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The mysteries of macrocyclic colibactins

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The biosynthetic pathway that produces the structurally uncharacterized gut bacterial genotoxin colibactin can produce unstable, macrocyclic products; however, the extent to which these structures contribute to colibactin’s biological activities is not yet fully understood. Now, two recent studies have provided new insights and reached distinct conclusions regarding their potential mechanisms of action and relevance for genotoxicity.

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Fig. 1: Investigating the origins and activity of macrocyclic metabolites from the colibactin pathway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Erik S. Carlson & Emily P. Balskus

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  1. Erik S. Carlson
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  2. Emily P. Balskus
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Correspondence to Emily P. Balskus.

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Carlson, E.S., Balskus, E.P. The mysteries of macrocyclic colibactins. Nat. Chem. 11, 867–869 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0339-1

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