A Bacterial Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Catalyzes Multistep Oxidation Reactions in Pyrroindomycin Biosynthesis

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) belong to a large family of oxidative hemeproteins and catalyze highly diverse oxygenation reactions that are involved in the biosynthesis of various natural products. Here, we report a multifunctional cytochrome P450 enzyme, PyrE2, which catalyzes the regioselective, successive 6-electron oxidation of an inert methyl group to produce a carboxyl product through formation of the hydroxyl and aldehyde intermediates in pyrroindomycin biosynthesis. The time-course biotransformation was characterized by the presence of the hydroxyl and aldehyde intermediates, the lag of the formation of the carboxyl product, and the subsequent loss of both intermediates, indicating that each 2-electron oxidation exhibits the distributive mechanism that requires substrate binding and product releasing. Bioinformatics analysis shows that the homologs of pyrE2 are common in the gene clusters of the spirotetronates varying in the oxidative state of the corresponding exocyclic carbon, indicating the generality and diversity of P450-catalyzed oxygenation in related biosynthetic pathways.

Automated summary

In this study, a multifunctional cytochrome P450 enzyme, PyrE2, was discovered to catalyze the successive oxidation of an inert methyl group to produce a carboxyl product in pyrroindomycin biosynthesis. The time-course biotransformation revealed the presence of intermediates and a distributive mechanism for each oxidation step. Bioinformatics analysis showed that pyrE2 homologs are common in gene clusters related to spirotetronates, suggesting the generality and diversity of P450-catalyzed oxygenation in biosynthetic pathways.