Chekan Lab

Multilaboratory Untargeted Mass Spectrometry Metabolomics Collaboration to Identify Bottlenecks and Comprehensively Annotate A Single Dataset Annotation is the process of assigning features in mass spectrometry metabolomics data sets to putative chemical structures or “analytes.” The purpose of this study was to identify challenges in the a...

Hello! Check out our new publication led by @nadjacech.bsky.social and based on a collaborative effort!

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

This could be a really helpful resource:

Aromatic side-chain crosslinking in RiPP biosynthesis - Nature Chemical Biology Aromatic side-chain crosslinking is emerging as a widespread and biosynthetically diverse feature in the RiPP natural products. This Review summarizes and unifies recent advancements, focusing on key ...

A Review from Sanath Kandy, Michael Pasquale, and Jonathan Chekan highlights newly discovered enzymes responsible for aromatic side-chain crosslinking in ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs)

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We are excited to see our review published! In it, we explore the diversity of enzymatic strategies for installing aromatic side chain cross-links in RiPPs. If you like interesting chemistry and new enzyme reactions, be sure to check it out!

Nice to see this well written review of the latest developments in aromatic side-chain cross-linking in RiPPs from @chekanlab.bsky.social out in the wild #chembio #chemsky

Strong showing of @scrippsocean.bsky.social and @ucsdhealthsci.bsky.social alums at the first full day of SIMB #NP2025 meeting @chekanlab.bsky.social
@eustaquiolab.bsky.social Neha Garg Kaity Ryan

Happy Holidays from the Chekan Lab!

Convergent Evolution of the Antimycobacterial Lasso Peptide Triculamin Triculamin is a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) lasso peptide with potent antimycobacterial activity, produced by an unusual, non-canonical biosynthetic gene c...

Just in time for the holidays

Convergent Evolution of the Antimycobacterial Lasso Peptide Triculamin
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

@amerrild.bsky.social @tizianasvenningsen.bsky.social @thomastorring.bsky.social

Convergent Evolution of the Antimycobacterial Lasso Peptide Triculamin Triculamin is a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) lasso peptide with potent antimycobacterial activity, produced by an unusual, non-canonical biosynthetic gene c...

A Christmas present to all of the lasso peptide connoisseurs out there. The next chapter in our work is on triculamin is ready on bioRxiv. Great work by two incredibly talented graduate students @amerrild.bsky.social and @tizianasvenningsen.bsky.social.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Discovery of megapolipeptins by genome mining of a Burkholderiales bacteria collection Burkholderiales bacteria have emerged as a promising source of structurally diverse natural products that are expected to play important ecological and industrial roles. This order ranks in the top th...

Interested in genome mining for natural product discovery? Check out our recent paper in collaboration with the Linington lab pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

📢🚨🔬 Heads up! The Ader Lab at @uncg.bsky.social is recruiting PhD students for Fall 2025 📢🚨🔬

Apply at forms.gle/VcsspZYxstStKrGt7 by Jan 1, 2025 for full consideration!

Check out what we're about: nickaderlab.com

Please share and repost!

Excited to share our work on the new plant copper enzymes, BpCs! We offer mechanistic insights and structural recommendations for advancing BpC research. So many Cu enzymes have been waiting to be discovered! 🌿🧬🧪 Sharing the author’s link here:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1jzvn9CpcY...

🎨 In case anyone need…

The NIH BioArt Source is an awesome library of *free* professionally drawn illustrations for scientific presentations or figures. Downloadable in HD. Thank you NIH for this invaluable tool 🙏!

Check it out 👇
bioart.niaid.nih.gov

Plant Natural Products Starter Pack: covering discovery, biosynthesis, regulation, and more.

go.bsky.app/9a7jtxR

Please nominate and self-nominate.

Marine Natural Products/Marine Biotechnology - Assistant Professor University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD is looking for an assistant prof in marine natural products / marine biotech apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04101 #naturalproducts

Discovery of lydiamycin A biosynthetic gene cluster in the plant pathogen Rhodococcus fascians guides structural revision and identification of molecular target The natural products actinonin and matlystatin feature an N-hydroxy-2-pentyl-succinamyl (HPS) chemophore that facilitates metal chelation and confers their metalloproteinase inhibitory activity. Actin...

New pre-print from the group 🥳 We use targeted genome mining to show that the plant pathogen Rhodococcus fascians makes the antibiotic lydiamycin. The BGC information then informed the discovery of multiple key features relating to the molecule 1/4
#biosynthesis
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Multiplexed perturbation of yew reveals cryptic proteins that enable a total biosynthesis of baccatin III and Taxol precursors Plants make complex and potent therapeutic molecules, but difficulties in sourcing from natural producers or chemical synthesis can challenge their use in the clinic. A prominent example is the anti-c...

Our Taxol pathway preprint!
We developed a systematic strategy to activate and identify gene sets in plants. Used it to identify 8 genes in the Taxol pathway, enabling a 20-gene biosynthesis of a Taxol precursor.
Biggest surprise: a new protein that helps our oxidases produce the correct product

So sorry to hear that it has been a rough few weeks!

An alternative to BioRender:
see a collection of icons at bioart.niaid.nih.gov

Reminder than my awesome department, UNC Greensboro Biology, is hiring for F25! Please share!

Apply by Friday, November 1st, for full consideration.

I thought I heard that was their last one, but I hope I am wrong.

I’m not entirely sure how these starter packs work…
but I’ve created one for microbial natural products - hopefully it helps us connect! go.bsky.app/72NeGsT