Salinispora cultures produce salinosporamide A, a potent antitumor agent that
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of OceanographyThe University of California at San Diego found that an enzyme called SALC triggers the activity of a powerful molecule called salinosporamide A, according to Scripps graduate student Katherine Bauman, lead author of the paper.
The new work solves a nearly 20-year-old mystery about how the marine bacterium salinispore creates a unique anti-cancer molecule and opens up the possibility for the production of new anti-cancer agents.
The big question was how many enzymesis responsible for folding the molecule into its active form: this is one or more. As a result of the action of this enzyme or several, the salinosporamide molecule can overcome the blood-brain barrier - this is a structure that protects the brain from the entry of unwanted substances. The molecule has a small but complex ring structure.
First, the authors determined the molecular structure of the SALC enzyme. They used an advanced light source and a powerful particle accelerator that generated X-rays.
The SALC enzyme is widely distributed in biology; is heinvolved in the production of fatty acids and antibiotics such as erythromycin in microbes. Researchers can now mutate the enzyme to develop forms that suppress different types of diseases.
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