An Unusual Follower Peptide is Required for Biosynthesis of the Antibiotic Lasso Peptide Triculamin

Abstract

Triculamin is a potent antibiotic lasso peptide first isolated in 1967. Previous studies have demonstrated that its biosynthesis follows a non-canonical logic unlike any other lasso peptide. In this study, we investigate the role of the unusual follower peptide and demonstrate that it is essential for efficient biosynthesis. Using structural prediction and targeted mutations of key conserved residues, we hypothesize that the interactions between the follower peptide and the macrocyclase create an enzyme-substrate complex that ensures delivery of the core peptide to the enzyme active site. Moreover, we demonstrate that analogs of the lasso peptide can be produced by modifying the core peptide, highlighting the substrate promiscuity of the lasso macrocyclase and identifying lysine-3 in the lasso peptide ring as the site of acetylation. Lastly, we achieve successful heterologous expression in Burkholderia sp. FERM 3421, which proves to be a superior heterologous host.