Title:Unleashing the Potential of Microbial Natural Products in Drug Discovery: Focusing on Streptomyces as Antimicrobials Goldmine
Volume: 21
Issue: 26
Author(s): Himangini Bansal, Rajeev K. Singla *, Sahar Behzad, Hitesh Chopra , Ajmer S. Grewal and Bairong Shen*
Affiliation:
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan,China
- Institutes for Systems Genetics, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan,China
Keywords:
Natural product, Streptomyces, Antibiotics, Drug discovery, Antimicrobial, Metabolites.
Abstract: The natural product specialized metabolites produced by microbes and plants are the backbone
of our current drugs. Ironically, we are in a golden age of understanding natural product biosynthesis,
biochemistry, and engineering. These advances have the potential to usher in a new era of
natural product exploration and development, taking full advantage of the unique and favorable properties
of natural product compounds in drug discovery. There is now an increasing realization that
these privileged structures represent the optimal starting point for the development of clinically viable
assets. Here, we outline the current state-of-the-art in antimicrobial natural product drug discovery,
specifically Streptomyces species, with a specific focus on how the emerging field of synthetic biology
is delivering the tools and technologies required to unlock the therapeutic potential of natural
products. We illustrate how these approaches are circumventing many of the problems that have historically
plagued conventional screening programs, enabling the expedient discovery of new molecules
with novel functions.
