1. A flavin-dependent halogenase catalyzes the chlorination step in the biosynthesis, of Dictyostelium differentiation-inducing factor 1.
- Author
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Neumann, Christopher S., Waish, Christopher T., and Kay, Robert R.
- Subjects
- *
MORPHOGENESIS -- Molecular aspects , *POLYKETIDES , *DICTYOSTELIUM discoideum , *BIOSYNTHESIS , *FLAVINS , *CHLORINATION , *HALOGENASES - Abstract
Differentiation-inducing factor 1 (DIF-1) is a polyketide-derived morphogen which drives stalk cell formation in the developmental cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum. Previous experiments demon- strated that the biosynthetic pathway proceeds via dichlorination of the precursor molecule THPH, but the enzyme responsible for this transformation has eluded characterization. Our recent studies on prokaryotic flavin-dependent halogenases and insights from the sequenced Dd genome led us to a candidate gene for this transformation. In this work, we present in vivo and in vitro evidence that chIA from Dd encodes a flavin-dependent halogenase capable of catalyzing both chlorinations in the biosynthesis of DIF-1. The results provide in vitro characterization of a eukaryotic oxygen-dependent halogenase and demonstrate a broad reach in biology for this molecular tailoring strategy, notably its involvement in the differentiation program of a social amoeba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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