Kyle Shelton

Research Description: IThiopeptides are a class of ribosomally-synthesized natural products that are heavily post-translationally modified and often display antibiotic activity. Modifications that are common amongst thiopeptides include conversion of cysteines, serines, and threonines to thiazoles and (methyl)oxazoles, dehydration of alanines and threonines, and a ubiquitous 6-membered nitrogenous heterocycle. Several known thiopeptide congeners are adorned with additional—even exotic—modifications and the responsible enzyme(s) and bioactivity ramifications remain unknown. My project aims to characterize these structural decorations through in vitro biosynthetic reconstitution and structure-activity relationship studies.