Leaf cutter ants have inspired the development of a new type of anti-cancer drug that can also bypass the primary cause of chemotherapy resistance, scientists at the University of East Anglia have said.
After studying a type of antibiotic that is produced by bacteria that lives alongside leaf cutter ants, scientists at the university believe they have found a natural product that could be the basis for new drugs, including anti- cancer drugs.
They were able to identify the genetic pathway involved in producing the antibiotic, which they believe can be used to create the drugs
Matt Hutchings
Leaf cutter ants inspire powerful new anti-cancer drugs
Dr Matt Hutchings and his team at the UEA School of Biological Sciences are developing a new class of anti-cancer drugs that are not only powerful but also circumvent a primary cause of resistance to chemotherapy. Dr Hutchings will talk about his work at the Society for Applied…
Antimycin A (CAS NO.1397-94-0).
Product Categories: Antibiotics; Antibiotics A to; Antibiotics A-FAntibiotics; Antibiotics by Application; AntifungalAntibiotics; Antineoplastic and Immunosuppressive AntibioticsAntibiotics; Chemical Structure Class; Inhibits an EnzymeAntibiotics; Mechanism of Action; Peptides; Spectrum of Activity; Cell Stress; Inhibits an EnzymeNitric Oxide and Cell Stress; Mitochondrial InhibitorsAntibiotics
Antimycin A1,and Antimycin A3 are reported as antibiotics produced by Streptomyces for use as a fungicide and possibly as an insecticide and miticide.
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| Slide culture of a Streptomyces species |
Streptomyces is the largest genus of Actinobacteria and the type genus of the familyStreptomycetaceae. Over 500 species of Streptomyces bacteria have been described. As with the other Actinobacteria, streptomycetes are Gram-positive, and have genomes with high GC content.Found predominantly in soil and decaying vegetation, most streptomycetes produce spores, and are noted for their distinct “earthy” odor that results from production of a volatile metabolite, geosmin.
Streptomycetes are characterised by a complex secondary metabolism.They produce over two-thirds of the clinically useful antibiotics of natural origin (e.g., neomycin andchloramphenicol). The now uncommonly used streptomycin takes its name directly from Streptomyces. Streptomycetes are infrequent pathogens, though infections in humans, such as mycetoma, can be caused by S. somaliensis and S. sudanensis, and in plants can be caused by S. caviscabies, S. acidiscabies, S. turgidiscabies and S. scabies
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