Novel Mechanism of Bioluminescence: Oxidative Decarboxylation of a Moiety Adjacent to the Light Emitter of Fridericia Luciferin

A novel luciferin from a bioluminescent Siberian earthworm Fridericia heliota was recently described. In this study, the Fridericia oxyluciferin was isolated and its structure elucidated. The results provide insight into a novel bioluminescence mechanism in nature. Oxidative decarboxylation of a lysine fragment of the luciferin supplies energy for light generation, while a fluorescent CompX moiety remains intact and serves as the light emitter.     

Chemical defence strategies of higher fungi

Like plants, fungi have evolved a variety of defence strategies in order to protect themselves against feeding mammals, insects and infection with parasitic fungi. In contrast to plants little is known on the chemical ecology of fruiting bodies of higher fungi, particularly those defence mechanisms which are induced upon wounding have only occasionally been recognised. Methods both for the detection of permanently present defence compounds and for the elucidation of wound-activated chemical defence mechanisms are discussed in this concept paper.     

A Novel Type of Luciferin from the Siberian Luminous Earthworm Fridericia heliota: Structure Elucidation by Spectral Studies and Total Synthesis

The structure elucidation and synthesis of the luciferin from the recently discovered luminous earthworm Fridericia heliota is reported. This luciferin is a key component of a novel ATP‐dependent bioluminescence system. UV, fluorescence, NMR, and HRMS spectroscopy studies were performed on 0.005 mg of the isolated substance and revealed four isomeric structures that conform to spectral data. These isomers were chemically synthesized and one of them was found to produce light when reacted with a protein extract from F. heliota. The novel luciferin was found to have an unusual extensively modified peptidic nature, thus implying an unprecedented mechanism of action.     

Biology-oriented synthesis

Which compound classes are best suited as probes and tools for chemical biology research and as inspiration for medicinal chemistry programs? Chemical space is enormously large and cannot be exploited conclusively by means of synthesis efforts. Methods are required that allow one to identify and map the biologically relevant subspaces of vast chemical space, and serve as hypothesis‐generating tools for inspiring synthesis programs. Biology‐oriented synthesis builds on structural conservatism in the evolution of proteins and natural products. It employs a hierarchical classification of bioactive compounds according to structural relationships and type of bioactivity, and selects the scaffolds of bioactive molecule classes as starting points for the synthesis of compound collections with focused diversity. Navigation in chemical space is facilitated by Scaffold Hunter, an intuitively accessible and highly interactive software. Small molecules synthesized according to BIOS are enriched in bioactivity. They facilitate the analysis of complex biological phenomena by means of acute perturbation and may serve as novel starting points to inspire drug discovery programs.     

Syntheses and X-Ray Crystal Structures of Cassiferaldehyde and Analogs

Cassiferaldehyde, a recently discovered naturally occurring tyrosinase inhibitor, and six of its analogs, in which the aldehyde group has been replaced by various other functionalities, have been synthesized by a short and simple sequence starting from 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde. Single-crystal x-ray structures of cassiferaldehyde as well as its methyl ketone, nitrile, and carboxylic acid analogs are reported.     

Why is Firefly Oxyluciferin a Notoriously Labile Substance?

The chemistry of firefly bioluminescence is important for numerous applications in biochemistry and analytical chemistry. The emitter of this bioluminescent system, firefly oxyluciferin, is difficult to handle. The cause of its lability was clarified while its synthesis was reinvestigated. A side product was identified and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography. The reason for the lability of oxyluciferin is now ascribed to autodimerization of the coexisting enol and keto forms in a Mannich‐type reaction.     

Mimicking/Extracting Structure and Functions of Natural Products: Synthetic Approaches that Address Unexplored Needs in Chemical Biology

Natural products are often attractive and challenging targets for synthetic chemists, and many have interesting biological activities. However, synthetic chemists need to be more than simply suppliers of compounds to biologists. Therefore, we have been seeking ways to actively apply organic synthetic methods to chemical biology studies of natural products and their activities. In this personal review, I would like to introduce our work on the development of new biologically active compounds inspired by, or extracted from, the structures of natural products, focusing on enhancement of functional activity and specificity and overcoming various drawbacks of the parent natural products.     

Bioluminescence Profiling of NanoKAZ/NanoLuc Luciferase Using a Chemical Library of Coelenterazine Analogues

We describe here an extensive structure-bioluminescence relationship study of a chemical library of analogues of coelenterazine, using nanoKAZ/NanoLuc, a mutated luciferase originated from the catalytic subunit of the deep-sea shrimp Oplophorus gracilirostris. Out of the 135 O-acetylated precursors that were prepared by using our recently reported synthesis and following their hydrolysis to give solutions of the corresponding luciferins, notable bioluminescence improvements were achieved in comparison with furimazine, which is currently amongst the best substrates of nanoKAZ/NanoLuc. For instance, the rather more lipophilic analogue 8-(2,3-difluorobenzyl)-2-((5-methylfuran-2-yl)methyl)-6-phenylimidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-one provided a 1.5-fold improvement of the total light output over a 2 h period, a close to threefold increase of the initial signal intensity and a signal-to-background ratio five times greater than furimazine. The kinetic parameters for the enzymatic reaction were obtained for a selection of luciferin analogues and provided unexpected insights into the luciferase activity. Most prominently, along with a general substrate-dependent and irreversible inactivation of this enzyme, in the case of the optimized luciferin mentioned above, the consumption of 2664 molecules was found to be required for the detection of a single Relative Light Unit (RLU; a luminometer-dependent fraction of a photon).     

Synthesis and in vitro biological properties of novel cationic derivatives of amphotericin B

Novel cationic amphotericin B derivatives as highly potent antifungal agents are reported. These semi-synthetic derivatives of amphotericin B were elaborated through a series of modifications both on the nitrogen atom of the mycosamine and on the C-16 carboxylic acid moiety. The antifungal activity of the new conjugates was tested against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and also against nine different strains of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, including an amphotericin resistant strain. High potency was observed in the case of polyamine derivatives bearing two 3-aminopropyl chains on the mycosamine. The evaluation of the biological properties also included the determination of the hemolytic activity of the compounds by measuring the EH50 values.     

Luciferin Regeneration in Firefly Bioluminescence via Proton-Transfer-Facilitated Hydrolysis,Condensation and Chiral Inversion

Firefly bioluminescence is produced via luciferin enzymatic reactions in luciferase. Luciferin has to be unceasingly replenished to maintain bioluminescence. How is the luciferin reproduced after it has been exhausted? In the early 1970s, Okada proposed the hypothesis that the oxyluciferin produced by the previous bioluminescent reaction could be converted into new luciferin for the next bioluminescent reaction. To some extent, this hypothesis was evidenced by several detected intermediates. However, the detailed process and mechanism of luciferin regeneration remained largely unknown. For the first time, we investigated the entire process of luciferin regeneration in firefly bioluminescence by density functional theory calculations. This theoretical study suggests that luciferin regeneration consists of three sequential steps: the oxyluciferin produced from the last bioluminescent reaction generates 2-cyano-6-hydroxybenzothiazole (CHBT) in the luciferin regenerating enzyme (LRE) via a hydrolysis reaction; CHBT combines with L-cysteine in vivo to form L-luciferin via a condensation reaction; and L-luciferin inverts into D-luciferin in luciferase and thioesterase. The presently proposed mechanism not only supports the sporadic evidence from previous experiments but also clearly describes the complete process of luciferin regeneration. This work is of great significance for understanding the long-term flashing of fireflies without an in vitro energy supply.     

Induced Chemical Defense of a Mushroom by a Double-Bond-Shifting Polyene Synthase

The antilarval mushroom polyenes 18-methyl-19-oxoicosaoctaenoic acid and 20-methyl-21-oxodocosanonaenoic acid appear in response to injury of the mycelium of the stereaceous mushroom BY1. We identified a polyketide synthase (PPS1) which belongs to a hitherto completely uncharacterized clade of polyketide synthases. Expression of the PPS1 gene is massively upregulated following mycelial damage. The synthesis of the above polyenes was reconstituted in the mold Aspergillus niger as a heterologous host. This demonstrates that PPS1 1) synchronously produces branched-chain polyketides of varied lengths, and 2) catalyzes the unprecedented shift of eight or nine double bonds. This study represents the first characterization of a reducing polyketide synthase from a mushroom. We also show that injury-induced de novo synthesis of polyketides is a fungal response strategy.     

Tracer studies on dinoflagellate luciferin with [N]-glycine and [N]-l-glutamic acid in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula

The bioluminescence of dinoflagellate is a typical luciferin-luciferase reaction. To clarify the biosynthesis of dinoflagellate luciferin, we performed a feeding experiment with [¹⁵N]-glycine and [¹⁵N]-l-glutamic acid in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula. In a control experiment, we also examined whether or not chlorophyll a was incorporated with these labeled compounds. We detected by mass spectrometry the incorporation of [¹⁵N]-glycine and [¹⁵N]-l-glutamic acid into the four tetrapyrrole rings of the luciferin. In the control experiment, chlorophyll a was also incorporated with [¹⁵N]-glycine and [¹⁵N]-l-glutamic acid. Our results show that either glycine or glutamic acid could be the original component of dinoflagellate luciferin as well as chlorophyll a in the dinoflagellate P. lunula.     

Daldionin,an Unprecedented Binaphthyl Derivative,and Diverse Polyketide Congeners from a Fungal Orchid Endophyte

Thailand possesses a rich diversity of orchid species that, in turn, live in symbiosis with a wide variety of fungi. Such endophytes have the potential to produce secondary metabolites with bioactivity against orchid and/or human pathogens. The orchid‐associated fungal strain Daldinia eschscholtzii was found to produce a diverse range of aromatic polyketides including the new naphthalene derivatives daldionin, nodulones B and C, and daldinones F and G along with eight known compounds. Daldionin possesses an unprecedented oxane‐linked binaphthyl ring system. These compounds demonstrate the high diversity of structural variations that are constructed during fungal biosynthesis, and the results include important observations concerning the biosynthesis of binaphthyl derivatives. Daldionin was found to have weak antiproliferative activity against HUVEC and K‐562 cell lines. All but one of the isolated compounds showed moderate antimicrobial activity towards at least one of the four tested microbial strains.