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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Nature has evolved biosynthetic pathways to molecules possessing reactive warheads that inspired the development of many therapeutic agents, including penicillin antibiotics. Peptides armed with electrophilic warheads have proven to be particularly effective covalent inhibitors, providing essential antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer agents. Here we provide a full characterization of the pathways that nature deploys to assemble peptides with beta-lactone warheads, which are potent proteasome inhibitors with promising anticancer activity. Warhead assembly involves a three-step cryptic methylation sequence, which is likely required to reduce unfavorable electrostatic interactions during the sterically demanding beta-lactonization. Amide-bond synthetase and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-grasp enzymes couple amino acids to the beta-lactone warhead, generating the bioactive peptide products. After reconstituting the entire pathway to beta-lactone peptides in vitro, we go on to deliver a diverse range of analogs through enzymatic cascade reactions. Our approach is more efficient and cleaner than the synthetic methods currently used to produce clinically important warhead-containing peptides.

Cryptic enzymatic assembly of peptides armed with beta-lactone warheads.,Xu G, Torri D, Cuesta-Hoyos S, Panda D, Yates LRL, Zallot R, Bian K, Jia D, Iorgu AI, Levy C, Shepherd SA, Micklefield J Nat Chem Biol. 2024 Jul 1. doi: 10.1038/s41589-024-01657-7. PMID:38951647^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.