Microbes have amazing chemical capabilities, performing reactions unprecedented in organic synthesis and producing complex, biologically active molecules not easily accessed via other approaches. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technologies have delivered a wealth of microbial genomes, including those of organisms that inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract (the human gut microbiota). The availability of this genomic data thus represents an unprecedented opportunity for the discovery of enzymes that have the potential to change the way chemists make molecules, as well as natural products that mediate important host-microbe interactions. This talk will discuss our recent progress deciphering the enzymatic chemistry that mediates unusual bond forming reactions in biosynthetic pathways from environmental and human-associated microbes. Functional and mechanistic characterization of these enzymes is revealing reactivity with potential applications in biocatalysis and metabolic engineering.

<b>Award Address</b> (Arthur C. Cope Early Career Scholars Award sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund). Chemical discovery in the microbial world

256th National Meeting (2018)

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Award Address (Arthur C. Cope Early Career Scholars Award sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund). Chemical discovery in the microbial world