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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues
Published on: November 22, 2014
Reactivity of an Unusual Amidase May Explain Colibactin's DNA Cross-Linking Activity
Yindi Jiang1, Alessia Stornetta2, Peter W Villalta2
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , United States.
Abstract:
Certain commensal and pathogenic bacteria produce colibactin, a small-molecule genotoxin that causes interstrand cross-links in host cell DNA. Although colibactin alkylates DNA, the molecular basis for cross-link formation is unclear. Here, we report that the colibactin biosynthetic enzyme ClbL is an amide bond-forming enzyme that links aminoketone and β-keto thioester substrates in vitro and in vivo. The substrate specificity of ClbL strongly supports a role for this enzyme in terminating the colibactin NRPS-PKS assembly line and incorporating two electrophilic cyclopropane warheads into the final natural product scaffold. This proposed transformation was supported by the detection of a colibactin-derived cross-linked DNA adduct. Overall, this work provides a biosynthetic explanation for colibactin's DNA cross-linking activity and paves the way for further study of its chemical structure and biological roles.
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