Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products. The biosynthetic enzymes that convert peptide substrates into constrained antibiotics are not well understood. Here, we seek to carry out biochemical and structural biological studies on several of these enzymes and address questions regarding substrate recognition, substrate tolerance, and the potential of this system for engineering efforts to generate molecules that are not found in nature.
This research plan focuses on understanding how simple peptides can be transformed into potent bacteriocidal agents. Knowledge gained from this proposal will further benefit the development of this powerful class of antibiotics.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 16 publications