The specificity and structure of DNA crosslinking by the gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin
Erik S. Carlson, Raphael Haslecker, Chiara Lecchi, Miguel A. Aguilar Ramos, Vyshnavi Vennelakanti, Linda Honaker, Alessia Stornetta, Estela S. Millán, Bruce A. Johnson, Heather J. Kulik, Silvia Balbo, Peter W. Villalta, Victoria M. D’Souza, Emily P. Balskus
This study determines the structure and specificity of colibactin-DNA interstrand crosslinks using mass spectrometry and NMR, revealing how the toxin's central motif mediates sequence specificity.
Science · Dec 4, 2025Peer-reviewedBiochemistry