报告题目：Nature Products Discovery and Characterization via Synthetic Biology Approaches 

　　报 告 人：罗云孜  （美国伊利诺伊大学香槟分校基因组研究所 博士后）

　　报告时间：9月29日（周一）9:30

　　报告地点：中国科学院天津工业生物技术研究所 C408

　　报告摘要：

　　Polycyclic tetramate macrolactams (PTMs) are a widely distributed class of natural products with important biological activities. However, many of these PTMs have not been characterized. Here we apply a plug-and-play synthetic biology strategy to activate a cryptic PTM biosynthetic gene cluster SGR810-815 from Streptomyces griseus and discover three new PTMs. This gene cluster is highly conserved in phylogenetically diverse bacterial strains and contains an unusual hybrid polyketide synthase-nonribosomal peptide synthetase, which resembles iterative polyketide synthases known in fungi. To further characterize this gene cluster, we use the same synthetic biology approach to create a series of gene deletion constructs and elucidate the biosynthetic steps for the formation of the polycyclic system. Interestingly, we find that instead of following a sequential reaction order, this single gene cluster may involve three parallel pathways leading to three different products. Similar cluster structure is identified within another PTM biosynthesis gene cluster as well, which indicates that this parallel pathway structure is conserved in PTM biosynthesis. The synthetic biology strategy we employ here bypasses the traditional laborious processes to elicit gene cluster expression and should be generally applicable to many other silent or cryptic gene clusters for discovery and characterization of new natural products.

　　报告人简介：

　　罗云孜，美国伊利诺伊大学香槟分校生物化工专业博士，师从赵惠民教授；现在美国伊利诺伊大学香槟分校基因组研究所（IGB）从事博士后研究。所参与的主要项目如下：

　　1、成功从具有生物活性的植物中发现并克隆第三类聚酮合成酶及生产相关天然产物；

　　2、成功异源表达来自链霉菌(Streptomyces orinoci)的药物spectinabilin的生物合成途径；

　　3、成功开发新型合成生物学方法激活链霉菌(Streptomyces griseus)中未知天然产物生物合成途径，产生一类新型天然产物，进行结构确认及相关生物合成机理研究；

　　4、利用RNA-seq技术筛选Streptomyces albus中强力启动子以构建以合成生物学为核心的高通量天然产物发现平台；

　　5、研究真菌基因组信息及其有药用价值次级代谢产物相关生物合成途径；

　　6、参与酿酒酵母菌基因组改造工具设计和生物燃料丁醇生产相关课题。