Download or read book Lasso Peptides from Actinobacteria - Chemical Diversity and Ecological Role written by Jimmy Mevaere and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lasso peptides are ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides produced by bacteria, characterized by a remarkable mechanically-interlocked structure. The lasso topology, reminiscent to a rotaxane, consists in an N-terminal macrolactam ring threaded by a C-terminal tail. This compact and stable structure is stabilized by steric entrapping of the tail in the ring, through bulky amino acid(s) and/or disulphide bonds. Lasso peptides produced by Actinobacteria display the greatest chemical diversity and a range of biological activities (antibacterial, anti-HIV, receptor antagonist...), therefore are of high pharmaceutical interest. Genome mining revealed that Actinobacteria have enormous potential to biosynthesize novel lasso peptides, e.g. harbouring new post-translational modifications. However, the expression of these peptides is generally controlled by complex regulatory systems, making their production under laboratory conditions difficult. Understanding the ecological role and regulation mechanisms of lasso peptides would help to improve production and better exploit the biotechnological potential of these molecules. The first part of my work deals with the identification of new lasso peptides from Actinobacteria, using heterologous expression in Streptomyces hosts. The second part of my work deals with the regulation mechanism and ecological role of lasso peptides using sviceucin, a lasso peptide produced by Streptomyces sviceus, as the model for study.