Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Mar;74(3):161-175.
doi: 10.1038/s41429-020-00387-x. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Thiopeptides: antibiotics with unique chemical structures and diverse biological activities

Derek C K Chan  1   2 , Lori L Burrows  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Thiopeptides: antibiotics with unique chemical structures and diverse biological activities

Derek C K Chan et al. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Thiopeptides are a class of natural product antibiotics with diverse structures and functions. Their complex structures and biosynthesis have intrigued researchers since their discovery in 1948, but not a single thiopeptide has been approved for human use. This is mainly due to their poor solubility, challenging synthesis, and low bioavailability. This review summarizes the current research on the biosynthesis and biological activity of thiopeptide antibiotics since 2015. The focus of research since 2015 has been on uncovering biosynthetic routes, developing methods for total synthesis, and understanding the biological activity of thiopeptides. Overall, there is still much to learn about this family of molecules.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Liu G, Chater KF, Chandra G, Niu G, Tan H. Molecular regulation of antibiotic biosynthesis in Streptomyces. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 2013;77:112–43. - PubMed - PMC
    1. Qin Z, Munnoch JT, Devine R, Holmes NA, Seipke RF, Wilkinson KA, et al. Formicamycins, antibacterial polyketides produced by Streptomyces formicae isolated from African Tetraponera plant-ants. Chem Sci. 2017;8:3218–27. - PubMed - PMC
    1. Seipke RF, Kaltenpoth M, Hutchings MI. Streptomyces as symbionts: an emerging and widespread theme? FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2012;36:862–76. - PubMed
    1. Hu X, Hu X, Hu X, Li S, Li L, Yu L, et al. Cytotoxic and antibacterial cervinomycins B1-4 from a Streptomyces species. J Nat Prod. 2019;82:2337–42. - PubMed
    1. de Lima Procópio RE, da Silva IR, Martins MK, de Azevedo JL, de Araújo JM. Antibiotics produced by Streptomyces. Braz J Infect Dis. 2012;16:466–71.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources