Euglenatides, Potent Antiproliferative Cyclic Peptides Isolated from the Freshwater Photosynthetic Microalga Euglena gracilis.

ABSTRACT: By limiting the nitrogen source to glutamic acid, we isolated cyclic peptides from Euglena gracilis containing asparagine and non-proteinogenic amino acids. Structure elucidation was accomplished through spectroscopic methods, mass spectrometry and chemical degradation. The euglenatides potently inhibit pathogenic fungi and cancer cell lines e.g., euglenatide B exhibiting IC₅₀ values of 4.3 μM in Aspergillus fumigatus and 0.29 μM in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In an unprecedented convergence of non-ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase assembly-line biosynthesis between unicellular species and the metazoan kingdom, euglenatides bear resemblance to nemamides from Caenorhabditis elegans and inhibited both producing organisms E. gracilis and C. elegans. By molecular n

SUBMITTER: Aldholmi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9321709 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature