Unprecedented mushroom polyketide synthases produce the universal anthraquinone precursor.

Löhr NA, Eisen F, Thiele W, Platz L, Motter J, Hüttel W, Gressler M, Müller M, Hoffmeister D (2022) Unprecedented mushroom polyketide synthases produce the universal anthraquinone precursor. Angew Chem Int Ed 61(24), e202116142.

Abstract

(Pre-)anthraquinones are widely distributed natural compounds and occur in plants, fungi, microorganisms, and animals, with atrochrysone (1) as the key biosynthetic precursor. Chemical analyses established mushrooms of the genus Cortinarius-the webcaps-as producers of atrochrysone-derived octaketide pigments. However, more recent genomic data did not provide any evidence for known atrochrysone carboxylic acid (4) synthases nor any other polyketide synthase (PKS) producing oligocyclic metabolites. Here, we describe an unprecedented class of non-reducing (NR-)PKS. In vitro assays with recombinant enzyme in combination with in vivo product formation in the heterologous host Aspergillus niger established CoPKS1 and CoPKS4 of C. odorifer as members of a new class of atrochrysone carboxylic acid synthases. CoPKS4 catalyzed both hepta- and octaketide synthesis and yielded 6-hydroxymusizin (6), along with 4. These first mushroom PKSs for oligocyclic products illustrate how the biosynthesis of bioactive natural metabolites evolved independently in various groups of life.

Leibniz-HKI-Autor*innen

Markus Greßler
Dirk Hoffmeister
Nikolai Löhr
Jonas Motter

Identifier

doi: 10.1002/anie.202116142

PMID: 35218274