Newly identified marine bacterial enzyme opens new route to building bioactive compound libraries

Article excerpt

Many important medicines and agricultural compounds have origins in natural products made by microorganisms. One such compound is prodigiosin, a vivid red pigment produced by certain bacteria. Beyond its color, prodigiosin and related compounds known as prodiginines have attracted scientific interest because they have shown antibacterial, anticancer, immunosuppressive, antifungal and plant-protection activities.