Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Natural product biosynthesis

Tackling tunicamycin

The tunicamycins, secondary metabolites of various Streptomyces species, are invaluable tools in glycobiology. It has now been shown that their biosynthesis involves an unusual exo-glycal intermediate produced by previously unknown short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Tunicamycin, tunicamine and the biosynthetic action of TunA — a protein in the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily.

References

  1. Wyszynski, F. J., Hesketh, A. R., Bibb M. J. & Davis, B. G. Chem. Sci. 1, 581–589 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Chen, W. et al. Protein Cell 1, 1093–1105 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Tsvetanova, B. C., Kiemle, D. J. & Price, N. P. J. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 35289–35296 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wyszynski, F. J. et al. Nature Chem. 4, 539–546 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tanner, M. E. Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 12, 532–538 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Thibodeaux, C. J., Melançon III, C. E. & Liu, H.-W. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 47, 9814–9859 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yip, V. L. Y. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 8354–8355 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Myers, A. G., Gin, D. Y. & Rogers, D. H. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 116, 4691–4118 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen G. Withers.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goddard-Borger, E., Withers, S. Tackling tunicamycin. Nature Chem 4, 520–521 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1391

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1391

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing