Silent bacterial genes yield potential leads for future cancer drugs
Natural products produced by microorganisms are a promising source of new drugs. Researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) and its Saarbrücken-based site, the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), have now discovered a new family of such compounds, elucidated their unusual biosynthesis and developed a way to produce them synthetically.
Researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland have identified a new class of natural compounds derived from soil-dwelling bacteria. These compounds, called myxoglucamides, have an unusual structure formed from sugars, lipids, and amino acids. The study, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, reveals that myxoglucamides bind specifically to a human enzyme linked to cancer development.
By activating a previously silent gene cluster in the bacteria, scientists were able to produce and analyze the compounds. Total synthesis of the molecules allowed researchers to study their interactions with human proteins, including AKR1C3, which is involved in hormone production and inflammatory signaling and is often overactive in cancer cells.
While the study did not demonstrate significant effects of myxoglucamides on cancer cell growth, the discovery highlights the potential of hidden natural products in developing novel anticancer drugs.
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