Investigating the Initial Steps in the Biosynthesis of Cyanobacterial Sunscreen Scytonemin
Citation
Balskus, Emily P., and Christopher T. Walsh. 2008. “Investigating the Initial Steps in the Biosynthesis of Cyanobacterial Sunscreen Scytonemin.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 130 (46) (November 19): 15260–15261.Abstract
The cyanobacterial natural product scytonemin (1) functions as a sunscreen, absorbing harmful UV-A radiation. Using information from a recently identified gene cluster, we propose a biosynthetic route to this pigment. We also report the characterization of two enzymes, NpR1275 and NpR1276, which are involved in the initial stages of this pathway. A regioselective acyloin reaction between indole-3-pyruvic acid (4) and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (5) is a key step in assembling the carbon framework of a proposed monomeric scytonemin precursor (2).Other Sources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2631159/Terms of Use
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http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12153245
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