Novacta Biosystems Ltd.

A review.The generation of modified lantibiotics in whole cells has proved to be of value for the investigation of the specificity of the lantibiotic-processing enzymes and their tolerance to mutations in the primary sequence of lantibiotics.The development of methods to produce new lantibiotic variants has also enabled the investigation of the structure-activity relationships of these compounds and hence an evaluation of this hitherto underexploited class of natural products as a source of potential therapeutic drug candidates.We report the methods and strategies that have been used to engineer new lantibiotic variants and practical methods to analyze libraries of new compounds with a view toward optimizing drug properties.

A review.Lantibiotics are a growing class of diverse bacterial peptides with a range of structures and functions.They offer real potential in combating bacterial infections and - in an age when increasing numbers of commonly used antimicrobials are falling prey to bacterial resistance - they could form a significant addition to the therapeutic armamentarium.This article highlights some of the features of lantibiotics and provides an overview of the therapeutic potential of this compound class.