Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sheema Hashem, Tayyiba Akbar Ali, Sabah Akhtar, Sabah Nisar, Geetanjali Sageena, Shahid Ali, Sharefa Al-Mannai, Lubna Therachiyil, Rashid Mir, Imadeldin Elfaki, Mohammad Muzaffar Mir, Farrukh Jamal, Tariq Masoodi, Shahab Uddin, Mayank Singh, Mohammad Haris, Muzafar Macha, Ajaz A. Bhat
Summary: Cancer is a major cause of death and a burden to healthcare system. Natural products, with their accessibility, applicability, and reduced cytotoxicity, have been an important source of anticancer drugs. They play a major role in cancer treatment by modulating cancer microenvironment and different signaling pathways, mainly cell death pathways and embryonic developmental pathways.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongqi Yi, Vinayak Agarwal
Summary: Natural products containing the alpha-pyrone moiety are produced by polyketide synthases (PKSs) in bacteria, fungi, and plants. This study demonstrates that truncating a tetraketide natural product producing PKS assembly line allows for a thioesterase-independent off-loading of an alpha-pyrone polyketide natural product. By engineering the truncated PKS in vitro, it is shown that a ketosynthase (KS) domain with relaxed substrate selectivity can expand the chemical space of alpha-pyrone polyketide natural products.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hui Tao, Takahiro Mori, Xingxing Wei, Yudai Matsuda, Ikuro Abe
Summary: This study investigated the biosynthesis mechanism of Calbistrins through heterologous and in vitro reconstitution, as well as a structural biological study. The analysis revealed that the decalin and polyene portions of Calbistrins are synthesized by the single PKS CalA, with the aid of the enzymes CalK and CalH. Additionally, the esterification of the two polyketide parts is catalyzed by the acyltransferase CalD, uncovering a novel dual-functional PKS and broadening the understanding of fungal synthesis of diverse polyketide natural products.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Md. Mominur Rahman, Md. Taslim Sarker, Mst. Afroza Alam Tumpa, Md. Yamin, Tamanna Islam, Moon Nyeo Park, Md. Rezaul Islam, Abdur Rauf, Rohit Sharma, Simona Cavalu, Bonglee Kim
Summary: Cancer is caused by irregular cell division, but natural compounds have shown promising anticancer efficacy by targeting cellular signaling pathways to prevent cancer cell proliferation and development without harming normal cells.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ruiyang Bao, Haoyu Zhang, Yefeng Tang
Summary: The total synthesis of natural products faces the challenge of efficiency and practicality, which can be tackled by learning from nature and combining bioinspired transformations and rational design to achieve biomimetic synthesis. The successful implementation of biomimetic synthesis involves utilizing bioinspiration and designing reactions to access precursors and overcome challenges. This approach allows for the efficient, rapid, and scalable synthesis of natural products, paving the way for exploring their biological functions and medicinal potential.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Tamam El-Elimat, Huzefa A. Raja, Mario Figueroa, Ahmed H. Al Sharie, Rick L. Bunch, Nicholas H. Oberlies
Summary: This review summarizes the chemical diversity and biological activity of 199 out of 280 known freshwater fungal metabolites published from 1992 to 2020, representing at least seven structural classes. In addition to describing the metabolites themselves, strategies for the collection, isolation, and identification of fungi from freshwater habitats are discussed to enhance chemists' knowledge of mycological principles. The review is expected to serve as a springboard for future natural products studies from the underexplored group of Ascomycota.
JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xikang Zheng, Yan Li, Mengtie Guan, Lingyue Wang, Shilong Wei, Yi-Cheng Li, Chin-Yuan Chang, Zhengren Xu
Summary: A unified strategy for the biomimetic total synthesis of the spiroindimicin family of natural products was reported. Key transformations include one-pot two-enzyme-catalyzed oxidative dimerization and regioselective bond formation.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Kyung Taek Heo, Byeongsan Lee, Gwi Ja Hwang, Beomcheol Park, Jun-Pil Jang, Bang Yeon Hwang, Jae-Hyuk Jang, Young-Soo Hong
Summary: This study describes the biosynthesis of C2 moieties in Streptomyces sp. W2061, providing important information for understanding the incorporation of atypical primer units into polyketide products.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
George Karageorgis, Daniel J. Foley, Luca Laraia, Susanne Brakmann, Herbert Waldmann
Summary: PNPs are compounds formed by combining NP fragments in unique ways, inheriting important biological characteristics of NPs while exhibiting unprecedented bioactivity. The importance of design principles, synthesis, and biological research on PNP scaffolds is emphasized. PNPs are considered as a human-driven branch of the evolution of natural product structure.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Neil L. Grenade, Graeme W. Howe, Avena C. Ross
Summary: Bacteria can convert simple materials into complex molecules with useful bioactivities, making them attractive alternatives to traditional chemical syntheses. While divergent evolution in biosynthesis is well-documented, convergent evolution is comparably rare, but it provides a unique opportunity to study natural selection and the predictability of evolution in different genetic backgrounds.
CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Maria L. Adrover-Castellano, Jennifer J. Schmidt, David H. Sherman
Summary: This review explores the general cyclization mechanism of TE domain in NRPS and PKS, including oligomerization and CLCs. It also discusses other cyclization catalysts such as C-T domains, R domains, R-D domains, Dieckmann cyclases, among others. The diversity of cyclization catalysts highlighted in the studies for the production of biologically relevant, complex cyclic natural products and related compounds is summarized here.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Haoran Li, Mireguli Maimaitiming, Yue Zhou, Huaxuan Li, Pingyuan Wang, Yang Liu, Till F. Schaeberle, Zhiqing Liu, Chang-Yun Wang
Summary: This review summarizes marine natural products (MNPs) isolated from marine plants, animals, and microorganisms that show promising antibiotic activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Nearly 80 MNPs have been discovered in the last decade, with impressive in vitro and in vivo efficacy against the pathogen.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zaigao Tan, Jian Li, Jin Hou, Ramon Gonzalez
Summary: Metabolic engineering manipulates catalytic and regulatory elements to improve specific cellular functions, particularly the synthesis of interesting chemicals. While naturally occurring pathways are valuable resources, they are often inefficient and have inherent drawbacks. Designing artificial pathways provides a promising alternative, but requires a comprehensive understanding of physical, chemical, and biological principles. However, these artificial pathways often suffer from low efficiencies, limiting their applications in host cells.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Guangzhi Dai, Qiyao Shen, Youming Zhang, Xiaoying Bian
Summary: Fungal natural products possess complex structures and satisfactory bioactivities. The hybridization of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in fungi can increase structural complexity, chemical diversity, and expand bioactivity range. However, the underlying mechanism of this hybridization process is poorly understood and requires further exploration.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kouadio Ibrahime Sinan, Gokhan Zengin, Dimitrina Zheleva-Dimitrova, Reneta Gevrenova, Marie Carene Nancy Picot-Allain, Stefano Dall'Acqua, Tapan Behl, Bey Hing Goh, Patrick Tang Siah Ying, Mohamad Fawzi Mahomoodally
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of different extraction methods on the medicinal value and antioxidant properties of S. mombin and S. dulcis leaves and stem bark. The results showed that leaf infusions had the strongest inhibitory effect against acetylcholinesterase, while ethyl acetate extracts of stem bark actively inhibited alpha-glucosidase. Additionally, methanolic extracts exhibited the highest tyrosinase inhibitory action.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marie-Claire Giel, Christopher J. Smedley, Emily R. R. Mackie, Taijie Guo, Jiajia Dong, Tatiana P. Soares da Costa, John E. Moses
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christopher J. Smedley, Gencheng Li, Andrew S. Barrow, Timothy L. Gialelis, Marie-Claire Giel, Alessandra Ottonello, Yunfei Cheng, Seiya Kitamura, Dennis W. Wolan, K. Barry Sharpless, John E. Moses
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christopher J. Smedley, Joshua A. Homer, Timothy L. Gialelis, Andrew S. Barrow, Rebecca A. Koelln, John E. Moses
Summary: Accelerated SuFEx click chemistry (ASCC) is an improved method for efficient and catalytic coupling of aryl and alkyl alcohols with various SuFExable hubs. The powerful combination of BTMG and HMDS reagents allows for lower catalyst loadings, providing a scalable method that is safe, efficient, and practical for modular synthesis. ASSC expands the accessibility of SuFEx products and will have significant applications in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and materials science.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michal Antoszczak, Sebastian Muller, Tatiana Caneque, Ludovic Colombeau, Nelson Dusetti, Patricia Santofimia-Castano, Christine Gaillet, Alain Puisieux, Juan Lucio Iovanna, Raphael Rodriguez
Summary: Persisting cancer cells are resistant to therapy and can adopt a drug-tolerant state through epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity. This study synthesized complex small molecule chimeras that accumulate in lysosomes and induce ferroptosis in drug-tolerant pancreatic cancer cells. The findings pave the way for the development of new cancer medicines targeting active ferroptosis.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leticia Laura Niborski, Paul Gueguen, Mengliang Ye, Allan Thiolat, Rodrigo Nalio Ramos, Pamela Caudana, Jordan Denizeau, Ludovic Colombeau, Raphael Rodriguez, Christel Goudot, Jean-Michel Luccarini, Anne Soude, Bruno Bournique, Pierre Broqua, Luigia Pace, Sylvain Baulande, Christine Sedlik, Jean-Pierre Quivy, Genevieve Almouzni, Jose L. Cohen, Elina Zueva, Joshua J. Waterfall, Sebastian Amigorena, Eliane Piaggio
Summary: This study reveals that the inhibition of histone lysine methyltransferase Suv39h1 can delay tumor growth and enhance the anti-tumor effect of anti-PD-1 therapy. In the absence of Suv39h1, alternative activation pathways induced by anti-PD-1 allow the survival and differentiation of effector cells, resulting in a biomarker of clinical response. The findings suggest that Suv39h1 acts as an epigenetic checkpoint for tumor immunity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christopher J. Smedley, Marie-Claire Giel, Thomas Fallon, John E. Moses
Summary: In this study, we present a method for synthesizing a stable precursor to ethene-1,1-disulfonyl difluoride (EDSF) and demonstrate its use in the preparation of various functionalized 4-membered ring carbocycles. These carbocycles are important structural motifs found in bioactive natural products and pharmaceutically relevant small molecules. We also show that the novel cyclobutene cores can be diversified through selective click chemistry, yielding high-efficiency sulfonate ester products. DFT calculations provide mechanistic insights into the reaction pathway.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Raphael Rodriguez, Yamuna Krishnan
Summary: This article reviews the historical development of next-generation sequencing chemistry, highlighting the significant impact of the underlying chemical principles on biology.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leticia Laura Niborski, Paul Gueguen, Mengliang Ye, Allan Thiolat, Rodrigo Nalio Ramos, Pamela Caudana, Jordan Denizeau, Ludovic Colombeau, Raphael Rodriguez, Christel Goudot, Jean-Michel Luccarini, Anne Soude, Bruno Bournique, Pierre Broqua, Luigia Pace, Sylvain Baulande, Christine Sedlik, Jean-Pierre Quivy, Genevieve Almouzni, Jose L. Cohen, Elina Zueva, Joshua J. Waterfall, Sebastian Amigorena, Eliane Piaggio
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Emmanouil Zacharioudakis, Raphae''l Rodriguez
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua A. Homer, Long Xu, Namitharan Kayambu, Qinheng Zheng, Eun Joung Choi, Byeong Moon Kim, K. Barry Sharpless, Han Zuilhof, Jiajia Dong, John E. Moses
Summary: SuFEx is a click reaction for rapid synthesis and discovery of functional molecules. This Primer discusses the essential elements of SuFEx operation, catalysis, and SuFExable connective hubs, as well as explores its applications in drug development, polymer science, and biochemistry. It also examines the potential limitations and promising prospects of this versatile click reaction.
NATURE REVIEWS METHODS PRIMERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dominika Czerwonka, Sebastian Mueller, Tatiana Caneque, Ludovic Colombeau, Adam Huczynski, Michal Antoszczak, Raphael Rodriguez
Summary: A library of novel salinomycin derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their biological activity against breast cancer stem cells and non-stem cells. The results showed that these newly synthesized compounds exhibited high activity and demonstrated higher selectivity for cancer stem cells.
ACS ORGANIC & INORGANIC AU
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michal Antoszczak, Sebastian Mueller, Ludovic Colombeau, Tatiana Caneque, Raphael Rodriguez
Summary: Salinomycin, a natural compound, has selective toxicity against cancer stem cells (CSCs). Researchers have developed a derivative called ironomycin, which shows greater potency and selectivity against breast CSCs compared to the parent compound. By using copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, a series of ironomycin analogs have been synthesized and shown to have higher potency and selectivity against CSCs. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of these semisynthetic derivatives for targeting CSCs and identifies ironomycin as a promising starting material for new anticancer drug candidates.
ACS ORGANIC & INORGANIC AU
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dominika Czerwonka, Sebastian Muller, Tatiana Caneque, Ludovic Colombeau, Adam Huczynski, Michal Antoszczak, Raphael Rodriguez
Summary: A library of 18 novel derivatives of salinomycin (Sal) was synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer stem cell (CSCs) activity, showing low nanomolar activities and higher selectivity for the mesenchymal state. These derivatives represent a promising new series of compounds with potential anti-CSC activity.
ACS ORGANIC & INORGANIC AU
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marina Plays, Sebastian Muller, Raphael Rodriguez
Summary: Iron is an essential element for cells, with ferritin playing a key role in iron storage and cell metabolism, as well as its link to ferroptosis. The chemistry of iron, including its oxidation states, is crucial for its biological functions and reactivity, particularly in the context of ferritin biology. Ferritin localization within cells and its function in tissue-specific contexts are tightly interlinked, and disruptions in iron homeostasis are implicated in diseases like cancer and COVID-19. Ferritin serves as a potential biomarker, with ongoing research exploring its applications in imaging and drug delivery.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marie-Claire Giel, Andrew S. Barrow, Christopher J. Smedley, William Lewis, John E. Moses
Summary: This study presents a novel and mild method for catalytic Markovnikov hydration of (E)-aryl enynes to corresponding enones using a bench-stable aminium salt, TBPA. The chemoselective and diastereoselective transformation proceeds under neutral metal-free conditions, delivering excellent product yields. The utility of this transformation is demonstrated through the synthesis of biologically important (E)-3-styrylisocoumarins, including a formal synthesis of achlisocoumarin III.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
