In vivo production of pederin by labrenzin pathway expansion

• Published in: Metabolic engineering communications Vol. 14; p. e00198
• Main Authors: Kačar, Dina, Schleissner, Carmen, Cañedo, Librada M., Rodríguez, Pilar, de la Calle, Fernando, Cuevas, Carmen, Galán, Beatriz, García, José Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: aquatic bacteria; biosynthesis; endosymbionts; fermentation; genes; Labrenzia; Paederus; pharmaceutical industry; polyketides; Short communication; toxins
• ISSN: 2214-0301; 2214-0301
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2022.e00198

Pederin is a potent polyketide toxin that causes severe skin lesions in humans after contact with insects of genus Paederus. Due to its potent anticancer activities, pederin family compounds have raised the interest of pharmaceutical industry. Despite the extensive studies on the cluster of biosynthetic genes responsible for the production of pederin, it has not yet been possible to isolate and cultivate its bacterial endosymbiont producer. However, the marine bacterium Labrenzia sp. PHM005 was recently reported to produce labrenzin, the closest pederin analog. By cloning a synthetic pedO gene encoding one of the three O-methyltraferase of the pederin cluster into Labrenzia sp. PHM005 we have been able to produce pederin for the first time by fermentation in the new recombinant strain. •Pederin is produced for the first time by fermentation in the marine bacterium Labrenzia sp. PHM005.•Methyltransferase PedO was heterologously expressed in Labrenzia sp. PHM005.•PedO is most likely responsible of the C18–OH methylation of labrenzin.•The new methylated analog was detected by HPLC-MS from the culture extracts.