Alligamycin A, an antifungal β-lactone spiroketal macrolide from Streptomyces iranensis.

Fungal infections pose a great threat to public health and there are only four main types of antifungal drugs, which are often limited with toxicity, drug-drug interactions and antibiotic resistance. Streptomyces is an important source of antibiotics, represented by the clinical drug amphotericin B. Here we report the discovery of alligamycin A (1) as an antifungal compound from the rapamycin-producer Streptomyces iranensis through genome-mining, genetics and natural product chemistry approaches.

Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Aptamer Treatment Attenuates Collagen-Induced Arthritis.

We describe the study of a novel aptamer-based candidate for treatment of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. The candidate is a nanoparticle-formulated cyclic citrullinated peptide aptamer, which targets autoantibodies and/or the immune reactions leading to antibody production. Due to its specificity, the peptide aptamer nanoparticles might not interfere with normal immune functions as seen with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Identification and Optimization of Novel Small-Molecule Cas9 Inhibitors by Cell-Based High-Throughput Screening.

CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized several areas of life science; however, methods to control the Cas9 activity are needed for both scientific and therapeutic applications. Anti-CRISPR proteins are known to inhibit the CRISPR/Cas adaptive immunity; however, delivery of such proteins is problematic. Instead, small-molecule Cas9 inhibitors could serve as useful tools due to their permeable, proteolytically stable, and non-immunogenic nature.

Sulochrins and alkaloids from a fennel endophyte sp. FVL2.

The fungal endophyte sp. strain FVL2, isolated from the traditional medicinal fennel plant, , was investigated for secondary metabolites. Fermentation on rice medium followed by chromatographic separation delivered three new natural products, 7-demethyl-neosulochrin (), fumigaclavine I () and -benzoyl-tryptophan () together with further 14 known metabolites, 1--methyl-sulochrin-4'-sulfate, questin, laccaic acid, isorhodoptilometrin, fumigaclavine A, fumigaclavine C, fumitremorgin C, fumigaquinazoline C, tryptoquivaline J, trypacidin, 3'--demethyl-sulochrin, 1--methyl-sulochrin, protocatechuic acid, and vermelone.

Engineering the substrate binding site of the hyperthermostable archaeal endo-β-1,4-galactanase from Ignisphaera aggregans.

Background: Endo-β-1,4-galactanases are glycoside hydrolases (GH) from the GH53 family belonging to the largest clan of GHs, clan GH-A. GHs are ubiquitous and involved in a myriad of biological functions as well as being widely used industrially. Endo-β-1,4-galactanases, in particular hydrolyse galactan and arabinogalactan in pectin, a major component of the primary plant cell wall, with important functions in plant defence and application in the food and other industries.

Azodyrecins A-C: Azoxides from a Soil-Derived Species.

Azoxy compounds belong to a small group of natural products sharing a common functional group with the general structure RN = N(O)R. Three new azoxides, azodyrecins A-C (-), were isolated from a soil-derived sp. strain P8-A2.

The Regulation of Floral Colour Change in (DC.) Gardner.

Floral colour change is a widespread phenomenon in angiosperms, but poorly understood from the genetic and chemical point of view. This article investigates this phenomenon in , a Brazilian endemic species whose flowers change from white to purple. To this end, flavonoid compounds and their biosynthetic gene expression were profiled.

Acylated Flavonoid Glycosides are the Main Pigments that Determine the Flower Colour of the Brazilian Native Tree (Cham.) Cogn.

(Cham.) Cogn. is a plant native to Brazil whose genus and family (Melastomataceae) are poorly studied with regards to its metabolite profile.

Iridium catalysis: reductive conversion of glucan to xylan.

By using iridium catalysed dehydrogenative decarbonylation, we converted a partly protected cellobioside into a fully protected xylobioside. We demonstrate good yields with two different aromatic ester protecting groups. The resulting xylobioside was directly used as glycosyl donor in further synthesis of a xylooctaose.