Cyclic secondary metabolites

A number of polypeptide biomarkers have also been identified in the mass range below 4000,28-31 which are cyclic secondary metabolites bonded to lipids or sugars. These peptide sequences are not directly translated from DNA,32... 

Some of these compounds could be considered as dietary additives, but various other terms, including pesticides, can also be used. They can have beneficial effects on the environment and this aspect will be discussed later. The ionophore monensin, which is an alicyclic polyether (Figure 1), is a secondary metabolite of Streptomyces and aids the prevention of coccidiosis in poultry. Monensin is used as a growth promoter in cattle and also to decrease methane production, but it is toxic to equine animals. " Its ability to act as an ionophore is dependent on its cyclic chelating effect on metal ions. ° The hormones bovine somatotropin (BST) and porcine somatotropin (PST), both of which are polypeptides, occur naturally in lactating cattle and pigs, respectively, but can also be produced synthetically using recombinant DNA methods and administered to such animals in order to increase milk yields and lean meat production. "... 

A secondary metabolite produced by Tolypocladium inflation. This fungus was initially isolated in a soil sample collected in Norway. Cyclosporin A is a cyclic undecapeptide. Inside cells, cyclosporine A binds its immunophillin receptor known as cyclophillin. Like the FK506-FKBP12 complex, cyclosporin A-cyclophillin binds and inhibits the protein phosphatase calcineurin. 

An example of a separation primarily based on polar interactions using silica gel as the stationary phase is shown in figure 10. The macro-cyclic tricothecane derivatives are secondary metabolites of the soil fungi Myrothecium Verrucaia. They exhibit antibiotic, antifungal and cytostatic activity and, consequently, their analysis is of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The column used was 25 cm long, 4.6 mm in diameter and packed with silica gel particles 5 p in diameter which should give approximately 25,000 theoretical plates if operated at the optimum velocity. The flow rate was 1.5 ml/min, and as the retention time of the last peak was about 40 minutes, the retention volume of the last peak would be about 60 ml. 

A considerable number of mycotoxins that show high toxicity to vertebrates and/ or invertebrates are produced by organisms associated with crop plants (Flannigan 1991). There are many known cases of human poisoning caused by such compounds. There are three broad categories of mycotoxins represented here, based on the structures of the intermediates from which these secondary metabolites are derived. They are (1) compounds derived from polyketides, (2) terpenes derived from mevalonic acid, and (3) cyclic peptides and derivatives thereof. 

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that are widely distributed throughout marine and terrestrial environments. Members of the marine cyanobacteria genus Lyngbya are known to produce structurally interesting and biologically active secondary metabolites. Typically, linear/cyclic peptides and depsipeptides that include various nonproteinogenic amino acids are the major groups of these metabolites (Fig. 10.11), which can exhibit potent cytotoxicity. 

In retrospect, neither of these important antimicrobial agents could have been developed if Lilly did not have a fully integrated natural products discovery group that included scientists dedicated to bioconversions of natural products and medicinal chemists dedicated to modifying complex cyclic peptides and other secondary metabolites. This may be a lesson learned to help guide antibiotic discovery and development in the 21st century. 

Relative Stability of alcohol, primary, secondary and tertiary models for possible cyclic nitrosamine metabolites as proposed in figure 2. All energies are in kcal/mole. 

Production of cyclic oligopeptides as secondary metabolites by freshwater cyanobacteria 04CPB889. 

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