Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The aureolic acid family of antitumor compounds: structure, mode of action, biosynthesis, and novel derivatives

  • Mini-Review
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Members of the aureolic acid family are tricyclic polyketides with antitumor activity which are produced by different streptomycete species. These members are glycosylated compounds with two oligosaccharide chains of variable sugar length. They interact with the DNA minor groove in high-GC-content regions in a nonintercalative way and with a requirement for magnesium ions. Mithramycin and chromomycins are the most representative members of the family, mithramycin being used as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of several cancer diseases. For chromomycin and durhamycin A, antiviral activity has also been reported. The biosynthesis gene clusters for mithramycin and chromomycin A3 have been studied in detail by gene sequencing, insertional inactivation, and gene expression. Most of the biosynthetic intermediates in these pathways have been isolated and characterized. Some of these compounds showed an increase in antitumor activity in comparison with the parent compounds. A common step in the biosynthesis of all members of the family is the formation of the tetracyclic intermediate premithramycinone. Further biosynthetic steps (glycosylation, methylations, acylations) proceed through tetracyclic intermediates which are finally converted into tricyclic compounds by the action of a monooxygenase, a key event for the biological activity. Heterologous expression of biosynthetic genes from other aromatic polyketide pathways in the mithramycin producer (or some mutants) led to the isolation of novel hybrid compounds.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bianchi N, Rutigliano C, Passadore M, Tomassetti M, Pippo L, Mischiati C, Feriotto G, Gambari R (1997) Targeting of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat with chromomycin potentiates the inhibitory effects of a triplex-forming oligonucleotide on Sp1-DNA interactions and in vitro transcription. Biochem J 326:919–927

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco G, Fu H, Méndez C, Khosla C, Salas JA (1996) Deciphering the biosynthetic origin of the aglycone of the aureolic acid group of anti-tumor agents. Chem Biol 3:193–196

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco G, Fernández E, Fernández MJ, Braña AF, Weissbach U, Künzel E, Rohr J, Méndez C, Salas JA (2000) Characterization of two glycosyltransferases involved in early glycosylation steps during biosynthesis of the antitumor polyketide mithramycin by Streptomyces argillaceus. Mol Gen Genet 262:991–1000

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco G, Patallo EP, Braña AF, Trefzer A, Bechthold A, Rohr J, Méndez C, Salas JA (2001) Identification of a sugar flexible glycosyltransferase from Streptomyces olivaceus, the producer of the antitumor polyketide elloramycin. Chem Biol 8:253–263

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blumauerova M, Lipavska H, Stajner K, Vanek Z (1976) The study of variability and strain selection in Streptomyces atroolivaceus. III. Isolation and preliminary characteristics of mutants impaired in the biosynthesis of mithramycin. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 21:285–293

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brazhnikova MG, Krugliak EB, Kovsharova IN, Konstantinova NV, Proshliakova VV (1962) Isolation, purification and study on some physico-chemical properties of a new antibiotic olivomycin. Antibiotiki 7:39–44

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell VW, Davin D, Thomas S, Jones D, Roesel J, Tran-Patterson R, Mayfield CA, Rodu B, Miller DM, Hiramoto RA (1994) The G–C specific DNA binding drug, mithramycin, selectively inhibits transcription of the C-MYC and C-HA-RAS genes in regenerating liver. Am J Med Sci 307:167–172

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chakrabarti S, Bhattacharyya D, Dasgupta D (2000–2001) Structural basis of DNA recognition by anticancer antibiotics, chromomycin A(3), and mithramycin: roles of minor groove width and ligand flexibility. Biopolymers 56:85–95

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee S, Zaman K, Ryu H, Conforto A, Ratan RR (2001) Sequence-selective DNA binding drugs mithramycin A and chromomycin A3 are potent inhibitors of neuronal apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and DNA damage in cortical neurons. Ann Neurol 49:345–354

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Decker H, Rohr J, Motamedi H, Zahner H, Hutchinson CR (1995) Identification of Streptomyces olivaceus Tü 2353 genes involved in the production of the polyketide elloramycin. Gene 166:121–126

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Du Priest RW Jr, Fletcher WS (1973) Chemotherapy of testicular germinal tumors. Oncology 28:147–163

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faust B, Hoffmeister D, Weitnauer G, Westrich L, Haag S, Schneider P, Decker H, Kunzel E, Rohr J, Bechthold A (2000) Two new tailoring enzymes, a glycosyltransferase and an oxygenase, involved in biosynthesis of the angucycline antibiotic urdamycin A in Streptomyces fradiae Tü 2717. Microbiology 146:147–154

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández E, Lombó F, Méndez C, Salas JA (1996) An ABC transporter is essential for resistance to the antitumor agent mithramycin in the producer Streptomyces argillaceus. Mol Gen Genet 251:692–698

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández E, Weissbach U, Sánchez-Reillo C, Braña AF, Méndez C, Rohr J, Salas JA (1998) Identification of two genes from Streptomyces argillaceus encoding glycosyltransferase involved in transfer of a disaccharide during biosynthesis of the antitumor drug mithramycin. J Bacteriol 180:4929–4937

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Bernardo J, Braña AF, Méndez C, Salas JA (2000) Insertional inactivation of mtrX and mtrY genes from the mithramycin gene cluster affects production and growth of the producer organism Streptomyces argillaceus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 186:61–65

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson M, Nur-e-alam M, Lipata F, Oliveira MA, Rohr J (2005) Characterization of kinetics and products of the Baeyer–Villiger oxygenase MtmOIV, the key enzyme of the biosynthetic pathway toward the natural product anticancer drug mithramycin from Streptomyces argillaceus. J Am Chem Soc 127:17594–17595

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • González A, Remsing LL, Lombó F, Fernández MJ, Prado L, Braña AF, Künzel E, Rohr J, Méndez C, Salas JA (2001) The mtmVUC genes of the mithramycin gene cluster in Streptomyces argillaceus are involved in the biosynthesis of the sugar moieties. Mol Gen Genet 264:827–835

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grundy WE, Goldstein AW, Rickher JC, Hanes ME, Warren HB, Sylvester JC (1953) Aureolic acid, a new antibiotic. I. Microbiological studies. Antimicrob Chemother 3:1215–1221

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall TJ, Schaeublin M, Chambers TJ (1993) The majority of osteoclasts require mRNA and protein synthesis for bone resorption in vitro. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 195:1245–1253

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jayasuriya H, Lingham RB, Graham P, Quamina D, Herranz L, Genilloud O, Gagliardi M, Danzeisen R, Tomassini JE, Zink DL, Guan Z, Singh SB (2002) Durhamycin A, a potent inhibitor of HIV Tat transactivation. J Nat Prod 65:1091–1095

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kantola J, Kunnari T, Hautala A, Hakala J, Ylihonko K, Mantsala P (2000) Elucidation of anthracyclinone biosynthesis by stepwise cloning of genes for anthracyclines from three different Streptomyces spp. Microbiology 146:155–163

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Katahira R, Katahira M, Yamashita Y, Ogawa H, Kyogoku Y, Yoshida M (1998) Solution structure of the novel antitumor drug UCH9 complexed with d(TTGGCCAA)2 as determined by NMR. Nucleic Acids Res 26:744–755

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Keniry MA, Owen EA, Shafer RH (2000) The three-dimensional structure of the 4:1 mithramycin:d(ACCCGGGT)(2) complex: evidence for an interaction between the E saccharides. Biopolymers 54:104–114

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kunnari T, Klika KD, Blanco G, Méndez C, Mäntsälä P, Hakala J, Sillanpää R, Tähtinen P, Salas JA, Ylihonko K (2002) Hybrid compounds generated by the introduction of a nogalamycin-producing plasmid into Streptomyces argillaceus. J Chem Soc Perkin Trans 1:1818–1825

    Google Scholar 

  • Künzel E, Wohlert SE, Beninga C, Haag S, Decker H, Hutchinson CR, Blanco G, Mendez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (1997) Tetracenomycin M, a novel genetically engineered tetracenomycin resulting from a combination of mithramycin and tetracenomycin biosynthetic genes. Chem Eur J 3:1675–1678

    Google Scholar 

  • Künzel E, Faust B, Oelkers C, Weissbach U, Bearden DW, Weitnauer G, Westrich L, Bechthold A, Rohr J (1999) Inactivation of the urdGT2 gene, which encodes a glycosyltransferase responsible for the C-glycosyltransfer of activated D-olivose, leads to formation of the novel urdamycins I, J, and K. J Am Chem Soc 121:11058–11062

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombó F, Blanco G, Fernández E, Méndez C, Salas JA (1996) Characterization of Streptomyces argillaceus genes encoding a polyketide synthase involved in the biosynthesis of the antitumor mithramycin. Gene 172:87–91

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lombó F, Siems K, Braña AF, Méndez C, Bindseil K, Salas JA (1997) Cloning and insertional inactivation of Streptomyces argillaceus genes involved in the earliest steps of biosynthesis of the sugar moieties of the antitumor polyketide mithramycin. J Bacteriol 179:3354–3357

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lombó F, Braña AF, Méndez C, Salas JA (1999) The mithramycin gene cluster of Streptomyces argillaceus contains a positive regulatory gene and two repeated DNA sequences that are located at both ends of the cluster. J Bacteriol 181:642–647

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lombó F, Kunzel E, Prado L, Braña AF, Bindseil KU, Frevert J, Bearden D, Méndez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (2000) The novel hybrid antitumor compound premithramycinone H provides indirect evidence for a tricyclic intermediate of the biosynthesis of the aureolic acid antibiotic mithramycin. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 39:796–799

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lombó F, Gibson M, Greenwell L, Braña AF, Rohr J, Salas JA, Méndez C (2004) Engineering biosynthetic pathways for deoxysugars: branched-chain sugar pathways and derivatives from the antitumor tetracenomycin. Chem Biol 11:1709–1718

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano MJ, Remsing LL, Quirós LM, Braña AF, Fernández E, Sánchez C, Méndez C, Rohr J, Salas JA (2000) Characterization of two polyketide methyltransferases involved in the biosynthesis of the antitumor drug mithramycin by Streptomyces argillaceus. J Biol Chem 275:3065–3074

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Majee S, Chakrabarti A (1995) A DNA-binding antitumor antibiotic binds to spectrin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 212:428–432

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Majee S, Sen R, Guha S, Bhattacharyya D, Dasgupta D (1997) Differential interactions of the Mg2+ complexes of chromomycin A3 and mithramycin with poly(dG-dC) x poly(dC-dG) and poly(dG) x poly(dC). Biochemistry 36:2291–2299

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Majee S, Dasgupta D, Chakrabarti A (1999) Interaction of the DNA-binding antitumor antibiotics, chromomycin and mithramycin with erythroid spectrin. Eur J Biochem 260:619–626

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menéndez N, Nur-e-Alam M, Braña AF, Rohr J, Salas JA, Méndez C (2004a) Biosynthesis of the antitumor chromomycin A3 in Streptomyces griseus: analysis of the gene cluster and rational design of novel chromomycin analogs. Chem Biol 11:21–32

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menéndez N, Nur-e-Alam M, Braña AF, Rohr J, Salas JA, Méndez C (2004b) Tailoring modification of deoxysugars during biosynthesis of the antitumour drug chromomycin A3 by Streptomyces griseus ssp. griseus. Mol Microbiol 53:903–915

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menéndez N, Nur-e-Alam M, Fischer C, Braña AF, Salas JA, Rohr J, Méndez C (2006) Deoxysugar transfer during chromomycin A3 biosynthesis in Strepomyces griseus subsp. griseus: new derivatives with antitumor activity. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:167–177

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mir MA, Majee S, Das S, Dasgupta D (2003) Association of chromatin with anticancer antibiotics, mithramycin and chromomycin A3. Bioorg Med Chem 11:2791–2801

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montanari A, Rosazza JP (1990) Biogenesis of chromomycin A3 by Streptomyces griseus. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 43:883–889

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nur-e-Alam M, Méndez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (2005) Elucidation of the glycosylation sequence of mithramycin biosynthesis: isolation of 3a-deolivosylpremithramycin B and its conversion to premithramycin B by glycosyltransferase MtmGII. Chembiochem 6:632–636

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa H, Yamashita Y, Katahira R, Chiba S, Iwasaki T, Ashizawa T, Nakano H (1998) UCH9, a new antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces: I. Producing organism, fermentation, isolation and biological activities. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 5:261–266

    Google Scholar 

  • Prado L, Lombó F, Braña AF, Méndez C, Rohr J, Salas JA (1999a) Analysis of two chromosomal regions adjacent to genes for a type II polyketide synthase involved in the biosynthesis of the antitumor polyketide mithramycin in Streptomyces argillaceus. Mol Gen Genet 261:216–225

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Prado L, Fernández E, Weissbach U, Blanco G, Quirós LM, Braña AF, Méndez C, Rohr J, Salas JA (1999b) Oxidative cleavage of premithramycin B is one of the last steps in the biosynthesis of the antitumor drug mithramycin. Chem Biol 6:19–30

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rao KV, Cullen WP, Sobin BA (1962) A new antibiotic with antitumor properties. Antibiot Chemother 12:182–186

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Remsing LL, Garcia-Bernardo J, González A, Kunzel E, Rix U, Braña AF, Bearden DW, Méndez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (2002) Ketopremithramycins and ketomithramycins, four new aureolic acid-type compounds obtained upon inactivation of two genes involved in the biosynthesis of the deoxysugar moieties of the antitumor drug mithramycin by Streptomyces argillaceus, reveal novel insights into post-PKS tailoring steps of the mithramycin biosynthetic pathway. J Am Chem Soc 124:1606–1614

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Remsing LL, Bahadori HR, Carbone GM, McGuffie EM, Catapano CV, Rohr J (2003a) Inhibition of c-src transcription by mithramycin: structure–activity relationships of biosynthetically produced mithramycin analogues using the c-src promoter as target. Biochemistry 42:8313–8324

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Remsing LL, González AM, Nur-e-Alam M, Fernández-Lozano MJ, Braña AF, Rix U, Oliveira MA, Méndez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (2003b) Mithramycin SK, a novel antitumor drug with improved therapeutic index, mithramycin SA, and demycarosyl-mithramycin SK: three new products generated in the mithramycin producer Streptomyces argillaceus through combinatorial biosynthesis. J Am Chem Soc 125:5745–5753

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez D, Quirós LM, Braña AF, Salas JA (2003) Purification and characterization of a monooxygenase involved in the biosynthetic pathway of the antitumor drug mithramycin. J Bacteriol 185:3962–3965

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez D, Quirós LM, Salas JA (2004) MtmMII-mediated C-methylation during biosynthesis of the antitumor drug mithramycin is essential for biological activity and DNA–drug interaction. J Biol Chem 279:8149–8158

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rohr J (1992) Comparison of multicyclic polyketides by folding analysis. A novel approach to recognize biosynthetic and/or evolutionary interrelationships of the natural products or intermediates, and its exemplification on hepta-, octa- and decaketides. J Org Chem 57:5217–5223

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rohr J, Weissbach U, Beninga C, Künzel E, Siems K, Bindseil KU, Lombó F, Prado L, Braña AF, Méndez C, Salas JA (1998) The structures of premithramycinone and demethylpremithramycinone, plausible early intermediates of the aureolic acid group antibiotic mithramycin. Chem Commun 437–438

  • Rohr J, Méndez C, Salas JA (1999) The biosynthesis of aureolic acid group antibiotics. Bioorg Chem 27:41–54

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryuto M, Ono M, Izumi H, Yoshida S, Weich HA, Kohno K, Kuwano M (1996) Induction of vascular endothelial growth factor by tumor necrosis factor alpha in human glioma cells. Possible roles of SP-1. J Biol Chem 271:28220–28228

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sastry M, Patel DJ (1993) Solution structure of the mithramycin dimer–DNA complex. Biochemistry 32:6588–6604

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sastry M, Fiala R, Patel DJ (1995) Solution structure of mithramycin dimers bound to partially overlapping sites on DNA. J Mol Biol 251:674–689

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sato K, Okamura N, Utagawa K, Ito Y, Watanabe M (1960) Studies on the antitumor activity of chromomycin A3. Sci Rep Res Inst Tohoku Univ 9:224–232

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sensi P, Greco AM, Pagani H (1958) Isolation and properties of a new antibiotic LA-7017. Antibiot Chemother 8:241–244

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen B, Hutchinson CR (1993a) Tetracenomycin F2 cyclase: intramolecular aldol condensation in the biosynthesis of tetracenomycin C in Streptomyces glaucescens. Biochemistry 32:11149–11154

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shen B, Hutchinson CR (1993b) Tetracenomycin F1 monooxygenase: oxidation of a naphthacenone to a naphthacenequinone in the biosynthesis of tetracenomycin C in Streptomyces glaucescens. Biochemistry 32:6656–6663

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tagashira M, Kitagawa T, Isonishi S, Okamoto A, Ochiai K, Ohtake Y (2000) Mithramycin represses MDR1 gene expression in vitro, modulating multidrug resistance. Biol Pharm Bull 23:926–929

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trefzer A, Fischer C, Stockert S, Westrich L, Kunzel E, Girreser U, Rohr J, Bechthold A (2001) Elucidation of the function of two glycosyltransferase genes (lanGT1 and lanGT4) involved in landomycin biosynthesis and generation of new oligosaccharide antibiotics. Chem Biol 8:1239–1252

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trefzer A, Blanco G, Remsing L, Kunzel E, Rix U, Lipata F, Braña AF, Méndez C, Rohr J, Bechthold A, Salas JA (2002) Rationally designed glycosylated premithramycins: hybrid aromatic polyketides using genes from three different biosynthetic pathways. J Am Chem Soc 124:6056–6062

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vigneswaran N, Thayaparan J, Knops J, Trent J, Potaman V, Miller DM, Zacharias W (2001) Intra- and intermolecular triplex DNA formation in the murine c-myb proto-oncogene promoter are inhibited by mithramycin. Biol Chem 382:329–342

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakisaka G, Uchino H, Nakamura T, Sotovayashi H, Shirakawa S, Adachi A, Sakurai M (1963) Selective incells by chromomycin A3. Nature 198:385–386

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Gibson M, Rohr J, Oliveira MA (2005) Crystallization and X-ray diffraction properties of Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase MtmOIV from the mithramycin biosynthetic pathway in Streptomyces argillaceus. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 61:1023–1026

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ward DC, Reich E, Goldberg IH (1965) Base specificity in the interaction of polynucleotides with antibiotic drugs. Science 149:1259–1263

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waring MJ (1981) DNA modification and cancer. Annu Rev Biochem 50:159–192

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wohlert SE, Blanco G, Lombó F, Fernández E, Braña AF, Reich S, Udvarnoki G, Méndez C, Decker H, Frevert J, Salas JA, Rohr J (1998) Novel hybrid tetracenomycins through combinatorial biosynthesis using a glycosyltransferase encoded by the elm genes in cosmid 16F4 and which shows a broad sugar substrate specificity. J Am Chem Soc 120:10596–10601

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wohlert SE, Kunzel E, Machinek R, Méndez C, Salas JA, Rohr J (1999) The structure of mithramycin reinvestigated. J Nat Prod 62:119–121

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the people in their laboratory involved in research on aureolic acid drugs. Research at the authors’ laboratory has been supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (BMC2002-03599 and BIO2005-04115 to C. Méndez) and by a grant from the Plan Regional de Investigación del Principado de Asturias (GE-MEDO1-05 to J.A. Salas). We thank Obra Social Cajastur for financial support to F. Lombó.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to José A. Salas.

Additional information

Felipe Lombó and Nuria Menéndez have equally contribute to this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lombó, F., Menéndez, N., Salas, J.A. et al. The aureolic acid family of antitumor compounds: structure, mode of action, biosynthesis, and novel derivatives. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 73, 1–14 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-006-0511-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-006-0511-6

Keywords

Navigation