The untapped potential of actinobacterial lanthipeptides as therapeutic agents
Dulce Ramírez-Rendón1, Fernando Guzmán-Chávez1, Carlos García-Ausencio1
1Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, 04510, Mexico City, México.
Abstract:
The increase in bacterial resistance generated by the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in medical practice set new challenges for discovering bioactive natural products as alternatives for therapeutics. Lanthipeptides are an attractive natural product group that has been only partially explored and shows engaging biological activities. These molecules are small peptides with potential application as therapeutic agents. Some members show antibiotic activity against problematic drug-resistant pathogens and against a wide variety of viruses. Nevertheless, their biological activities are not restricted to antimicrobials, as their contribution to the treatment of cystic fibrosis, cancer, pain symptoms, control of inflammation, and blood pressure has been demonstrated. The study of biosynthetic gene clusters through genome mining has contributed to accelerating the discovery, enlargement, and diversification of this group of natural products. In this review, we provide insight into the recent advances in the development and research of actinobacterial lanthipeptides that hold great potential as therapeutics.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Antimicrobial Proteins
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...
Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Introduction to Actin


