Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis

Genomic localization bias of secondary metabolite gene clusters and association with histone modifications in Aspergillus

The paper investigates the genomic localization of secondary metabolite gene clusters in Aspergillus and their association with histone modifications, finding a bias for low-synteny regions and differential histone PTM regulation.

A unique bacterial family strikes again!

The paper identifies a new myxobacterial family, Pendulisporaceae, with unique biosynthetic gene clusters and potential pharmaceutical applications.

A Hybrid Type I and II Polyketide Synthases Yields Distinct Aromatic Polyketides

The paper discovers a hybrid type I and II polyketide synthase system that produces a novel aromatic polyketide, spirocycline A, with a unique structure and biosynthetic pathway.

A Plug-and-Play System for Polycyclic Tetramate Macrolactam Expression and Functionalization

The paper establishes a genetic plug-and-play system for expressing and functionalizing polycyclic tetramate macrolactams (PoTeMs) by screening promoters and applying it to modifying enzymes.

BGC Atlas: A Web Resource for Exploring the Global Chemical Diversity Encoded in Bacterial Genomes

The paper introduces the BGC Atlas, a web resource that explores BGC diversity in metagenomes, identifying nearly 1.8 million BGCs and showing RiPPs as the most abundant compound class.

From sequence to molecules: Feature sequence-based genome mining uncovers the hidden diversity of bacterial siderophore pathways

The paper develops a bioinformatic pipeline to predict bacterial siderophore structures and receptors from genome sequences, revealing significant diversity in pyoverdines and their receptors.

Identification of a terpene synthase arsenal using long-read sequencing and genome assembly of Aspergillus wentii

This study uses long-read sequencing and genome assembly to identify terpene synthases and biosynthetic gene clusters in Aspergillus wentii, revealing potential pathways for bioactive molecule production.

Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Diversity Across Native and Introduced Populations of an Ectomycorrhizal Fungus, Suillus luteus

This study examines BGC diversity in native and introduced populations of Suillus luteus, finding higher diversity in native populations and identifying unique and conserved BGCs.

Variation in Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Among Lifestyles Across Kingdom Fungi

The paper analyzes biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) across fungal lifestyles to determine their evolutionary and ecological patterns.

Bioactivity Analysis of Secondary Metabolites from Actinomycetes' Isolated from Coastal Sediments

This study identifies five marine actinomycete strains with antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities from coastal sediments.

Thermophilic Fungus Uses Anthraquinones to Modulate Ferrous Excretion, Sterol-Mediated Endocytosis and Iron Storage in Response to Cold Stress

This paper identifies anthraquinones in Thermomyces dupontii as regulators of iron excretion, sterol-mediated endocytosis, and iron storage under cold stress.

Structural Basis for Intermodular Communication in Assembly-Line Polyketide Biosynthesis

The paper investigates intermodular communication in polyketide biosynthesis using cryo-EM and crosslinking, revealing structural insights for designing hybrid synthases.

Aspergillus fumigatus SidF is a dual substrate acyltransferase involved in biosynthesis of both fusarinine- and ferrichrome-type siderophores

This study identifies SidF as a bifunctional acyltransferase essential for both FusTS and FchTS siderophore biosynthesis in Aspergillus fumigatus, revealing its role in virulence and iron acquisition.

Giant polyketide synthase enzymes biosynthesize a giant marine polyether biotoxin.

The paper identifies giant polyketide synthase genes in Prymnesium parvum that biosynthesize large polyether toxins, resolving a long-standing biosynthetic mystery.

Harnessing in vivo Synthesis of Bioactive Multiarylmethanes in Escherichia coli via Oxygen-Mediated Free Radical Reaction Induced by Simple Phenols

This paper demonstrates the in vivo synthesis of complex arthrocolins in E. coli using oxygen-mediated free radical reactions triggered by phenols, and identifies novel bioactive compounds.

Substrate Trapping in Polyketide Synthase Thioesterase Domains: Structural Basis for Macrolactone Formation

This study investigates how polyketide synthase thioesterase domains direct substrate nucleophiles for macrolactone formation by analyzing structural and functional properties of modified TEs.

Assessing the ability of ChatGPT to extract natural product bioactivity and biosynthesis data from publications

This study evaluates ChatGPT's ability to extract natural product bioactivity and biosynthesis data from scientific publications, finding it effective for identifying natural product discovery and bioactivity but less accurate for extracting accession numbers.

Oxydifficidin, a potent Neisseria gonorrhoeae antibiotic due to DedA assisted uptake and ribosomal protein RplL sensitivity

This study identifies oxydifficidin as a potent antibiotic against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, effective against drug-resistant strains, due to DedA-mediated uptake and sensitivity to ribosomal protein RplL.

A new pathway in central metabolism mediates nutrient control of development and antibiotic production by Streptomyces

This paper identifies a novel aminosugar metabolic pathway in Streptomyces that regulates development and antibiotic production through GlcNAc sensing.

Mining the biosynthetic landscape of lactic acid bacteria unearths a new family of RiPPs assembled by a novel type of ThiF-like adenylyltransferases

The paper identifies a new family of RiPPs in lactic acid bacteria biosynthetic gene clusters, revealing a novel adenylyltransferase mechanism for macrocyclic imide formation.

Multiple regulators control the biosynthesis of brasilicardin in Nocardia terpenica

This study identifies and characterizes transcriptional regulators involved in the biosynthesis of brasilicardin in Nocardia terpenica, revealing their regulatory roles and interactions.

Prediction of gene cluster function based on transcriptional regulatory networks uncovers a novel locus required for desferrioxamine B biosynthesis

Profiling Expression Strategies for a Type III Polyketide Synthase in a Lysate-Based, Cell-free System

This paper improves the expression of a type III polyketide synthase in cell-free systems by optimizing codon usage and promoters, showing better results than traditional codon optimization.

Comparative genomics studies provide insights into the taxonomic classification and secondary metabolic potential of five bioactive Streptomyces species isolated from the North-Western Himalaya

This study uses genomic and bioinformatic analysis to classify five Streptomyces species from the Himalayas and identify their biosynthetic potential for antibiotic production.

Biological activities and metabolic profile of endophytic Bacillus haynesii from Momordica charantia

This study evaluates the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of an endophytic Bacillus haynesii from Momordica charantia and identifies its bioactive metabolites.

Glycodiversification of gentamicins through in vivo glycosyltransferase swapping enabled the creation of novel hybrid aminoglycoside antibiotics with potent activity and low ototoxicity

This study creates novel hybrid aminoglycoside antibiotics by swapping glycosyltransferases between gentamicin and kanamycin producers, resulting in compounds with potent activity and reduced ototoxicity.

Glutamate (E299) is a key residue in the evolutionarily divergence of the SAM-dependent methyltransferases DnrK and RdmB in anthracycline biosynthesis

The paper identifies residue E299 as critical for the divergent catalytic functions of DnrK and RdmB in anthracycline biosynthesis, revealing distinct mechanisms for 10-hydroxylation and 4-O-methylation.

Computationally guided exploration of borosin biosynthetic strategies

The paper updates a genome mining tool to identify borosin precursor peptides and characterizes new biosynthetic features.

BGCFlow: Systematic pangenome workflow for the analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters across large genomic datasets

BGCFlow is a systematic workflow for analyzing biosynthetic gene clusters across large genomic datasets, demonstrating improved dereplication and comparative analysis of RiPPs in Saccharopolyspora genomes.

SYNTERUPTOR: mining genomic islands for non-classical specialised metabolite gene clusters

SYNTERUPTOR identifies genomic islands containing specialised metabolite gene clusters in microbial genomes, detecting clusters missed by existing tools.