Parasite or poisoner

1. Michael A. Funk

 See all authors and affiliations Science  30 Jul 2021:
Vol. 373, Issue 6554, pp. 530-531
DOI: 10.1126/science.373.6554.530-a

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Cordyceps fungi are bizarre and disturbing parasites that infect insects, sometimes compelling them to exhibit strange behaviors that help disperse fungal spores to new hosts. These fungi produce a number of small molecules that presumably help in this type of takeover and could have valuable applications in medicine. Klein et al. synthesized and characterized the cytotoxic cyclic peptide cordyheptapeptide A, along with a number of variants, to establish the structure-activity relationship and identify the cellular target(s). Cytological profiling suggested a mechanism of action similar to that of protein synthesis inhibitors. The authors confirmed that elongation factor 1A, which is crucial in ribosomal protein synthesis and is a common cytotoxic target, is also a target for this group of cyclic peptides.

ACS Chem. Biol. 10.1021/acschembio.1c00094 (2021).