Antibiotic formation, amino acids

Antibiotic A201A. Antibiotic A201A (23), produced by S. capreolus is an /V -dimethyladenine nucleoside stmcturaHy similar to puromycin (19). Compound (23) which contains an aromatic acid and monosaccharide residues (1,4), inhibits the incorporation of amino acids into proteins but has no effect on RNA or DNA synthesis. Compound (23) does not accept polypeptides as does (19), and does appear to block formation of the initiation complex of the SOS subunit. It may block formation of a puromycin-reactive ribosome. 

Amino acids, sulphoxide, radiolysis of 909 a-Amino acids, reactions of 776, 777 a-Aminosulphones, synthesis of 176 Aminosulphonyl radicals 1093 Aminosulphoxides rearrangement of 740 synthesis of 336 Andersen synthesis 60 / -Anilinosulphoxides, synthesis of 334, 335 Anion radicals 1048-1050 ESR spectra of 1050-1054 formation of during electrolysis 963 during radiolysis 892-897, 899, 903 Annulation 778, 781, 801, 802 Antibiotics, synthesis of 310 Arenesulphenamides 740 Arenesulphenates 623 reactions of 282 rearrangement of 719 Arenesulphinates 824, 959 chiral 618... 

A further example of the reductive allene formation in the synthesis of a non-alle-nic natural product was reported recently by VanBrunt and Standaert (Scheme 2.47) [81]. Treatment of the propargylic silyl ether 147 with LiAlH4 led to the syn-stereose-lective formation of the hydroxyallene 148, albeit with unsatisfactory chemical yield (25-50%). The latter was then transformed into the antibiotic amino acid furanomy-cin (150) by silver-mediated cycloisomerization to dihydrofuran 149 and elaboration of the side-chain. 

By analogy with the biogenesis of oximes via oxidation of amino acids or biogenic amines, the biosynthetic pathway for insertion of the ketoxime function into the antibiotic, nocardicin A (18), was shown to be dependent on the oxidation of the corresponding primary amine precursor of 18 by cytochrome PTSO ". Similarly, the formation of the ketoxime bond of verongamine (17) is attributed to the oxidation of a primary amine precursor . 

Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) is a nitrobenzene derivative that affects protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit and preventing peptide bond formation. It prevents the attachment of the amino acid end of aminoacyl-tRNA to the A site, hence the association of peptidyltransferase with the amino acid substrate. Resistance due to changes in the ribosomebinding site results in a decreased affinity for the drug, decreased permeability, and plasmids that code for enzymes that degrade the antibiotic. 

Coumarins are competitive inhibitors of vitamin K, which is required for the formation in the liver of the amino acid, gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. This is necessary for the synthesis of prothrombin and factors VII, IX and X (Figure 17.1). After starting treatment the anticoagulant effect is delayed until the concentration of normal coagulation factors falls (36-72 h). The effects can be reversed by vitamin K (slow maximum effect only after 3-6 h) or by whole blood or plasma (fast). Gut bacteria synthesise vitamin K and thus are an important source of this vitamin. Consequently, antibiotics can cause excessive prolongation of the prothrombin time in patients otherwise adequately controlled on warfarin. 

There are several examples of metabolites where the tetramic acid domain is teasingly disguised. In these cases, it is difficult to be definitive about the nature of the apparent modification unless this is substantiated by biosynthetic studies. The case of lactacystin (5), Fig. (2), has already been considered. Another example is presented by the oxazolomycin group of antibiotics, e.g. (Ill), found in strains of Streptomyces [179]. Biosynthetic studies indicate that the carboxylic acid of the amino acid required to form tetramic acids contributes to the formation of the 3-lactone [180]. In this section, metabolites that probably have a tetramic acid origin are presented. 

While peptide antibiotics are synthesized according to enzyme-controlled polymerization patterns, both proteins and nucleic acids are made by template mechanisms. Tire sequence of their monomer emits is determined by genetically encoded information. A key reaction in the formation of proteins is the transfer of activated aminoacyl groups to molecules of tRNA (Eq. 17-36). Tire tRNAs act as carriers or adapters as explained in detail in Chapter 29. Each aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase must recognize the correct tRNA and attach the correct amino acid to it. The tRNA then carries the activated amino acid to a ribosome, where it is placed, at the correct moment, in the active site. Peptidyltransferase, using a transacylation reaction, in an insertion mechanism transfers the C terminus of the growing peptide chain onto the amino group of... 

Early studies of peptides isolated from microbial sources and possessing antibiotic activity led to the discovery of some a-amino acids not normally found in proteins. The peptides containing these nonproteinogenic, but natural a-amino acids exhibit helical structures which act as channels for transmembrane ion transport 32 Formation of a- or 310-helices in these peptides was ascribed to the unique geometry of these residues and their present use in the induction of these conformations is now widely established. 

There are a large number of amino acids found in different organisms that are not incorporated into proteins. For example, the D-amino acids are commonly found in microbial cell walls and in many peptide antibiotics. In most cases the formation of D-amino acid containing peptides starts from the related L-amino acid. 

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