Natural Products Blog

A large collection of leading researchers in the field of natural product synthesis have come together to propose a communal nomenclature system for the biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesised and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs).

The number of ribosomally synthesised natural products is rapidly increasing, and currently there is no uniform nomenclature being applied across the different compound classes. The classifications currently being used are starting to break down with the increasing number of available genome sequences; the nomenclature used in the various communities investigating subgroups of natural products of ribosomal origin can be confusing, and in some cases even contradictory.

Following on from several discussion groups, the authors of this review (who are working on different classes of RiPPs) present recommendations for a common nomenclature that encompasses all classes, and hope that such a nomenclature will be supported by the rest of the community with the classification of new classes.

In addition to this nomenclature recommendation the authors also present an overview of the current knowledge of the structures and biosynthesis of more than twenty distinct compound classes with examples from bacteria, plants and fungi.

Read this highly informative review today and help sculpt and direct the future of RiPP research.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature
DOI: 10.1039/C2NP20085F

In 2012 Natural Product Reports published critical and thought-provoking reviews across a broad range of areas of natural products research, including biosynthesis, synthesis, pharmacology, marine & terrestrial natural products, carbohydrates and analytical chemistry. Below are some of the most-accessed articles from 2012:

Marine natural products
John W. Blunt , Brent R. Copp , Robert A. Keyzers , Murray H. G. Munro and Michèle R. Prinsep
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 144-222

The chemical ecology of cyanobacteria
Pedro N. Leão , Niclas Engene , Agostinho Antunes , William H. Gerwick and Vitor Vasconcelos
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 372-391

Electrophilic natural products and their biological targets
Malte Gersch , Johannes Kreuzer and Stephan A. Sieber
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 659-682

Angucyclines: Biosynthesis, mode-of-action, new natural products, and synthesis
Madan K. Kharel , Pallab Pahari , Micah D. Shepherd , Nidhi Tibrewal , S. Eric Nybo, Khaled A. Shaaban and Jürgen Rohr
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 264-325

Advances in Aspergillus secondary metabolite research in the post-genomic era
James F. Sanchez , Amber D. Somoza , Nancy P. Keller and Clay C. C. Wang
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 351-371

Sesquiterpene synthases: Passive catalysts or active players?
David J. Miller and Rudolf K. Allemann
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 60-71

Synthetic approaches toward sesterterpenoids
Daniel T. Hog , Robert Webster and Dirk Trauner
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 752-779

Strained cyclophane natural products: Macrocyclization at its limits
Tanja Gulder and Phil S. Baran
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 899-934

Natural stilbenoids: distribution in the plant kingdom and chemotaxonomic interest in Vitaceae
Céline Rivière , Alison D. Pawlus and Jean-Michel Mérillon
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 1317-1333

NMR in natural products: understanding conformation, configuration and receptor interactions
Teresa Carlomagno
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 536-554

Rare and unusual glycosylation of peptides and proteins
Pierre Lafite and Richard Daniellou
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 729-738

The structures of type I polyketide synthases
Adrian T. Keatinge-Clay
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2012, 29, 1050-1073

And why not preview some of the first articles in 2013?:

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide natural products: overview and recommendations for a universal nomenclature
Wilfred A. van der Donk et al.
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2013,  DOI: 10.1039/c2np20085f

The enzymes of β-lactam biosynthesis
Refaat B. Hamed, J. Ruben Gomez-Castellanos, Luc Henry, Christian Ducho, Michael A. McDonough and Christopher J. Schofield
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2NP20065A

Sign up for e-alerts to have the contents listings for latest issues sent straight to your inbox. For more information about Natural Product Reports and to view all of the journal’s content, please visit the website at www.rsc.org/npr.

Natural Product Reports publishes critical and thought-provoking reviews across a broad range of areas of natural products research, including biosynthesis, synthesis, pharmacology, marine & terrestrial natural products and carbohydrates. Take a look at example articles from 2011 from each of these key topic areas:

Biosynthesis

Ergot alkaloids: structure diversity, biosynthetic gene clusters and functional proof of biosynthetic genes
Christiane Wallwey and Shu-Ming Li
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 496-510

Biosynthesis via carbocations: Theoretical studies on terpene formation
Dean J. Tantillo
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1035-1053

Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology

Bringing natural products into the fold – exploring the therapeutic lead potential of secondary metabolites for the treatment of protein-misfolding-related neurodegenerative diseases
P. Matthew Joyner and Robert H. Cichewicz
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 26

Natural products in anti-obesity therapy
Ilze Vermaak, Alvaro M. Viljoen and Josias H. Hamman
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1493-1533

Moenomycin family antibiotics: chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, and biological activity
Bohdan Ostash and Suzanne Walker
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2010, 27, 1594-1617

Platensimycin and its relatives: A recent story in the struggle to develop new naturally derived antibiotics
Muhammad Saleem, Hidayat Hussain, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Teunis van Ree and Karsten Krohn
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1534-1579

Organic synthesis

Synthetic approaches to oligomeric natural products
Scott A. Snyder, Adel M. ElSohly and Ferenc Kontes
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 897-924

Chlorosulfolipids: Structure, synthesis, and biological relevance
D. Karl Bedke and Christopher D. Vanderwal
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 15-25

Marine Natural Products

A sea of biosynthesis: marine natural products meet the molecular age
Amy L. Lane and Bradley S. Moore
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 411-428

Biosynthesis, asymmetric synthesis, and pharmacology, including cellular targets, of the pyrrole-2-aminoimidazole marine alkaloids
Ali Al-Mourabit, Manuel A. Zancanella, Supriya Tilvi and Daniel Romo
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1229-1260

Production and role of volatile halogenated compounds from marine algae
Carsten Paul and Georg Pohnert
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 186-195

Terrestrial Natural Products

Flavonoids and their glycosides, including anthocyanins
Nigel C. Veitch and Renée J. Grayer
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1626-1695

Combinatorial biosynthesis in plants: A (p)review on its potential and future exploitation
Jacob Pollier, Tessa Moses and Alain Goossens
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 1897-1916

Natural products and Chagas’ disease: a review of plant compounds studied for activity against Trypanosoma cruzi
Erika Izumi, Tânia Ueda-Nakamura, Benedito Prado Dias Filho, Valdir Florêncio Veiga Júnior and Celso Vataru Nakamura
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 809-823

Carbohydrates

Natural glycoconjugates with antitumor activity
Barbara La Ferla, Cristina Airoldi, Cristiano Zona, Alexandre Orsato, Francisco Cardona, Silvia Merlo, Erika Sironi, Giuseppe D’Orazio and Francesco Nicotra
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 630-648

Natural glycans and glycoconjugates as immunomodulating agents
Ilona Chlubnová, Balla Sylla, Caroline Nugier-Chauvin, Richard Daniellou, Laurent Legentil, Blanka Kralová and Vincent Ferrières
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 937-952

Ginseng is one of the world’s most widely used medicinal plants and it is one of the best selling natural products nowadays. Due to its medicinal effects, ginseng has always been an attractive natural product to study and understand.   

However, one of the biggest challenges of ginseng research is the complexity of its chemical constituents and their analysis. Thus, a wide range of analytical methods need to be used to fully characterise these ‘magical components’.

In this very comprehensive review, Lian-Wen Qi, Chong-Zhi Wang and Chun-Su Yuan  illustrate the recent advances in the isolation and analysis of ginseng and highlight its new applications, especially in species authentication, quality assessment and interaction with biological systems.

It is a HOT review because it received very positive comments from the referees and the editorial office.

This will be an excellent article for new-comers in the field as well as a refreshment course for old-timers

Download it now, it’s free to access and learn more about ginseng!

Isolation and analysis of ginseng: advances and challenges
Lian-Wen Qi, Chong-Zhi Wang and Chun-Su Yuan
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0NP00057D, Review

NPR opens 2011 with a very interesting first issue in which a different and original viewpoint by Johannes Erkens is published:

‘In this Viewpoint, I explain why chemists should be aware of the essentials of plant naming, and describe some easy quality checks that can be performed to avoid errors being perpetuated’

This is what he says and that is exactly what he does.

You can read this article free to access until the end of January. Come on! Find out why chemists should know about plant names and comment on it.

What every chemist should know about plant names
Roy Hubertus Johannes Erkens
Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 11-14
DOI: 10.1039/C0NP00042F