Modifications of diketopiperazines assembled by cyclodipeptide synthases with cytochrome P450 enzymes

2,5-Diketopiperazines are the smallest cyclic peptides comprising two amino acids connected via two peptide bonds. They can be biosynthesized in nature by two different enzyme families, either by nonribosomal peptide synthetases or by cyclodipeptide synthases. Due to the stable scaffold of the diketopiperazine ring, they can serve as precursors for further modifications by different tailoring enzymes, such as methyltransferases, prenyltransferases, oxidoreductases like cyclodipeptide oxidases, 2-oxoglutarate-dependent monooxygenases and cytochrome P-450 enzymes, leading to the formation of intriguing secondary metabolites. Among them, cyclodipeptide synthase-associated P(450)s attracted recently significant attention, since they are able to catalyse a broader variety of astonishing reactions than just oxidation by insertion of an oxygen. The P-450-catalysed reactions include hydroxylation at a tertiary carbon, aromatisation of the diketopiperazine ring, intramolecular and intermolecular carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bond formation of cyclodipeptides and nucleobase transfer reactions. Elucidation of the crystal structures of three P(450)s as cyclodipeptide dimerases provides a structural basis for understanding the reaction mechanism and generating new enzymes by protein engineering. This review summarises recent publications on cyclodipeptide modifications by P(450)s.

Automated summary

2,5-Diketopiperazines are the smallest cyclic peptides composed of two amino acids connected by two peptide bonds, which can be biosynthesized by different enzyme families in nature. Due to their stable scaffold, they can serve as precursors for various tailoring enzymes to generate intriguing secondary metabolites. Recent attention has been focused on cyclodipeptide synthase-associated P(450)s, as they can catalyze a wider range of reactions beyond oxidation.