A putative 7-dimethylallyl tryptophan synthase (DMATS) gene from a fungal Neosartorya sp. was cloned and overexpressed as a soluble His6-fusion protein in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was found to catalyze the prenylation of L-tryptophan at the C7 position of the indole moiety in the presence of dimethylallyl diphosphate; thus, it functions as a 7-DMATS. In this study, we describe the biochemical characterization of 7-DMATS from Neosartorya sp., referred to as 7-DMATS(Neo), and the structural basis of the regioselective prenylation of L-tryptophan at the C7 position by comparison of the three-dimensional structural models of 7-DMATS(Neo) with FgaPT2 (4-DMATS) from Aspergillus fumigatus.
Keywords: 7-Dimethylallyl tryptophan synthase (7-DMATS); Neosartorya sp.; Prenylated indole derivatives; Regioselective prenylation; Three-dimensional structural models.
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