Using X-ray Crystallography and 1,n-ADEQUATE NMR to Revise the Structures of Highly Substituted Aromatic Natural Products: The Absolute Configuration of Formicamycin Congeners Formicamycins and their biosynthetic precursors, the fasamycins, form part of the phenylnaphthacenoid family of polyketide natural products. A recent atroposelective total synthesis of formicamycin H brought into question our original stereochemical assignment of the axially chiral linkage between C-6 and C-7. To address this, we obtained an X-ray crystal structure for formicamycin H that unambiguously confirmed our original assignment as the Sa atropisomer. X-ray structures for multiple additional fasamycins and formicamycins confirmed that this is common to all congeners. However, these studies identified a compounded error made by us whereby several structures previously reported as para-methoxy were found to have ortho-methoxy groups on the hanging E-ring. To address this for congeners that did not crystallize or gave nondiffracting crystals, we turned to the surprisingly underutilized 1,n-ADEQUATE NMR experiment. In total, we generated X-ray structures for 15 phenylnaphthacenoid metabolites and by combining these results report the corrected structures for three formicamycins, six fasamycins, and three biosynthetic lactone intermediates, noting that several revised fasamycin structures now match previously reported naphthacemycins. Our results highlight the utility of 1,n-ADEQUATE experiments for regiochemical determination in polysubstituted aromatic molecules. Moreover, our investigations uncovered a potential deracemization step during biosynthesis of the formicamycin framework.

New paper with @barriewilks.bsky.social. There are many reports on fasamycins and formicamycins (aka accramycins, naphthacemycins, streptovertimycins). Here, we unambiguously solve their structures and stereochemistry. A great effort, led by Dr Edward Hems

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

Salt supplementation-induced metabolic reprogramming in
Streptomyces coelicolor

journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1...

Matters Microbial #125: Antibiotics, Streptomyces and Evolution YouTube video by MicrobeTV

A new episode of my #MattersMicrobial podcast is available! This time, Dr. Paul Hoskisson joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss Streptomyces, antibiotics, and evolution. Please spread the #GoodMicrobialWord? I truly can use views and listens to keep podcasting. Thank you.

youtu.be/2w9Hll4xcFk?...

We first developed ALBERT-DF, a model trained on genomic context, hypothesizing it would recognize defense islands or MGE. We validated its predictions in Streptomyces Albus, uncovering six novel antiphage systems, including only proteins with completely novel domains.

A collection of images of Streptomyces bacteria being screened against different pathogens. Image shows various zones of inhibition where bioactive compounds are being produced, killing the pathogens.

Preparing for my talk at @microbiologysociety.org annual conference next week and enjoyed looking over my collection of bioassay images.

If you come along to the Actinos session on Monday afternoon you might get to see some of the cool science that went into unlocking some cryptic BGCs to make them

A black-and-white historical photograph of Elizabeth Bugie, a pioneering biochemist, working in a laboratory. She is shown from the waist up, wearing a short-sleeved white top and focusing intently on her work. She has dark, shoulder-length hair and is holding a piece of glassware connected to a black rubber tube, seemingly adjusting a filtration or distillation setup. Several Erlenmeyer flasks and glass funnels sit on the bench in front of her. In the background, shelves are filled with numerous glass chemical bottles of various sizes, and a window with multiple panes is visible to the right.

Biochemist Elizabeth Bugie co-discovered streptomycin (with Selman Waksman), the first antibiotic against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Waksman went on to win the 1952 Nobel Prize for Medicine & took full credit for the discovery. Bugie died #OTD in 2001. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect (1/2)

Paul Hoskisson discusses the Streptomyces genus; the soil microbes behind many of our most important antibiotics and a cornerstone of the antibiotic revolution.

Excerpt from Matters Microbial 125: Antibiotics, Streptomyces and Evolution
@markowenmartin.bsky.social @paulhoskisson.bsky.social

Cool paper from the ISBA collection (www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/adva... ) from @evodivmet.bsky.social et al Functional shifts of the dual-substrate phosphoribosyl isomerase PriA from primary to specialized metabolism in rare Actinomycetota www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Fermentation conditions outweigh phylogeny in shaping the metabolome of novel Micromonospora strains: an integrated genomics-metabolomics analysis | Applied and Environmental Microbiology Our study provides a comprehensive genomic and metabolomic elucidation of the significant biosynthetic potential within the genus Micromonospora. It reveals a core biosynthetic capacity for terpenes a...

Fermentation conditions outweigh phylogeny in shaping the metabolome of novel Micromonospora strains: an integrated genomics-metabolomics analysis | Applied and Environmental Microbiology journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

How. My. Science.

It's official.

We are heading back to Latitude Festival and are excited to be branching out into the forest of science and culture!!

🥳🥳🥳

Pipeline of new drugs to fight superbugs is ‘worryingly thin’, experts warn UK’s GSK is leading the way in research but AstraZeneca is not involved in the area, report finds

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

2 year fellowship available in AMR research www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/grants/antim...

2 x Assistant Professor in Chemistry University of Warwick - Department of Chemistry.

📍 Location: University of Warwick, UK
📅 Start date: AY 2026/2027
⏰ Deadline to apply: 8th April 2026

warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/appcentre...

Very excited to join the editorial board of @natprodreports.rsc.org

The Microbe Zoo will be going to the Royal Society summer science exhibition 2026!!! Fantastic achievement by @sawtrust.bsky.social and @norwichmicro.bsky.social

royalsociety.org/science-even...

Streptomyces and other actinos are really fascinating bacteria. Always something new to discover.

I'll be coordinating the efforts along with others on the MIBiG 5.0 Annotathon team including: @marnixmedema.bsky.social, @TilmannWebber, @kblin.bsky.social, @mmzdouc.bsky.social, @jjjvanderhooft.bsky.social, @BarbaraTerlouw, and @ArjanDraisma.

The MIBiG 5.0 Annotathon is coming soon, and registration is now open!

🧬 Does your research involve biosynthetic gene clusters? Do you love natural product biosynthesis? Do you have an interest in rare & exotic enzymes? We can use your help & expertise.

Register here 👉 forms.gle/C1cWcLHtrjT2...

If anyone is interested in working on these bacteria @johninnescentre.bsky.social has protocols, strains, plasmids and a genome database available here: streptomyces.org.uk

If anyone's looking for computational biology collaboration in this area, hit me up ;)

If anyone is interested in working on these bacteria @johninnescentre.bsky.social has protocols, strains, plasmids and a genome database available here: streptomyces.org.uk

Wow - our opening night was amazing!

We can't wait to welcome everyone to the #Microbe #Zoo for Norwich Science Festival.

Here's some of the feedback we've recieved tonight.

#SneakPeek 👀 Step inside the #Microbe Zoo at Norwich Science Festival 🌟🧪

🗓️ 14 - 21 February
📍 @theforumnorwich.bsky.social

Get ready to shrink down to learn some BIG, fascinating facts about microbes 🦠

@norwichmicro.bsky.social @sawtrust.bsky.social

How specific are heritable symbioses?

And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?

We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!

1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Great Golden Age of Antibiotics YouTube video by Asianometry

A short history of antibiotic discovery

#microsky #antibiotics

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJLy...

Activation of the envelope stress-responsive two-component system AmgRS compensates for depletion of the essential lipoprotein signal peptidase LspA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacterial lipoproteins play crucial roles in cell envelope biogenesis, signaling, transport, and virulence, making the enzymes responsible for their m…

Activation of the envelope stress-responsive two-component system AmgRS compensates for depletion of the essential lipoprotein signal peptidase LspA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

#microsky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A novel TetR-type repressor directly modulates precursor supply and utilization for erythromycin biosynthesis Antibiotic biosynthesis in actinomycetes is controlled by various transcription factors, with TetR family regulators (TFRs) serving as important modul…

A novel TetR-type repressor directly modulates precursor supply and utilization for erythromycin biosynthesis

#microsky

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Bacterial Espresso: Evaluating Accelerated Solvent Extraction for Selected Metabolite Recovery from Streptomyces Biomass Despite numerous advances in compound identification and purification, the extraction techniques for metabolites from Streptomyces biomass have remained relatively unchanged. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) has been widely used in plant natural product discovery for the past two decades. Yet, to our knowledge, it has not been applied to Streptomyces biomass despite purported benefits in increasing extract yields. In this study, different ASE parameters were compared against traditional microbial biomass extraction techniques using Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Extraction efficacy was evaluated by quantifying the intracellular metabolites ectoine and undecylprodigiosin. In contrast to previous work with botanical metabolites, this study’s findings suggest that ASE does not provide a significant advantage in extraction yield compared to traditional extraction techniques for Streptomyces biomass. The lack of increased metabolite yield per unit of biomass, in tandem with the disadvantages inherent to ASE, such as reduced scalability and potential for thermal degradation, indicates that ASE may lack a distinct advantage over traditional extraction methods for enhanced targeted metabolite recovery from Streptomyces biomass.

Bacterial Espresso: Evaluating Accelerated Solvent Extraction for Selected Metabolite Recovery from Streptomyces Biomass

#microsky #streptomyces

pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1...

Metabologenomic assessment of biosynthetic capabilities in the genus Salinibacterium

#microsky

Preprint www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...

A histidine pseudokinase modulates polar growth and cell shape in Streptomyces venezuelae

Article in press (pdf). #microsky #streptomyces

www.nature.com/articles/s42...