First discovered in 1989, the anthraquinone-fused enediynes
are
a class of DNA-cleaving bacterial natural products composed of a DNA-intercalating
anthraquinone moiety and a 10-membered enediyne warhead. However,
until recently, there has been a lack of genetically amenable hosts
and sequenced biosynthetic gene clusters available for solving the
biosynthetic questions surrounding these molecules. Herein, we have
identified and biochemically and structurally characterized TnmK1,
a member of the α/β-hydrolase fold superfamily responsible
for the C–C bond formation linking the anthraquinone moiety
and enediyne core together in tiancimycin (TNM) biosynthesis. In doing
so, two intermediates, TNM H and TNM I, in anthraquinone-fused enediyne
biosynthesis, containing an unprecedented cryptic C16 aldehyde group,
were identified. This aldehyde plays a key role in the TnmK1-catalyzed
C–C bond formation via a Michael addition, representing the
first example of this chemistry for the α/β-hydrolase
fold superfamily. Additionally, TNM I shows sub-nanomolar cytotoxicity
against selected cancer cell lines, indicating a new mechanism of
action compared to previously known anthraquinone-fused enediynes.
Together, the findings from this study are expected to impact enzymology,
natural product biosynthesis, and future efforts at enediyne discovery
and drug development.