Speaker:
Title:
Engineering Rational Modification of Ribosomally Synthesized Peptides as a Source of Novel Drugs
Abstract:
Ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a class of natural products with uniquely engineerable biosynthesis, but research has been limited to minor alterations to natural compounds. The purpose of my project is to understand how ribosomally synthesized peptides can be combined
with diverse modifying enzymes to rationally design new RiPP gene clusters and biosynthesize completely novel compounds. These novel and structurally complex small molecules will be useful for drug screening or as chemical probes.