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Modification of polyketides with fluorine offers a promising approach to develop new pharmaceuticals. While synthetic chemical methods for site-specific incorporation of fluorine in complex molecules have improved in recent years, approaches for the direct biosynthetic fluorination of natural compounds are still rare. Herein, we present a broadly applicable approach for site-specific, biocatalytic derivatization of polyketides with fluorine. Specifically, we exchanged the native acyltransferase domain (AT) of a polyketide synthase (PKS), which acts as the gatekeeper for selection of extender units, with an evolutionarily related but substrate tolerant domain from metazoan type I fatty acid synthase (FAS). The resulting PKS/FAS hybrid can utilize fluoromalonyl coenzyme A and fluoromethylmalonyl coenzyme A for polyketide chain extension, introducing fluorine or fluoro-methyl disubstitutions in polyketide scaffolds. Addition of a fluorine atom is often a decisive factor toward developing superior properties in next-generation antibiotics, including the macrolide solithromycin. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach in the semisynthesis of a fluorinated derivative of the macrolide antibiotic YC-17.

Modification of polyketides with fluorine offers a promising approach to develop new pharmaceuticals. While synthetic chemical methods for site-selective incorporation of fluorine in complex molecules have improved in recent years, approaches for the biosynthetic incorporation of fluorine in natural compounds are still rare. Here, we report a strategy to introduce fluorine into complex polyketides during biosynthesis. We exchanged the native acyltransferase domain of a polyketide synthase, which acts as the gatekeeper for the selection of extender units, with an evolutionarily related but substrate tolerant domain from metazoan type I fatty acid synthase. The resulting polyketide-synthase/fatty-acid-synthase hybrid can utilize fluoromalonyl coenzyme A and fluoromethylmalonyl coenzyme A for polyketide chain extension, introducing fluorine or fluoro-methyl units in polyketide scaffolds. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of fluorinated 12- and 14-membered macrolactones and fluorinated derivatives of the macrolide antibiotics YC-17 and methymycin.

The yeast fatty acid synthase (FAS) is a barrel-shaped 2.6 MDa complex. Upon barrel-formation, two multidomain subunits, each more than 200 kDa large, intertwine to form a heterododecameric complex that buries 170,000 Å2 of protein surface. In spite of the rich knowledge about yeast FAS in structure and function, its assembly remained elusive until recently, when co-translational interaction of the β-subunit with the nascent α-subunit was found to initiate assembly. Here, we characterize the co-translational assembly of yeast FAS at a molecular level. We show that the co-translationally formed interface is sensitive to subtle perturbations, so that the exchange of two amino acids located in the emerging interface can prevent assembly. On the other hand, assembly can also be initiated via the co-translational interaction of the subunits at other sites, which implies that this process is not strictly site or sequence specific. We further highlight additional steps in the biogenesis of yeast FAS, as the formation of a dimeric subunit that orchestrates complex formation and acts as platform for post-translational phosphopantetheinylation. The presented data supports the understanding of the recently discovered prevalence of eukaryotic complexes for co-translational assembly, and is valuable for further harnessing FAS in the biotechnological production of aliphatic compounds.

Single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) has undergone a “resolution revolution” that makes it possible to characterize megadalton (MDa) complexes at atomic resolution without crystals. To fully exploit the new opportunities in molecular microscopy, new procedures for the cloning, expression and purification of macromolecular complexes need to be explored. Macromolecular assemblies are often unstable, and invasive construct design or inadequate purification conditions or sample preparation methods can result in disassembly or denaturation. The structure of the 2.6 MDa yeast fatty acid synthase (FAS) has been studied by electron microscopy since the 1960s. We report a new, streamlined protocol for the rapid production of purified yeast FAS for structure determination by high-resolution cryoEM. Together with a companion protocol for preparing cryoEM specimens on a hydrophilized graphene layer, our new protocol has yielded a 3.1 Å map of yeast FAS from 15,000 automatically picked particles within a day. The high map quality enabled us to build a complete atomic model of an intact fungal FAS.

Electron cryo-microscopy analyzes the structure of proteins and protein complexes in vitrified solution. Proteins tend to adsorb to the air-water interface in unsupported films of aqueous solution, which can result in partial or complete denaturation. We investigated the structure of yeast fatty acid synthase at the air-water interface by electron cryo-tomography and single-particle image processing. Around 90% of complexes adsorbed to the air-water interface are partly denatured. We show that the unfolded regions face the air-water interface. Denaturation by contact with air may happen at any stage of specimen preparation. Denaturation at the air-water interface is completely avoided when the complex is plunge-frozen on a substrate of hydrophilized graphene.

Electron cryo-microscopy analyzes the structure of proteins and protein complexes in vitrified solution. Proteins tend to adsorb to the air-water interface in unsupported films of aqueous solution, which can result in partial or complete denaturation of the protein. We investigated the structure of yeast fatty acid synthase at the air-water interface by electron cryo-tomography and single-particle image processing. Around 90% of complexes adsorbed to the air-water interface are partly denatured. We show that the unfolded regions are those facing the air-water interface. Denaturation by contact with air may happen at any stage of specimen preparation. Denaturation at the air-water interface is completely avoided when the complex is plunge-frozen on a substrate of hydrophilized graphene.

The fungal fatty acid synthase (fFAS) multienzyme is a barrel-shaped 2.6 MDa complex comprising six times eight catalytic domains. Upon barrel-formation, up to several hundred kDa large polypeptides intertwine to bury about 170,000 Å2of protein surface. Functional, regulatory and structural data as well as evolutionary aspects of fFAS have been elucidated during the last decades. Notwithstanding a profound knowledge of this protein family, the biogenesis of the elaborate structure remained elusive. Remarkably, experimental data have recently demonstrated that fFAS self-assembles without the assistance of specific factors. Considering the infinitesimal probability that the barrel-shaped complex forms simply by domains approaching in the correct orientation, we were interested in understanding the sequence of events that have to orchestrate fFAS assembly. Here, we show that fFAS attains its quaternary structure along a pathway of successive domain-domain interactions, which is strongly related to the evolutionary development of this protein family. The knowledge on fFAS assembly may pave the way towards antifungal therapy, and further develops fFAS as biofactory in technological applications.