Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature.

This review presents recommended nomenclature for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a rapidly growing class of natural products. The current knowledge regarding the biosynthesis of the >20 distinct compound classes is also reviewed, and commonalities are discussed.

Microviridin biosynthesis.

The microviridins are a group of ribosomally synthesized and subsequently posttranslationally modified peptides. The structural modifications introduced during maturation are the formation of two intramolecular esters and one amide bond accompanied by dehydration. The two ester bonds are introduced by one GRASP-like ligase (ATP-dependent carboxylate-amine/thiol ligase) (Galperin & Koonin, 1997) and the amide bond is formed by a second such enzyme, which shows strong homology to the ligase introducing the ester bonds.

Genetic variation of adenylation domains of the anabaenopeptin synthesis operon and evolution of substrate promiscuity.

Anabaenopeptins (AP) are bioactive cyclic hexapeptides synthesized nonribosomally in cyanobacteria. APs are characterized by several conserved motifs, including the ureido bond, N-methylation in position 5, and d-Lys in position 2. All other positions of the AP molecule are variable, resulting in numerous structural variants.

Prominent human health impacts from several marine microbes: history, ecology, and public health implications.

This paper overviews several examples of important public health impacts by marine microbes and directs readers to the extensive literature germane to these maladies. These examples include three types of dinoflagellates (Gambierdiscus spp., Karenia brevis, and Alexandrium fundyense), BMAA-producing cyanobacteria, and infectious microbes.

Highly brominated antimicrobial metabolites from a marine Pseudoalteromonas sp.

Extracts of a marine Pseudoalteromonas sp. (CMMED 290) isolated from the surface of a nudibranch collected in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, displayed significant antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the lipophilic extract led to the isolation and structure elucidation of two new highly brominated compounds, 2,3,5,7-tetrabromobenzofuro[3,2-b]pyrrole (1) and 4,4',6-tribromo-2,2'-biphenol (2).