北京中医药大学生命科学学院,北京 102488
北京中医药大学高层次人才科研启动经费(90011451310011)资助项目。
School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China
This work was supported by a grant from Startup Fund Program at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) (90011451310011).
目的 液液相分离创造了能够调控酶功能的特殊物理化学微环境。本研究旨在阐明相分离在拓展肠道微生物酶催化可塑性中的作用,并为O-糖基化天然产物的合成提供新机制。方法 通过显微成像观察凝聚体形成及底物招募过程;运用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)和液相色谱-质谱联用(LC-MS/MS)分析类黄酮富集、反应产物及区域选择性。结果 本研究表明,富含精氨酸-甘氨酸-甘氨酸基序的相分离蛋白(RGG)介导的凝聚体能够选择性招募并富集疏水性类黄酮。更重要的是,研究进一步发现,通常以切割和异构化C-糖苷键著称的DgpB/C复合物,在这些凝聚体中发生了功能重塑。与需要核苷酸糖供体的传统糖基转移酶不同,被包裹的DgpB/C复合物在液相分离环境中利用天然糖直接催化O-糖苷键的合成。此外,研究结果显示,这种非常规的催化机制在不同的人类肠道微生物菌株(包括P581a和W974-1)中具有保守性,并对多种类黄酮苷元表现出广泛的区域选择性。结论 这些发现凸显了相分离在扩展肠道微生物酶催化可塑性中的关键作用,并为O-糖基化天然产物的合成提供了一种全新机制。
Objective Flavonoids are clinically significant natural products, yet their oxygen-glycosylation in aqueous environments relies heavily on expensive nucleotide-activated sugar donors such as UDP-glucose. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) creates specialized, membraneless physicochemical microenvironments capable of modulating enzymatic functions and overcoming mass transfer limitations. This study aims to investigate whether the gut microbiota-derived DgpB/C complex—a multienzyme system traditionally recognized for cleaving stable C-glycosidic bonds and facilitating isomerization—can undergo functional remodeling within phase-separated condensates. Our core objective is to elucidate the role of phase separation in expanding enzymatic catalytic plasticity and to provide a non-canonical, highly cost-effective biocatalytic mechanism for the direct utilization of free sugars in the synthesis of O-glycosylated natural products.Methods An artificial phase-separation platform was constructed utilizing the multivalent arginine-glycine-glycine motif (RGG)-repeat domain derived from the Caenorhabditis elegans LAF-1 protein. To ensure precise spatial compartmentalization, the DgpB/C complex was specifically recruited into the RGG condensates via a high-affinity SZ1/SZ2 heterodimerization tag system. Condensate formation and substrate partitioning were visualized using light and confocal fluorescence microscopy. The chemical structures and regioselectivity of the reaction products were rigorously characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS systems. Furthermore, molecular docking and 20-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed via the Hermite platform and Uni-GBSA pipeline to elucidate the structural and thermodynamic basis underlying the phase-transition-induced functional shift.Results We observed that the condensates formed by RGG proteins selectively recruited and significantly enriched hydrophobic flavonoid substrates. Strikingly, within the LLPS microenvironment, the DgpB/C complex—which typically exhibits only degradative or isomerase activities—underwent a profound functional remodeling, transforming into an efficient O-glycosyltransferase. Diverging from canonical pathways that require high-energy donors, the sequestered DgpB/C complex directly utilized unactivated free glucose to catalyze the formation of new O-glycosidic bonds. This remodeled activity was found to be evolutionarily conserved across DgpB/C homologs from diverse gut microbiota strains, such as P581a and W974-1. LC-MS/MS analysis further revealed that the phase-separated environment reduced the regioselectivity constraints of the enzyme, enabling catalytic action on multiple hydroxyl positions of the flavonoid scaffold. MD simulations further indicated that the low-water-activity microenvironment of the condensates reconfigured the conformational dynamics of the catalytic pocket, favoring a spatial orientation highly conducive to dehydration condensation.Conclusion This study demonstrates that LLPS drives the functional remodeling of the gut microbiota enzyme DgpB/C through the reconfiguration of the physicochemical microenvironment. These findings challenge traditional perceptions regarding the functional boundaries of metabolic enzymes and reveal a novel biocatalytic pathway that bypasses the requirement for nucleotide-activated sugars. Consequently, this provides a highly promising artificial compartmentalization strategy for the green manufacturing of complex, high-value-added natural products.
李天宇,李平,马文福. DgpB/C通过相变实现O-糖基转移酶的功能重塑[J].生物化学与生物物理进展,2026,53(6):1672-1683 LI Tian-Yu, LI Ping, MA Wen-Fu. Functional Remodeling of The DgpB/C Enzyme Into an O-Glycosyltransferase via Phase Transition[J]. Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics,2026,53(6):1672-1683
复制

扫码关注 生物化学与生物物理进展 ® 2026 网站版权 ICP:京ICP备05023138号-1 京公网安备 11010502031771号
