Precursor-centric genome-mining approach for lasso peptide discovery.

ABSTRACT: Lasso peptides are a class of ribosomally synthesized posttranslationally modified natural products found in bacteria. Currently known lasso peptides have a diverse set of pharmacologically relevant activities, including inhibition of bacterial growth, receptor antagonism, and enzyme inhibition. The biosynthesis of lasso peptides is specified by a cluster of three genes encoding a precursor protein and two enzymes. Here we develop a unique genome-mining algorithm to identify lasso peptide gene clusters in prokaryotes. Our approach involves pattern matching to a small number of conserved amino acids in precursor proteins, and thus allows for a more global survey of lasso peptide gene clusters than does homology-based genome mining. Of more than 3,000 currently sequenced prokaryotic genomes,

SUBMITTER: Maksimov MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3458324 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature