4 research outputs found
Tetrodecamycin: An unusual and interesting tetronate antibiotic
Get PDFAbstractThe tetrodecamycins are a group of secondary metabolites that are characterized by the presence of a tetronate ring in their structure. Originally discovered for their antibiotic activity against Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida, the causative agent of pseudotuberculosis in fish, this family of molecules has also been shown to have potent antibiotic activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Due to their small size and highly cyclized nature, they represent an unusual member of the much larger group of bioactive molecules called the tetronates. Herein, we review what is known about the mechanism of action of these molecules and also present a hypothesis for their biosynthesis. A deeper understanding of the tetrodecamycins will provide a more holistic view of the tetronate-family, provide new chemical probes of bacterial biology, and may provide therapeutic lead molecules
An Engineered Allele of <i>afsQ1</i> Facilitates the Discovery and Investigation of Cryptic Natural Products
No full textNew
approaches to antimicrobial discovery are needed to address
the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The <i>Streptomyces</i> genus, a proven source of antibiotics, is recognized as having a
large reservoir of untapped secondary metabolic genes, many of which
are likely to produce uncharacterized compounds. However, most of
these compounds are currently inaccessible, as they are not expressed
under standard laboratory conditions. Here, we present a novel methodology
for activating these “cryptic” metabolites by heterologously
expressing a constitutively active pleiotropic regulator. By screening
wild <i>Streptomyces</i> isolates, we identified the antibiotic
siamycin-I, a lasso peptide that we show is active against multidrug
pathogens. We further revealed that siamycin-I interferes with cell
wall integrity <i>via</i> lipid II. This new technology
has the potential to be broadly applied for use in the discovery of
additional “cryptic” metabolites
