Discovery of the Cyclic Lipopeptide Gacamide A by Genome Mining and Repair of the Defective GacA Regulator in Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1.

Genome mining of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 showed that the strain possesses a silent NRPS-based biosynthetic gene cluster encoding a new lipopeptide; its activation required the repair of the global regulator system. In this paper, we describe the genomics-driven discovery and characterization of the associated secondary metabolite gacamide A, a lipodepsipeptide that forms a new family of Pseudomonas lipopeptides. The compound has a moderate, narrow-spectrum antibiotic activity and facilitates bacterial surface motility.

OSBP-related protein-2 (ORP2): a novel Akt effector that controls cellular energy metabolism.

ORP2 is a ubiquitously expressed OSBP-related protein previously implicated in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-lipid droplet (LD) contacts, triacylglycerol (TG) metabolism, cholesterol transport, adrenocortical steroidogenesis, and actin-dependent cell dynamics. Here, we characterize the role of ORP2 in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism by employing ORP2-knockout (KO) hepatoma cells (HuH7) generated by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. The ORP2-KO and control HuH7 cells were subjected to RNA sequencing, analyses of Akt signaling, carbohydrate and TG metabolism, the extracellular acidification rate, and the lipidome, as well as to transmission electron microscopy. The loss of ORP2 resulted in a marked reduction of active phosphorylated Akt(Ser473) and its target Glycogen synthase kinase 3ß(Ser9), consistent with defective Akt signaling. ORP2 was found to form a physical complex with the key controllers of Akt activity, Cdc37, and Hsp90, and to co-localize with Cdc37 and active Akt(Ser473) at lamellipodial plasma membrane regions, in addition to the previously reported ER-LD localization. ORP2-KO reduced glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, glycolysis, mRNA-encoding glycolytic enzymes, and SREBP-1 target gene expression, and led to defective TG synthesis and storage. ORP2-KO did not reduce but rather increased ER-LD contacts under basal culture conditions and interfered with their expansion upon fatty acid loading. Together with our recently published work (Kentala et al. in FASEB J 32:1281-1295, 2018), this study identifies ORP2 as a new regulatory nexus of Akt signaling, cellular energy metabolism, actin cytoskeletal function, cell migration, and proliferation.

The Novel Lipopeptide Poaeamide of the Endophyte Pseudomonas poae RE*1-1-14 Is Involved in Pathogen Suppression and Root Colonization.

Endophytic Pseudomonas poae strain RE*1-1-14 was originally isolated from internal root tissue of sugar beet plants and shown to suppress growth of the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani both in vitro and in the field. To identify genes involved in its biocontrol activity, RE*1-1-14 random mutagenesis and sequencing led to the identification of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene cluster predicted to encode a lipopeptide (LP) with a 10-amino-acid peptide moiety. The two unlinked gene clusters consisted of three NRPS genes, designated poaA (cluster 1) and poaB and poaC (cluster 2), spanning approximately 33.7 kb. In silico analysis followed by chemical analyses revealed that the encoded LP, designated poaeamide, is a structurally new member of the orfamide family. Poaeamide inhibited mycelial growth of R. solani and different oomycetes, including Phytophthora capsici, P. infestans, and Pythium ultimum. The novel LP was shown to be essential for swarming motility of strain RE*1-1-14 and had an impact on root colonization of sugar beet seedlings The poaeamide-deficient mutant colonized the rhizosphere and upper plant cortex at higher densities and with more scattered colonization patterns than the wild type. Collectively, these results indicate that Pseudomonas poae RE*1-1-14 produces a structurally new LP that is relevant for its antagonistic activity against soilborne plant pathogens and for colonization of sugar beet roots.

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of unusual ß(3)-amino acid enantiomers in different chromatographic modes on Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phases.

Polar-ionic and hydro-organic mobile phase mode of high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of 23 sterically constrained primary ß(3)-amino acid enantiomers containing, alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl side-chains were carried out by using newly developed Cinchona alkaloid-based zwitterionic chiral selectors and the stationary phases Chiralpak ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(-)™. In the polar-ionic mode, the effects of the composition of the bulk solvent and the natures of the co- and counter-ions, while in the hydro-organic mode, the effects of the pH, the counter-ion concentration and the structures of the analytes were investigated. The separations of the enantiomers of these 23 primary ß(3)-amino acids, which can be classified as a series of quasi- (pseudo-) homologs, were optimized in both chromatographic modes. The elution sequence was determined in most cases and a reversal of elution order on ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(-)™ column was observed. On the basis of this intermolecular recognition model between the selectors and the given enantiomers an indirect assignment of the resolved enantiomer via chromatography is proposed.

Enantiomeric separation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-based 2-amino-3-carboxylic acids on macrocyclic glycopeptide chiral stationary phases.

Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation of four bicyclo[2.2.2]octane based 2-amino-3-carboxylic acid enantiomers were developed on chiral stationary phases (CSPs) containing different macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotic selectors. The analyses were performed under reversed-phase, polar organic and polar ionic mode on macrocyclic-glycopeptide-based Chirobiotic T, T2, TAG, and R columns. The effects of the mobile phase composition including the acid and base modifier, the structure of the analytes, and the temperature on the separations were investigated. Experiments were achieved at constant mobile phase compositions on different stationary phases in the temperature range 5-40°C. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated from plots of ln k or ln α versus 1/T. It was recognized that the enantioseparations in reversed-phase and polar organic mode were enthalpically driven, but under polar-ionic conditions entropically driven enantioseparation was observed as well. Baseline separation and determination of elution sequence were achieved in all cases.

Unusual temperature-induced retention behavior of constrained ß-amino acid enantiomers on the zwitterionic chiral stationary phases ZWIX(+) and ZWIX(-).

The effects of temperature on the chiral recognition of cyclic ß-amino acid enantiomers on zwitterionic [Chiralpak ZWIX(+) and ZWIX(-)] chiral stationary phases were investigated. Experiments were performed at different mobile phase compositions and under 10°C column temperature increments in the temperature range 10-50°C. Apparent thermodynamic parameters and T(iso) values were calculated from plots of ln k and ln α versus 1/T, respectively. Unusual temperature behavior was observed, especially on the ZWIX(-) column, where the application of MeOH/MeCN (50/50 v/v) containing 25 mM triethylamine and 50 mM formic acid as mobile phase led to nonlinear van't Hoff plots and increasing retention time with increasing temperature. On both columns, both enthalpically and entropically driven separations were observed.

Effect of mobile phase composition on the liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of bulky monoterpene-based ß-amino acids by applying chiral stationary phases based on Cinchona alkaloid.

Stereoselective HPLC separations of five sterically constrained monoterpene-based 2-aminocarboxylic acid enantiomers were carried out by using the newly developed zwitterionic chiral stationary phases Chiralpak ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(-)™ based on Cinchona alkaloid. In order to optimize the retention and enantioselectivity parameters, the ratio of the different organic solvents in the mobile phase and the nature of the acid and base additives (counter- and co-ions) were systematically varied. The effects of structure variants of the analytes on the resolution were investigated. The elution sequence was determined in all cases and observed to be opposite on ZWIX(+)™ and ZWIX(-)™.

High-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of amino compounds on newly developed cyclofructan-based chiral stationary phases.

Direct separation of the enantiomers of amino acid amines, amino alcohols, and diamines was performed on recently developed chiral stationary phases containing isopropyl carbamate-cyclofructan 6 (IP-CF6), (R)-naphthylethylcarbamate cyclofructan 6 (RN-CF6), or dimethylphenylcarbamate cyclofructan 7 (DMP-CF7) as chiral selectors, using n-hexane/alcohol/TFA as mobile phase. The effects of the mobile phase composition, the nature and concentrations of the alcoholic and acidic modifiers, and the structures of the analytes on the retention and resolution were investigated. In some cases, separations were carried out at constant mobile phase composition in the temperature range 5-40 °C. Thermodynamic parameters and T(iso) values were calculated from plots of lnk versus 1/T. It was found that the enantioseparations were enthalpy driven. The sequences of elution of the stereoisomers were determined but no general rule could be established.

High-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of Betti base analogs on a newly developed isopropyl carbamate-cyclofructan6-based chiral stationary phase.

The direct separation of the enantiomers of 1-(α-aminoarylmethyl)-2-naphthol, 1-(α-aminoalkyl)-2-naphthol, 2-(α-aminoarylmethyl)-1-naphthol analogs, and 2-(1-amino-2-methylpropyl)-1-naphthol) was performed on a newly developed chiral stationary phase containing isopropyl carbamate-cyclofructan6 as chiral selector, with n-heptane/alcohol/trifluoroacetic acid as mobile phase. The effects of the mobile-phase composition, the nature and concentration of the alcoholic and acidic modifiers, and the structures of the analytes on the retention and resolution were investigated. In some cases, separations were carried out at constant mobile-phase compositions in the temperature range 5-40°C. Thermodynamic parameters and T(iso) values were calculated from plots of ln k' or ln α versus 1/T. -Δ(ΔH°) ranged from 2.8 to 3.2 kJ mol(-1) , -Δ(ΔS°) from 7.7 to 10.1 J mol(-1) K(-1) , and -Δ(ΔG°) from 0.2 to 0.5 kJ mol(-1) . It was found that the enantioseparations were enthalpy driven. The sequence of elution of the stereoisomers determined in some cases was (R) < (S).

Comparison of separation performances of amylose- and cellulose-based stationary phases in the high-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of stereoisomers of beta-lactams.

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the separation of the enantiomers of 19 beta-lactams. The direct separations were performed on chiral stationary phases containing either amylose-tris-3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate, (Kromasil AmyCoat column) or cellulose-tris-3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate, (Kromasil CelluCoat column) as chiral selector. The different methods were compared in systematic chromatographic examinations. The separations were carried out with good selectivity and resolution. The AmyCoat and CelluCoat columns appear to be highly complementary. The best separations of bi- and tricyclic beta-lactam stereoisomers were obtained with the AmyCoat column, whereas the 4-aryl-substituted beta-lactams were better separated on the CelluCoat column. The elution sequence was determined in all cases; no general rule could be established.

High-performance liquid chromatographic chiral separation of beta2-homoamino acids.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the separation of enantiomers of eleven unnatural beta(2)-homoamino acids on chiral stationary phases containing macrocyclic glycopeptides (teicoplanin-containing Chirobiotic T and T2) or the macrocyclic peptide teicoplanin aglycone (Chirobiotic TAG) as chiral selectors. The effects of the organic modifier, the mobile phase composition, temperature, and the structures of the analytes on the separations were investigated. Separations were carried out at constant mobile phase compositions in temperature range 7-45 degrees C and the changes in enthalpy, Delta(DeltaH(o)), entropy, Delta(DeltaS(o)), and free energy, Delta(DeltaG(o)), were calculated. The -Delta(DeltaG(o)) values obtained on the three columns indicated that Chirobiotic TAG, without sugar units, may promote the interactions of the enantiomers of beta(2)-homoamino acids with branched alkyl or aryl side-chains, whereas for beta(2)-homoamino acids with alkyl side-chains Chirobiotic T and T2 seem to be more favorable. The elution sequence was determined in some cases and was observed to be R < S.

High-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of beta-3-homo-amino acid stereoisomers on a (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid-based chiral stationary phase.

High-performance liquid chromatographic methods were developed for the separation of the enantiomers of thirteen unusual beta-3-homo-amino acids and three of its ethyl esters on a chiral stationary phase containing (+)-(18-crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid as chiral selector. The effects of the mobile phase composition and the acidic modifiers on the separation were investigated. The structures of the substituents in beta-position substantially influenced the retention and enantioseparation. The influence of ionic strength on the enantioseparation was established experimentally. The elution sequence was determined in all cases.

Comparison of performance of Chirobiotic T, T2 and TAG columns in the separation of beta2- and beta3-homoamino acids.

The enantiomers of eight unusual beta(2)- and beta(3)-homoamino acids were separated on chiral stationary phases containing the macrocyclic glycopeptide antibiotic teicoplanin (Chirobiotic T or T2) or teicoplanin aglycone (Chirobiotic TAG) as chiral selectors. The effects of the organic modifier, the mobile phase composition, and temperature on the separations were investigated. Linear van't Hoff plots were observed in the studied temperature range, 280-318 K, and the changes in enthalpy, Delta(DeltaH(o)), entropy, Delta(DeltaS(o)), and free energy, Delta(DeltaG(o)) were calculated. The values of the thermodynamic parameters depended on the nature of the selectors, the structures of the analytes, and especially the positions of the substituents on the analytes. A comparison of the separation performances of the macrocyclic glycopeptide stationary phases revealed that the Chirobiotic TAG column exhibited much better selectivity for beta(2)-homoamino acids, while the separation of beta(3)-homoamino acid enantiomers was better on Chirobiotic T or T2. The elution sequence was determined in some cases and was observed to be R < S.

Quantification of oxysterols in human plasma and red blood cells by liquid chromatography high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry.

Oxysterols are important intermediates in numerous metabolic and catabolic pathways and their biological significance is also proven. The present paper describes a reliable and short liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry method (LC-MS/HR-MS) for the quantification of 8 different oxysterols (24(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol, 4ß-hydroxycholesterol, 7α-hydroxycholesterol, 7ß-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol and cholestan-3ß,5α,6ß-triol) in human plasma and red blood cells. Oxysterols were extracted with iso-octane after saponification of esterified sterols. Due to the poor ionization efficiency of the target compounds in electrospray ionization (ESI) derivatization of the molecules has been performed with N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG). Within less than 8 min we were able to achieve baseline separation of the isobaric 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol, 4ß-hydroxycholesterol, 7α-hydroxycholesterol and 7ß-hydroxycholesterol. Moreover, high mass resolution was advantageously applied to resolve quasi-isobaric interferences. The method was validated based on the recommendations of US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency guidelines. Oxysterol concentrations were determined in human plasma and red blood cells from healthy volunteers. Furthermore, the applicability for clinical use has been proven by the analysis of oxysterols as biomarkers in Niemann-Pick type C or cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis patients.

Methods for the comprehensive structural elucidation of constitution and stereochemistry of lipopeptides.

A panel of methods of general suitability for complete structural elucidation of the stereochemistry of cyclopeptides, depsipeptides and lipopeptides is presented and described in detail. The suitability of the proposed methods was exemplified on the lipopeptide poaeamide from Pseudomonas poae. Amino acid configurations have been assigned by direct LC enantiomer separation with Chiralpak ZWIX(+) and were confirmed by GC enantiomer separation on Chirasil L-Val. 3-Hydroxydecanoic acid absolute configuration was analyzed on Chiralpak ZWIX(+) and confirmed by injection on ZWIX(-) which showed opposite elution order. Plenty of d-amino acids have been found in this lipopeptide. It contained in total 5 Leu residues of which one had d-configuration. The position of the d-Leu in the peptide sequence was determined by pepsin and chemical digestions in combination with isolation of diagnostic peptide-fragments and subsequent identification of absolute configurations of the Leu residues. This allowed pinpointing the position of the d-amino acid. The complementarity of the peptide retention profiles on Chiralpak ZWIX column as compared to both RPLC and HILIC suggests its great utility as an alternative peptide separation tool.

Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of secondary amino acids on Cinchona alkaloid-based chiral zwitterionic stationary phases. Unusual temperature behavior.

Two chiral stationary phases containing a quinine- or a quinidine-based zwitterionic ion-exchanger as chiral selector were applied for the enantioseparation of 27 unusual cyclic secondary α-amino acids. The effects of the nature and concentration of the bulk solvent, the acid and base additives, the structures of the analytes and temperature on the enantioresolution were investigated. To study the effects of temperature and to obtain thermodynamic parameters, experiments were carried out at constant mobile phase compositions in the temperature range -5 to 55 °C. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that in most cases the separations were enthalpy-driven, but some entropy-driven separations were also observed. The sequence of elution of the enantiomers was determined in most cases.

Direct enantioseparation of underivatized aliphatic 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids with a quinine-based zwitterionic chiral stationary phase.

While aliphatic 2-hydroxyalkanoic acids have been more or less successfully enantioseparated with various chiral stationary phases by HPLC and GC, analogous applications on underivatized aliphatic 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids are completely absent in the scientific literature. With the aim of closing this gap, the enantioseparation of 3-hydroxybutyric acid, 3-hydroxydecanoic acid and 3-hydroxymyristic acid has been performed with two ion-exchange type chiral stationary phases (CSPs): one containing the anion-exchange type tert-butyl carbamoyl quinine chiral selector motif (Chiralpak QN-AX), and the other carrying the new zwitterionic variant based on trans-(S,S)-2-aminocyclohexanesulfonic acid-derivatized quinine carbamate (Chiralpak ZWIX(+)) as the chiral selector and enantiodiscriminating element, respectively. The zwitterionic enantiorecognition material provided better results in terms of enantioselectivity and resolution compared to the anion-exchanger CSP at reduced retention times due to the intramolecular counterion effect imposed by the sulfonic acid moiety and its competition with the 3-hydroxyalkanoic acid analyte for ionic interaction at the quininium-anion exchanger site. It is thus recommended as the CSP of first choice for enantioseparations of the class of aliphatic 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids. With use of polar organic eluent composed of ACN/MeOH/AcOH - 95/5/0.05 (v/v/v), a good compromise in terms of analysis time and enantioresolution quality was accomplished. The major experimental variables have been investigated for optimization of the resolution and allowed to derive information on the enantiorecognition mechanism. Corresponding Chiralpak ZWIX(-), based on pseudo-enantiomeric selector derived from quinidine and trans-(R,R)-2-aminocyclohexanesulfonic acid with opposite configurations provided reversed enantiomer elution orders. It has further to be stressed that these separations can be obtained with mass spectrometry compatible mobile phases.

Enantioseparations by high-performance liquid chromatography using macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases: an overview.

Since their introduction by Armstrong in 1994, macrocyclic antibiotic-based chiral stationary phases have proven their applicability for the chiral resolution of various types of racemates. The unique structure of macrocyclic glycopeptides and their large variety of interactive sites (e.g., hydrophobic pockets, hydroxyl, amino and carboxyl groups, halogen atoms, aromatic moieties, etc.) are the reason for their wide-ranging selectivity. The commercially available Chirobiotic™ phases, which display complementary characteristics, are capable of separating a broad variety of enantiomeric compounds with good efficiency, good column loadability, high reproducibility, and long-term stability. These are the major reasons for the use of macrocyclic antibiotic-based stationary phases in HPLC enantioseparations. This overview chapter provides a brief summary of general aspects of macrocyclic antibiotic-based chiral stationary phases including their preparation and their application to direct enantioseparations of various racemates focusing on the literature published since 2004.

Recent advances in the direct and indirect liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of amino acids and related compounds: a review.

Amino acids are essential for life, and have many functions in metabolism. One particularly important function is to serve as the building blocks of peptides and proteins, giving rise to complex three dimensional structures through disulfide bonds or crosslinked amino acids. Peptides are frequently cyclic and contain protein as well as non-protein aminoacids in many instances. Since most of the proteinogenic α-amino acids contain a chiral carbon atom (with the exception of glycine), the stereoisomers of all these amino acids and the peptides in which they are to be found may possess differences in biological activity in living systems. The impetus for advances in chiral separation has been highest in the past decade and this still continues to be an area of high focus. The important analytical task of the separation of isomers is achieved mainly by chromatographic methods. This review surveys indirect and direct HPLC separations of biologically and pharmaceutically important enantiomers of amino acids and related compounds, with emphasis on the literature published from 2005.

Enantiomeric separation of nonproteinogenic amino acids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Amino acids are essential for life, and have many functions in metabolism. One particularly important function is to serve as the building blocks of peptides and proteins, giving rise complex three dimensional structures through disulfide bonds or crosslinked amino acids. Peptides are frequently cyclic and contain proteinogenic as well as nonproteinogenic amino acids in many instances. Since most of the amino acids contain a chiral carbon atom, the stereoisomers of all these amino acids and the peptides in which they are to be found may possess differences in biological activity in living systems. The development of methods for the separation of enantiomers has attracted great interest, since it became evident that the potential biological or pharmacological applications are mostly restricted to one of the enantiomers. The important analytical task of the separation of isomers is achieved mainly by chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. This special review surveys indirect and direct high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods of biologically and pharmaceutically important enantiomers of nonproteinogenic amino acids and related compounds, with emphasis on the literature published from the beginning.