Accelerating Pharmaceutical Process Development with an Acoustic Droplet Ejection-Multiple Reaction Monitoring-Mass Spectrometry Workflow.

Fast-paced pharmaceutical process developments (e.g., high-throughput experimentation, directed evolution, and machine learning) involve the introduction of fast, sensitive, and accurate analytical assays using limited sample volumes. In recent years, acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) coupled with an open port interface has been invented as a sampling technology for mass spectrometry, providing high-throughput nanoliter analytical measurements directly from the standard microplates. Herein, we introduce an ADE-multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (ADE-MRM-MS) workflow to accelerate pharmaceutical process research and development (PR&D). This systematic workflow outlines the selection of MRM transitions and optimization of assay parameters in a data-driven manner using rapid measurements (1 sample/s). The synergy between ADE sampling and MRM analysis enables analytical assays with excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and speed for PR&D reaction screenings. This workflow was utilized to develop new ADE-MRM-MS assays guiding a variety of industrial processes, including (1) screening of Ni-based catalysts for C-N cross-coupling reaction at 1 Hz and (2) high-throughput regioisomer analysis-enabled enzyme library screening for peptide ligation reaction. ADE-MRM-MS assays were demonstrated to deliver accurate results that are comparable to conventional liquid chromatography (LC) experiments while providing >100-fold throughput enhancement.

Engineering Hydroxylase Activity, Selectivity, and Stability for a Scalable Concise Synthesis of a Key Intermediate to Belzutifan.

Biocatalytic oxidations are an emerging technology for selective C-H bond activation. While promising for a range of selective oxidations, practical use of enzymes catalyzing aerobic hydroxylation is presently limited by their substrate scope and stability under industrially relevant conditions. Here, we report the engineering and practical application of a non-heme iron and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase for the direct stereo- and regio-selective hydroxylation of a non-native fluoroindanone en route to the oncology treatment belzutifan, replacing a five-step chemical synthesis with a direct enantioselective hydroxylation. Mechanistic studies indicated that formation of the desired product was limited by enzyme stability and product overoxidation, with these properties subsequently improved by directed evolution, yielding a biocatalyst capable of >15,000 total turnovers. Highlighting the industrial utility of this biocatalyst, the high-yielding, green, and efficient oxidation was demonstrated at kilogram scale for the synthesis of belzutifan.

Evolution of lanthipeptide synthetases.

Lanthionine-containing peptides (lanthipeptides) are a family of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides containing (methyl)lanthionine residues. Here we present a phylogenomic study of the four currently known classes of lanthipeptide synthetases (LanB and LanC for class I, LanM for class II, LanKC for class III, and LanL for class IV). Although they possess very similar cyclase domains, class II-IV synthetases have evolved independently, and LanB and LanC enzymes appear to not always have coevolved. LanM enzymes from various phyla that have three cysteines ligated to a zinc ion (as opposed to the more common Cys-Cys-His ligand set) cluster together. Most importantly, the phylogenomic data suggest that for some scaffolds, the ring topology of the final lanthipeptides may be determined in part by the sequence of the precursor peptides and not just by the biosynthetic enzymes. This notion was supported by studies with two chimeric peptides, suggesting that the nisin and prochlorosin biosynthetic enzymes can produce the correct ring topologies of epilancin 15X and lacticin 481, respectively. These results highlight the potential of lanthipeptide synthetases for bioengineering and combinatorial biosynthesis. Our study also demonstrates unexplored areas of sequence space that may be fruitful for genome mining.

Use of a phosphonate methyltransferase in the identification of the fosfazinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster.

Natural product discovery has been boosted by genome mining approaches, but compound purification is often still challenging. We report an enzymatic strategy for "stable isotope labeling of phosphonates in extract" (SILPE) that facilitates their purification. We used the phosphonate methyltransferase DhpI involved in dehydrophos biosynthesis to methylate a variety of phosphonate natural products in crude spent medium with a mixture of labeled and unlabeled S-adenosyl methionine. Mass-guided fractionation then allowed straightforward purification. We illustrate its utility by purifying a phosphonate that led to the identification of the fosfazinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster. This unusual natural product contains a hydrazide linker between a carboxylic acid and a phosphonic acid. Bioinformatic analysis of the gene cluster provides insights into how such a structure might be assembled.

An engineered lantibiotic synthetase that does not require a leader peptide on its substrate.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides are a rapidly expanding class of natural products. They are typically biosynthesized by modification of a C-terminal segment of the precursor peptide (the core peptide). The precursor peptide also contains an N-terminal leader peptide that is required to guide the biosynthetic enzymes. For bioengineering purposes, the leader peptide is beneficial because it allows promiscuous activity of the biosynthetic enzymes with respect to modification of the core peptide sequence. However, the leader peptide also presents drawbacks as it needs to be present on the core peptide and then removed in a later step. We show that fusing the leader peptide for the lantibiotic lacticin 481 to its biosynthetic enzyme LctM allows the protein to act on core peptides without a leader peptide. We illustrate the use of this methodology for preparation of improved lacticin 481 analogues containing non-proteinogenic amino acids.

Substrate specificity of the lanthipeptide peptidase ElxP and the oxidoreductase ElxO.

The final step in lanthipeptide biosynthesis involves the proteolytic removal of an N-terminal leader peptide. In the class I lanthipeptide epilancin 15X, this step is performed by the subtilisin-like serine peptidase ElxP. Bioinformatic, kinetic, and mass spectrometric analysis revealed that ElxP recognizes the stretch of amino acids DLNPQS located near the proteolytic cleavage site of its substrate, ElxA. When the ElxP recognition motif was inserted into the noncognate lanthipeptide precursor NisA, ElxP was able to proteolytically remove the leader peptide from NisA. Proteolytic removal of the leader peptide by ElxP during the biosynthesis of epilancin 15X exposes an N-terminal dehydroalanine on the core peptide of ElxA that hydrolyzes to a pyruvyl group. The short-chain dehydrogenase ElxO reduces the pyruvyl group to a lactyl moiety in the final step of epilancin 15X maturation. Using synthetic peptides, we also investigated the substrate specificity of ElxO and determined the 1.85 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of the enzyme.

Genome mining for ribosomally synthesized natural products.

In recent years, the number of known peptide natural products that are synthesized via the ribosomal pathway has rapidly grown. Taking advantage of sequence homology among genes encoding precursor peptides or biosynthetic proteins, in silico mining of genomes combined with molecular biology approaches has guided the discovery of a large number of new ribosomal natural products, including lantipeptides, cyanobactins, linear thiazole/oxazole-containing peptides, microviridins, lasso peptides, amatoxins, cyclotides, and conopeptides. In this review, we describe the strategies used for the identification of these ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs) and the structures of newly identified compounds. The increasing number of chemical entities and their remarkable structural and functional diversity may lead to novel pharmaceutical applications.

Biosynthesis of the antimicrobial peptide epilancin 15X and its N-terminal lactate.

Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified antimicrobial peptides. The recently discovered lantibiotic epilancin 15X produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis 15X154 contains an unusual N-terminal lactate group. To understand its biosynthesis, the epilancin 15X biosynthetic gene cluster was identified. The N-terminal lactate is produced by dehydration of a serine residue in the first position of the core peptide by ElxB, followed by proteolytic removal of the leader peptide by ElxP and hydrolysis of the resulting new N-terminal dehydroalanine. The pyruvate group thus formed is reduced to lactate by an NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase designated ElxO. The enzymatic activity of ElxB, ElxP, and ElxO were investigated in vitro or in vivo and the importance of the N-terminal modification for peptide stability against bacterial aminopeptidases was assessed.

Unusual transformations in the biosynthesis of the antibiotic phosphinothricin tripeptide.

Phosphinothricin tripeptide (PTT, phosphinothricylalanylalanine) is a natural-product antibiotic and potent herbicide that is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus ATCC 21705 (ref. 1) and Streptomyces viridochromogenes DSM 40736 (ref. 2). PTT has attracted widespread interest because of its commercial applications and unique phosphinic acid functional group. Despite intensive study since its discovery in 1972 (see ref. 3 for a comprehensive review), a number of steps early in the PTT biosynthetic pathway remain uncharacterized. Here we report a series of interdisciplinary experiments involving the construction of defined S. viridochromogenes mutants, chemical characterization of accumulated intermediates, and in vitro assay of selected enzymes to examine these critical steps in PTT biosynthesis. Our results indicate that early PTT biosynthesis involves a series of catalytic steps that to our knowledge has not been described so far, including a highly unusual reaction for carbon bond cleavage. In sum, we define a pathway for early PTT biosynthesis that is more complex than previously appreciated.