The Critical Role of 12-Methyl Group of Anthracycline Dutomycin to Its Antiproliferative Activity.

Anthracycline dutomycin is a tetracyclic quinone glycoside produced by Streptomyces minoensis NRRL B-5482. SW91 is a C-12 demethylated dutomycin derivative, which was identified in our previous research. In vitro cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays of these two compounds were conducted to demonstrate their antiproliferation activities. The results showed that both dutomycin and SW91 block cells at the S phase, whereas dutomycin shows more significant inhibition of cell growth. Their interactions with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) were investigated, with dutomycin exhibiting higher binding affinity. The molecular docking demonstrated that the 12-methyl group makes dutomycin attach to the groove of DNA. These findings suggest that dutomycin has binding higher affinity to DNA and impairs DNA replication resulting in more significant antitumor activity.

[High-density fermentation of Escherichia coli to express 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase and efficient biosynthesis of caffeic acid].

The 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylase (4HPA3H), originated from Escherichia coli, converts p-coumaric acid to caffeic acid. In order to improve the efficiency of caffeic acid biosynthesis, we engineered E. coli for overexpression of 4HPA3H. The high-density fermentation of the engineered E. coli was conducted in a 5 L bioreactor. Subsequently, the conditions for whole-cell biocatalysis were optimized. The dry cell weight of the 4HPA3H-expressed strain reached 34.80 g/L. After incubated in the bioreactor for 6 h, 18.74 g/L (0.85 g/(L·OD600)) of caffeic acid was obtained, with a conversion rate of 78.81% achieved. To the best of our knowledge, the titer of caffeic acid is the highest reported to date. The high-density fermentation of E. coli for overexpression of 4HPA3H and the efficient biosynthesis of caffeic acid may facilitate future large-scale production of caffeic acid.