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Cell wall biosynthesis represents a valid target for antibacterial action but only a limited number of chemical structure classes selectively interact with specific enzymes or protein structures like transporters of the cell envelope. The integral membrane protein MraY translocase is essential for peptidoglycan biosynthesis catalysing the transfer of the peptidoglycan precursor phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide to the lipid carrier undecaprenyl phosphate, thereby generating the cell wall intermediate lipid I. Not present in eukaryotic cells, MraY is a member of the superfamily of yet not well-understood integral membrane enzymes which involve proteins for bacterial lipopolysaccharide and teichoic acid or eukaryotic N-linked saccharides biosynthesis. Different natural nucleoside antibiotics as inhibitors of MraY translocase have been discovered comprising a glycosylated heterocyclic pyrimidin base among other potential lipid-, peptidic- or sugar moieties. Caprazamycins are liponucleoside antibiotics isolated from Streptomyces sp. MK730-62F2. They possess activity in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria, in particular against the genus Mycobacterium including M. intracellulare, M. avium and M. tuberculosis. Structural elucidation revealed the (+)-caprazol core skeleton as a unique moiety, the caprazamycins share with other MraY inhibitors such as the liposidomycins, A-90289 and the muraminomicins. They also share structural features such as uridyl-, aminoribosyl- and fatty acyl-moieties with other MraY translocase inhibitors like FR-900493 and the muraymycins. Intensive studies on their biosynthesis during the last decade identified not only common initial biosynthetic steps, but also revealed possible branching points towards individual biosynthesis of the respective compound. Structural diversity of caprazamycins was generated by feeding experiments, genetic engineering of the biosynthetic gene clusters and chemical synthesis for structure activity relationship studies with its target, MraY translocase., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The first step in the membrane cycle of reactions during peptidoglycan biosynthesis is the transfer of phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide from UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide to undecaprenyl phosphate, catalyzed by the integral membrane protein MraY translocase. Different MraY inhibitors are known and can be subdivided into classes depending on their structural composition. Caprazamycins belong to the liponucleoside class of antibiotics isolated from Streptomyces sp. MK730-62F2. They possess activity in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria, in particular against the genus Mycobacterium including Mycobacterium intracellulare, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Caprazamycins and the structurally related liposidomycins and A-90289 share a unique composition of moieties. Their complex structure is derived from 5'-(β-O-aminoribosyl)-glycyluridine and comprises a unique N,N'-dimethyldiazepanone ring. Recently, the corresponding biosynthetic gene clusters of caprazamycins, liposidomycins and A-90289 have been discovered and will be compared in this review. New information is also emerging regarding the biosynthesis of liponucleoside antibiotics obtained by gene disruption experiments and biochemical investigations.

The development of reliable analytic methods, capable of separating mixtures of secondary metabolites as well as providing structural information, is essential for the investigation of secondary metabolites, e.g. from Streptomyces. Here we report a liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method using a triple quadrupole mass analyzer for the structural elucidation of caprazamycins and liposidomycins from culture extracts of the wild-type producer strains. Comparison of the fragmentation patterns in positive as well as in negative ionization mode revealed several characteristic product ions used for identification of six new caprazamycins. Furthermore, a chromatographic method for the purification of nucleosides from cell cultures using a boronic acid gel was adapted for the partial purification of the culture extracts., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The biosynthetic gene clusters of the aminocoumarin antibiotics clorobiocin and coumermycin A(1) and of the liponucleoside antibiotic caprazamycin were stably integrated into the genomes of different host strains derived from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). For the heterologous expression of clorobiocin derivatives in a chemically defined medium, inclusion of 0.6% of the siloxylated ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer Q2-5247 into the growth medium proved to result in a 4.8-fold increase of productivity. Presumably, this copolymer acts as an oxygen carrier. The additional inclusion of cobalt chloride (0.2-2 mg l(-1)) dramatically increased the percentage of the desired compound clorobiocin within the total produced clorobiocin derivatives. This is very likely due to a stimulation of a cobalamin-dependent methylation reaction catalyzed by the enzyme CloN6 of clorobiocin biosynthesis. All three investigated host strains (S. coelicolor M512, M1146 and M1154) gave similar production rates of total clorobiocin derivatives (on average, 158 mg l(-1) in the presence of 0.6% Q2-5247 and 0.2 mg l(-1) CoCl(2)). In contrast, heterologous production of caprazamycin derivatives was optimal in strain M1154 (amounts of 152 mg l(-1) on average)., (Copyright 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)