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Updated: Dec 15, 2025

From a Natural Product to Its Biosynthetic Gene Cluster: A Demonstration Using Polyketomycin from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Tü6028
Published on: January 13, 2017
Anticancer fungal natural products: Mechanisms of action and biosynthesis
Siwen Yuan1, Jannu Vinay Gopal1, Shuya Ren1
1School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Abstract:
Many fungal metabolites show promising anticancer properties both in vitro and in animal models, and some synthetic analogs of those metabolites have progressed into clinical trials. However, currently, there are still no fungi-derived agents approved as anticancer drugs. Two potential reasons could be envisioned: 1) lacking a clear understanding of their anticancer mechanism of action, 2) unable to supply enough materials to support the preclinical and clinic developments. In this review, we will summarize recent efforts on elucidating the anticancer mechanisms and biosynthetic pathways of several promising anticancer fungal natural products.
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