1 year ago
Scientists use E. coli to make drugs
Washington, Dec 23 - Researchers have turned to the lethal E. coli to synthesise a class of natural products known as bacterial aromatic polyketides - that include antibiotic and anti-cancer drugs. BAPs include the antibiotic tetracycline and the compound doxorubicin, used in the treatment of breast and other cancers. Many of these natural products are synthesized by organisms that are difficult ... read more

1 year ago
Scientists use E. coli to make drugs
Washington, Dec 23 - Researchers have turned to the lethal E. coli to synthesise a class of natural products known as bacterial aromatic polyketides - that include antibiotic and anti-cancer drugs. BAPs include the antibiotic tetracycline and the compound doxorubicin, used in the treatment of breast and other cancers. Many of these natural products are synthesized by organisms that are difficult ... read more

3 years ago
Bioengineering efficient antibiotic biosynthesis in E. coli
The pathways underlying the production of antibiotics are now quite well known. For example, the antibacterial activity of erythromycin, an important polyketide antibiotic precursor, requires the transfer of two unusual sugars called mycarose and desosamine - onto the nonsugar part of the glycoside molecule -. In a new study published online this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Ho Yo ... read more

3 years ago
When the going gets tough, slime molds start synthesizing
In times of plenty, the uni-cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum leads a solitary life munching on bacteria littering the forest floor. But these simple creatures can perform heroic developmental acts: when the bacterial food supply dries up, Dictyostelium amebas band together with their neighbors and form a multi-cellular tower designed to save the children.In a forthcoming study in Natur ... read more

3 years ago
UCI researcher named Pew Scholar
Tsai, an assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry with a joint appointment in chemistry, was nominated for the award by UCI for her work in deciphering the biosynthesis of polyketides, a class of natural products derived from plants, fungi and bacteria that have been used extensively in drug development. Pew Scholars are chosen for excellence and innovation in their field through ... read more

5 years ago
Resveratrol synthase uncovered: Cyclization specificity of type III polyketide synthases
A group from the Salk institute illuminates the structural basis for tetraketide cyclization in stilbene synthase, the enzyme that produces resveratrol, the beneficial phytonutrient found in red wine.Plant natural products called stilbenes can confer antifungal resistance to host plants and have been shown to possess health benefits for humans and other animals when present in their diet. The best ... read more