Enzymology and non ribosomal peptide biosynthesis

The team studies the biological synthesis of natural products. This study covers several aspects: the identification of new biosynthetic pathways in microbial genomes, the deciphering of these pathways with the elucidation of the synthesized products, the functional and structural characterization of biosynthetic enzymes but also the use of synthetic biology approaches to produce derivatives of natural products

General Theme

Ongoing research concerns the non-ribosomal synthesis of natural peptide products, in particular cyclodipeptides and their complex derivatives, diketopiperazines (DKPs). DKPs constitute a large class of natural products synthesized essentially by microorganisms. Their physiological roles are still poorly understood, but some DKPs are thought to be involved in cellular communication processes. Their pharmacological activities are often remarkable and diverse, such as antibacterial, antiviral or anticancer activities (Figure 1).