Biosynthesis of the 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate moieties of petrobactin by Bacillus anthracis

(Chemical Equation Presented) The biosynthesis of the 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate moieties of the siderophore petrobactin, produced by B. anthracis str. Sterne, was probed by isotopic feeding experiments in iron-deficient media with a mixture of unlabeled and D-[¹³C₆]glucose at a ratio of 5:1 (w/w). After isolation of the labeled siderophore, analysis of the isotopomers was conducted via one-dimensional ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, as well as ¹³C-₁₃C DQFCOSY spectroscopy. Isotopic enrichment and ¹³C-¹³C coupling constants in the aromatic ring of the isolated siderophore suggested the predominant route for the construction of the carbon backbone of 3,4-DHB (1) involved phosphoenol pyruvate and erythrose-4-phosphate as ultimate precursors. This observation is consistent with that expected if the shikimate pathway is involved in the biosynthesis of these moieties. Enrichment attributable to phosphoenol pyruvate precursors was observed at C1 and C6 of the aromatic ring, as well as into the carboxylate group, while scrambling of the label into C2 was not. This pattern suggests 1 was biosynthesized from early intermediates of the shikimate pathway and not through later shikimate intermediates or aromatic amino acid precursors.