Abstact

The bottromycins are a family of highly modified peptide natural products, which display potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Bottromycins have recently been shown to be ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). Unique amongst RiPPs, the precursor peptide BotA contains a C-terminal "follower" sequence, rather than the canonical N-terminal "leader" sequence. We report herein the structural and biochemical characterization of BotP, a leucyl-aminopeptidase-like enzyme from the bottromycin pathway. We demonstrate that BotP is responsible for the removal of the N-terminal methionine from the precursor peptide. Determining the crystal structures of both apo BotP and BotP in complex with Mn2+ allowed us to model a BotP/substrate complex and to rationalize substrate recognition. Our data represent the first step towards targeted compound modification to unlock the full antibiotic potential of bottro- mycin.