In her current publication "Application of the C3-Methyltransferase StspM1 for the Synthesis of the Natural Pyrroloindole Motif", Mona Haase presents innovative methods for the targeted synthesis of pyrroloindoles. These structural motifs are present in a variety of natural products with different biological activities.
Mona uses the SAM-dependent methyltransferase StspM1 from Streptomyces sp. HPH0547 to synthesise the pyrroloindole scaffold from the amino acid tryptophan. Together with Benoit David, she investigated the substrate scope of the enzyme in relation to different Trp-Trp-DKP isomers both experimentally and computationally.
By characterising and optimising the methylation reaction, she succeeded in carrying out a preparative reaction on a large scale.
We congratulate Mona and all those who contributed to this successful work, which once again demonstrates the potential of biocatalytic tools in organic synthetic chemistry. The complete article is available online.