Evaluation of structural features in fungal cytochromes P450 predicted to rule catalytic diversification

Fungi belong to the large kingdom of lower eukaryotic organisms encompassing yeasts along with filamentous and dimorphic members. Microbial P450 enzymes have contributed to exploration of and adaptation to diverse ecological niches such as conversion of lipophilic compounds to more hydrophilic derivatives or degradation of a vast array of environmental toxicants. To better understand diversification of the catalytic behavior of fungal P450s, detailed insight into the molecular machinery steering oxidative attack on the distinctly structured endogenous and xenobiotic substrates is of preeminent interest. Based on a general, CYP102A1-related template the bulk of predicted substrate/inhibitor-binding determinants were shown to cluster near the distal heme face within the six known substrate recognition sites (SRSs) made up by the α-helical B′/F/G/I tetrad, the B′–C interhelical loop and strands of the β6-sheet, population density being highest in the structurally flexible SRS-1 and SRS-4 domains, showing a low degree of conservation. Reactivity toward ligands favorably coincides with the lipophilicity/hydrophilicity profile and bulkiness of critical amino acids acting as selective filters. Some decisive elements may also serve in maintenance of catalytic competence via their action as gatekeepers directing substrate access/positioning or stabilizers of the heme environment enabling dioxygen activation. Non-SRS residues seem to control spin state equilibria and attract redox partners by electrostatic forces. Of note, the inhibitory potency of azole-type fungicides is likely to arise from perturbation of the complex interplay of the mechanistic principles addressed above. Knowledge-supported exploitation of the topological data will be helpful in the manufacture of commodity/specialty chemicals as well as therapeutic agents. Also, engineered fungal P450s may be used to improve pollutant-specific bioremediation of contaminated soils.     

Stereoselective bioaccumulation,transformation, and toxicity of triadimefon in Scenedesmus obliquus

In this study the stereoselective bioaccumulation and transformation of triadimefon and the toxicity of triadimefon and its metabolite triadimenol to the green algae Scenedesmus obliquus were studied. In growth inhibition experiments, triadimenol was more toxic than triadimefon, and (1S,2R)‐triadimenol, which has the largest fungicidal activity, presented the highest toxicity to the algae. In bioaccumulation experiments, triadimefon was rapidly taken up by algae cells, and the decrease in the concentration of triadimefon was accompanied by an increase in triadimenol. The transformation of S‐(+)‐ triadimefon was faster than that of the R‐(−)‐enantiomer, resulting in four triadimenol stereoisomers at different forming rates: B2 (1S, 2S) > B1 (1R, 2R) > A2 (1S, 2R) > A1 (1R, 2S). Thus, it is necessary to explore the enantioselective toxicology and ecological fate of these chiral pesticides in an environmental risk assessment. Also, their metabolites should be paid specific attention to since they may pose higher ecological risks.     

Supramolecular solvent‐based vortex‐mixed microextraction: Determination of chiral triazole fungicide in beer samples

A supramolecular solvent composed of decanol in tetrahydrofuran/water was utilized for the simultaneous microextraction of chiral triadimefon and triadimenol in beer samples. Supramolecular solvents are nanostructured amphiphilic liquids that contain aqueous cavities, and the size of those cavities can be adjusted by the ratio of decanol, tetrahydrofuran, and water. The target analytes were mixed into the matrix sample and extracted in the supramolecular solvent phase, which was followed by separation and quantification by chiral liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The influences of some analytical parameters and matrix components were all examined. Under the optimized conditions, the method detection limits were in the range of 0.24 to 0.98 μg L^?1 (at a signal/noise of 3), with relative standard deviations between 1.6 and 5.7%. The linearities of the calibration plots were between 0.5 to 50 (triadimenol) and 1.0 to 100 μg L^?1 (triadimefon). When this method was applied to a spiked beer sample, the recoveries ranged from 84 to 100%.     

Plant growth regulator activities of stereochemical isomers of triadimenol

Etiolated seedlings of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Jubilar) were treated with individual isomers of triadimenol in order to determine the biochemical basis for plant growth retardation. The Is, 2R isomer showed the highest activity as a plant growth retardant, followed by the 1R, 2s form. The inhibition of growth was not relieved by exogenous gibberellic acid suggesting a mode of action different from inhibition of gibberelln synthesis. Labelling of sterols with radioactive acetate and methionine demonstrated a strong inhibition of sterol synthesis, most likely at the step of C-14 demethylation of obtusifoliol. The extent of growth inhibition was accompanied with the potency of individual isomers to inhibit sterol synthesis. The inhibition of gibberellin synthesis appears of less importance for growth retardation.     

Stereoselective degradation of fungicide triadimenol in cucumber plants

The stereoselective degradation of triadimenol in different cucumber plant tissues (root, stem, leaf, and fruit) has been investigated. Rac‐triadimenol was applied to cucumber plants by root irrigation mode under field conditions. The degradation kinetics and the enantiomer fraction were determined by normal‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector and on‐line optical rotatory dispersion detector on Chiralpak® AS‐H column. It has been shown that the degradation of triadimenol in cucumber plants was stereoselective under field conditions. The results indicated that RS enantiomer was degraded faster than SR enantiomer, and SS enantiomer was degraded faster than RR enantiomer, which resulted in plants enriched with SR and RR enantiomers. Furthermore, it was found that leaf was the dominating location for triadimenol enantiomer accumulation and stereoselective degradation, comparing with the root, stem, and fruit tissue. Chirality 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Enantiomer separation of fungicidal triazolyl alcohols by normal phase HPLC on polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases

Three fungicidal triazolyl alcohols (triadimenol, hexaconazole, and cis/trans‐1‐4‐chlorophenyl‐2‐1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl‐cycloheptanol) were completely separated into enantiomers by chiral HPLC using polysaccharide‐based chiral stationary phases. A better separation was achieved on cellulose and amylose carbamate phases compared with a cellulose ester phase. Peak shapes were almost symmetrical except for two cases, where tailing of the first eluted enantiomer and unusual symmetric peak broadening were observed. The effect of eluents on enantioseparation was also investigated. Chirality 11:195–200, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Stereoselective Degradation and Microbial Epimerization of Triadimenol in Soils

Triadimenol is a widely used triazole fungicide and consists of four stereoisomers with 1R,2S, 1S,2R, 1R,2R, and 1S,2S configurations. The trans‐enantiomeric pair (1R,2S‐isomer and 1S,2R‐isomer) is also called triadimenol‐A and the cis‐enantiomeric pair (1R,2R‐isomer and 1S,2S‐isomer) triadimenol‐B. In this study, the stereoselective degradation and chiral stability of triadimenol in two soils were investigated in details. The dissipation of technical triadimenol, a 6:1 mixture of triadimenol‐A and triadimenol‐B, showed significant epimerization from triadimenol‐A to triadimenol‐B occurred along with the dissipation process. The degradation exhibited some stereoselectivity, resulting in a concentration order of 1S,2S > 1R,2R > 1R,2S > 1S,2R or 1S,2S > 1R,2R > 1S,2R > 1R,2S at the end of the 100 days incubation for Baoding soil or Wuhan soil, respectively. Further incubation of triadimenol‐B revealed no epimerization, i.e. triadimenol‐B was configurationally stable in soil, and 1R,2R‐triadimenol degraded slightly slower in the former part and slightly faster in the later part of the incubation than 1S,2S‐triadimenol. Moreover, by incubation of enantiopure 1S,2R‐triadimenol and 1R,2S‐triadimenol, the results documented the epimerization for each enantiomer occurred at both C‐1 and C‐2 positions. Finally, the present work also documented that the enantiomerization reaction for all the four stereoisomers was nearly negligible in the soils. Chirality 25:355‐360:, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Integration of metabolomics and in vitro metabolism assays for investigating the stereoselective transformation of triadimefon in rainbow trout

Triadimefon is a systemic agricultural fungicide of the triazole class whose major metabolite, triadimenol, also a commercial fungicide, provides the majority of the actual fungicidal activity, i.e., inhibition of steroid demethylation. Both chemicals are chiral: triadimefon has one chiral center with two enantiomers while its enzymatic reduction to triadimenol produces a second chiral center and two diastereomers with two enantiomers each. All six stereoisomers of the two fungicides were separated from each other using a chiral BGB‐172 column on a GC‐MS system so as to follow stereospecificity in metabolism by rainbow trout hepatic microsomes. In these microsomes the S‐(+) enantiomer of triadimefon was transformed to triadimenol 27% faster than the R‐(?) enantiomer, forming the four triadimenol stereoisomers at rates different from each other. The most fungi‐toxic stereoisomer (1S,2R) was produced at the slowest rate; it was detectable after 8 h, but below the level of method quantitation. The triadimenol stereoisomer ratio pattern produced by the trout microsomes was very different from that of the commercial triadimenol standard, in which the most rat‐toxic pair of enantiomers (known as “Diastereomer A”) is about 85% of the total stereoisomer composition. The trout microsomes produced only about 4% of “Diastereomer A”. Complementary metabolomic studies with NMR showed that exposure of the separate triadimefon enantiomers and the racemate to rainbow trout for 48 h resulted in different metabolic profiles in the trout liver extracts, i.e., different endogenous metabolite patterns that indicated differences in effects of the two enantiomers. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.