Lunaemycins, New Cyclic Hexapeptide Antibiotics from the Cave Moonmilk-Dweller Streptomyces lunaelactis MM109T.

Streptomyces lunaelactis strains have been isolated from moonmilk deposits, which are calcium carbonate speleothems used for centuries in traditional medicine for their antimicrobial properties. Genome mining revealed that these strains are a remarkable example of a Streptomyces species with huge heterogeneity regarding their content in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for specialized metabolite production. BGC 28a is one of the cryptic BGCs that is only carried by a subgroup of S. lunaelactis strains for which in silico analysis predicted the production of nonribosomal peptide antibiotics containing the non-proteogenic amino acid piperazic acid (Piz). Comparative metabolomics of culture extracts of S. lunaelactis strains either holding or not holding BGC 28a combined with MS/MS-guided peptidogenomics and 1H/13C NMR allowed us to identify the cyclic hexapeptide with the amino acid sequence (D-Phe)-(L-HO-Ile)-(D-Piz)-(L-Piz)-(D-Piz)-(L-Piz), called lunaemycin A, as the main compound synthesized by BGC 28a. Molecular networking further identified 18 additional lunaemycins, with 14 of them having their structure elucidated by HRMS/MS. Antimicrobial assays demonstrated a significant bactericidal activity of lunaemycins against Gram-positive bacteria, including multi-drug resistant clinical isolates. Our work demonstrates how an accurate in silico analysis of a cryptic BGC can highly facilitate the identification, the structural elucidation, and the bioactivity of its associated specialized metabolites.

Structure of New Ferroverdins Recruiting Unconventional Ferrous Iron Chelating Agents.

Ferroverdins are ferrous iron (Fe2+)-nitrosophenolato complexes produced by a few Streptomyces species as a response to iron overload. Previously, three ferroverdins were identified: ferroverdin A, in which three molecules of p-vinylphenyl-3-nitroso-4-hydroxybenzoate (p-vinylphenyl-3,4-NHBA) are recruited to bind Fe2+, and Ferroverdin B and Ferroverdin C, in which one molecule of p-vinylphenyl-3,4-NHBA is substituted by hydroxy-p-vinylphenyl-3,4-NHBA, and by carboxy-p-vinylphenyl-3,4-NHBA, respectively. These molecules, especially ferroverdin B, are potent inhibitors of the human cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and therefore candidate hits for the development of drugs that increase the serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, thereby diminishing the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In this work, we used high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with tandem mass spectrometry to identify 43 novel ferroverdins from the cytosol of two Streptomyces lunaelactis species. For 13 of them (designated ferroverdins C2, C3, D, D2, D3, E, F, G, H, CD, DE, DF, and DG), we could elucidate their structure, and for the other 17 new ferroverdins, ambiguity remains for one of the three ligands. p-formylphenyl-3,4-NHBA, p-benzoic acid-3,4-NHBA, 3,4-NHBA, p-phenylpropionate-3,4-NHBA, and p-phenyacetate-3,4-NHBA were identified as new alternative chelators for Fe2+-binding, and two compounds (C3 and D3) are the first reported ferroverdins that do not recruit p-vinylphenyl-3,4-NHBA. Our work thus uncovered putative novel CETP inhibitors or ferroverdins with novel bioactivities.

Are Physicochemical Properties Shaping the Allergenic Potency of Plant Allergens?

This review searched for published evidence that could explain how different physicochemical properties impact on the allergenicity of food proteins and if their effects would follow specific patterns among distinct protein families. Owing to the amount and complexity of the collected information, this literature overview was divided in two articles, the current one dedicated to protein families of plant allergens and a second one focused on animal allergens. Our extensive analysis of the available literature revealed that physicochemical characteristics had consistent effects on protein allergenicity for allergens belonging to the same protein family. For example, protein aggregation contributes to increased allergenicity of 2S albumins, while for legumins and cereal prolamins, the same phenomenon leads to a reduction. Molecular stability, related to structural resistance to heat and proteolysis, was identified as the most common feature promoting plant protein allergenicity, although it fails to explain the potency of some unstable allergens (e.g. pollen-related food allergens). Furthermore, data on physicochemical characteristics translating into clinical effects are limited, mainly because most studies are focused on in vitro IgE binding. Clinical data assessing how these parameters affect the development and clinical manifestation of allergies is minimal, with only few reports evaluating the sensitising capacity of modified proteins (addressing different physicochemical properties) in murine allergy models. In vivo testing of modified pure proteins by SPT or DBPCFC is scarce. At this stage, a systematic approach to link the physicochemical properties with clinical plant allergenicity in real-life scenarios is still missing.

Blocking lipid synthesis overcomes tumor regrowth and metastasis after antiangiogenic therapy withdrawal.

The molecular mechanisms responsible for the failure of antiangiogenic therapies and how tumors adapt to these therapies are unclear. Here, we applied transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches to preclinical models and provide evidence for tumor adaptation to vascular endothelial growth factor blockade through a metabolic shift toward carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in tumors. During sunitinib or sorafenib treatment, tumor growth was inhibited and tumors were hypoxic and glycolytic. In sharp contrast, treatment withdrawal led to tumor regrowth, angiogenesis restoration, moderate lactate production, and enhanced lipid synthesis. This metabolic shift was associated with a drastic increase in metastatic dissemination. Interestingly, pharmacological lipogenesis inhibition with orlistat or fatty acid synthase downregulation with shRNA inhibited tumor regrowth and metastases after sunitinib treatment withdrawal. Our data shed light on metabolic alterations that result in cancer adaptation to antiangiogenic treatments and identify key molecules involved in lipid metabolism as putative therapeutic targets.