Science
Bacteria reinvent their weapons through selection, chance and gene swapping
Source: Phys.org · Published
Many of the most potent antibiotics originate from bacteria. A large proportion belong to a class of compounds known as nonribosomal peptides (NRP). They are produced by large bacterial enzyme machineries—the nonribosomal peptide synthetases, or NRPS for short. These function like molecular assembly lines: Similar to the stations in a car factory, where new parts are added to the car at each…
Key points
- Many of the most potent antibiotics originate from bacteria.
- A large proportion belong to a class of compounds known as nonribosomal peptides (NRP).
- They are produced by large bacterial enzyme machineries—the nonribosomal peptide synthetases, or NRPS for short.
- These function like molecular assembly lines: Similar to the stations in a car factory, where new parts are added to the car at each…
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