Selection of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) for the biocontrol of Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in Western Canada.

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, has infested over ~16 Mha of pine forests in British Columbia killing >50% of mature lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta, trees in affected stands. At present, it is functionally an invasive species in Alberta, killing and reproducing in evolutionarily naïve populations of lodgepole pine (P. contorta), novel jack pine (P. banksiana), and their hybrids. The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has shown some potential as a biocontrol agent of several bark beetle species. In this study, nine isolates of B. bassiana were examined for insect virulence characteristics, including conidiation rate, pigmentation, and infection rate in laboratory-reared D. ponderosae, to assess for their potential as biocontrol agents. The strains were categorized into three phenotypic groups based on pigmentation, conidial density, and myceliation rate. Virulence screening utilizing insect-based agar medium (D. ponderosae and European honeybee Apis mellifera carcasses) revealed no difference in selection of fungal growth. However, infection studies on D. ponderosae and A. mellifera showed contrasting results. In vivo A. mellifera infection model revealed ~5% mortality, representing the natural death rate of the hive population, whereas laboratory-reared D. ponderosae showed 100% mortality and mycosis. The LT50 (median lethal time 50) ranges from 2 to 5 ± 0.33 days, and LT100 ranges from 4 to 6 ± 0.5 days. We discuss the selective advantages of the three phenotypic groups in terms of virulence, pigmentation, conidial abundance, and tolerance to abiotic factors like UV and host tree monoterpenes. These results can further provide insights into the development of several phenotypically diverse B. bassiana strains in controlling the spread of the invasive D. ponderosae in Western Canada. KEY POINTS: • Three B. bassiana morphotype groups have been demonstrated to kill D. ponderosae. • A range of effective lethal times (LT50 and LT100) was established against D. ponderosae. • Variable tolerance to UV light and pine monoterpenes were observed in B. bassiana.

Dess-Martin periodinane oxidative rearrangement for preparation of α-keto thioesters.

A Dess-Martin Periodinane (DMP) mediated oxidative rearrangement reaction was uncovered. The reaction proceeds via oxidation of a ß-hydroxy thioester to a ß-keto thioester, followed by an α-hydroxylation and then further oxidation to form a vicinal thioester tricarbonyl. This product then rearranges, extruding CO2, to form an α-keto product. The mechanism of the rearrangement was elucidated using 13C labelling and analysis of the intermediates as well as the products of the reaction. This efficient process allows for easy preparation of α-keto thioesters which are potential intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceutically important heterocyclic scaffolds such as quinoxalinones.

Production of New Cladosporin Analogues by Reconstitution of the Polyketide Synthases Responsible for the Biosynthesis of this Antimalarial Agent.

The antimalarial agent cladosporin is a nanomolar inhibitor of the Plasmodium falciparum lysyl-tRNA synthetase, and exhibits activity against both blood- and liver-stage infection. Cladosporin can be isolated from the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides, where it is biosynthesized by a highly reducing (HR) and a non-reducing (NR) iterative type I polyketide synthase (PKS) pair. Genome sequencing of the host organism and subsequent heterologous expression of these enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced cladosporin, confirming the identity of the putative gene cluster. Incorporation of a pentaketide intermediate analogue indicated a 5+3 assembly by the HR PKS Cla2 and the NR PKS Cla3 during cladosporin biosynthesis. Advanced-intermediate analogues were synthesized and incorporated by Cla3 to furnish new cladosporin analogues. A putative lysyl-tRNA synthetase resistance gene was identified in the cladosporin gene cluster. Analysis of the active site emphasizes key structural features thought to be important in resistance to cladosporin.

Understanding Programming of Fungal Iterative Polyketide Synthases: The Biochemical Basis for Regioselectivity by the Methyltransferase Domain in the Lovastatin Megasynthase.

Highly reducing polyketide synthases (HR-PKSs) from fungi synthesize complex natural products using a single set of domains in a highly programmed, iterative fashion. The most enigmatic feature of HR-PKSs is how tailoring domains function selectively during different iterations of chain elongation to afford structural diversity. Using the lovastatin nonaketide synthase LovB as a model system and a variety of acyl substrates, we characterized the substrate specificity of the LovB methyltransferase (MT) domain. We showed that, while the MT domain displays methylation activity toward different ß-ketoacyl groups, it is exceptionally selective toward its naturally programmed ß-keto-dienyltetraketide substrate with respect to both chain length and functionalization. Accompanying characterization of the ketoreductase (KR) domain displays broader substrate specificity toward different ß-ketoacyl groups. Our studies indicate that selective modifications by tailoring domains, such as the MTs, are achieved by higher kinetic efficiency on a particular substrate relative to the rate of transformation by other competing domains.

Discovery and Characterization of a Chemical Probe Targeting the Zinc-Finger Ubiquitin-Binding Domain of HDAC6.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibition is an attractive strategy for treating numerous cancers, and HDAC6 catalytic inhibitors are currently in clinical trials. The HDAC6 zinc-finger ubiquitin-binding domain (UBD) binds free C-terminal diglycine motifs of unanchored ubiquitin polymer chains and protein aggregates, playing an important role in autophagy and aggresome assembly. However, targeting this domain with small molecule antagonists remains an underdeveloped avenue of HDAC6-focused drug discovery. We report SGC-UBD253 (25), a chemical probe potently targeting HDAC6-UBD in vitro with selectivity over nine other UBDs, except for weak USP16 binding. In cells, 25 is an effective antagonist of HDAC6-UBD at 1 µM, with marked proteome-wide selectivity. We identified SGC-UBD253N (32), a methylated derivative of 25 that is 300-fold less active, serving as a negative control. Together, 25 and 32 could enable further exploration of the biological function of the HDAC6-UBD and investigation of the therapeutic potential of targeting this domain.

Synthesis of Chiral Spin-Labeled Amino Acids.

Spin-labeled amino acids (SLAAs) are often used to determine intermolecular distances and conformations in proteins via double electron-electron resonance. Currently available SLAAs can be difficult to incorporate selectively and have little resemblance to natural side chains in proteins. Enantioselective synthesis of three spin-labeled l-amino acids is described, starting from readily available 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinone. These SLAAs better replicate canonical residues in proteins and aim for biological incorporation via genetic incorporation or solid-phase peptide synthesis.

One-Step Transformation of Coenzyme A into Analogues by Transamidation.

Several coenzyme A (CoA) analogues are made in a single step under mild conditions via transamidation reactions catalyzed by boric acid in water. This approach offers rapid access to compounds useful for the study of a wide spectrum of enzyme catalyzed reactions, especially processes involving acyl carrier proteins (ACP) of polyketide synthases (PKS), fatty acid synthases (FAS), and nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). The CoA analogues presented are readily elaborated or extended by precedented reactions for specific applications that may be required.