalytic steps. The combination of experimental data and artificial intelligence-based structural models identified the N-terminal subdomain of the kinase domain as the primary site of substrate recruitment. The ribosomal precursor peptide of curvocidin employs an amphipathic α-helix in its leader region as an anchor to CuvL, while its substrate core shuttles within the central reaction chamber. Our study thus reveals general principles of domain organization and substrate recruitment of class-IV and class-III lanthipeptide synthetases.

Synthesis of DFGH-Ring Derivatives of Physalins via One-Pot Construction of GH-Ring and Evaluation of Their NF-κB-Inhibitory Activity.

We designed and synthesized a series of derivatives containing the right-side DFGH-ring structure of physalin-type natural products, decorated with a hydrophobic substituent. The synthetic scheme utilizes a highly efficient, one-pot protocol for simultaneous construction of the GH-ring system, promoted by HF/pyridine. Among the compounds synthesized, 5d inhibited TNF-α-stimulated NF-κB activation with similar potency to physalin B.

Trialkylphosphine-Mediated Synthesis of 2-Acyl Furans from Ynenones.

A novel reaction for the synthesis of 2-acyl furans is reported. The reaction is believed to proceed by sequential addition of a trialkylphosphine to an ynenone, 5-exo-dig cyclization to form the furan, and oxidation of the resulting phosphonium ylide with molecular oxygen. Many common functional groups are tolerated during the reaction, and the products are obtained in good to excellent yield under the mild conditions. This methodology offers efficient access to biologically important compounds, including fused polycyclic compounds and furaldehydes, from simple starting materials.