Nature Communications (Jun 2017)

Cryptic indole hydroxylation by a non-canonical terpenoid cyclase parallels bacterial xenobiotic detoxification

  • Susann Kugel,
  • Martin Baunach,
  • Philipp Baer,
  • Mie Ishida-Ito,
  • Srividhya Sundaram,
  • Zhongli Xu,
  • Michael Groll,
  • Christian Hertweck

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15804
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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The biosynthesis of xiamycin, an antimicrobial bacterial indolosesquiterpenoid, involves an unusual cyclization cascade. Here, the authors characterise the XiaF enzyme, which resembles xenobiont-degrading enzymes and is responsible for a hidden indole hydroxylation step that triggers the cyclization reaction.