ON THE EVOLUTION OF FUNCTIONAL SECONDARY METABOLITES (NATURAL-PRODUCTS)

被引:91
作者
STONE, MJ [1 ]
WILLIAMS, DH [1 ]
机构
[1] UNIV CAMBRIDGE,CHEM LAB,LENSFIELD RD,CAMBRIDGE CB2 1EW,ENGLAND
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb00834.x
中图分类号
Q5 [生物化学]; Q7 [分子生物学];
学科分类号
071010 ; 081704 ;
摘要
It is argued that organisms have evolved the ability to biosynthesize secondary metabolites (natural products) because of the selectional advantages they obtain as a result of the functions of the compounds. The clustering together of antibiotic biosynthesis, regulation, and resistance genes implies that these genes have been selected as a group and that the antibiotics function in antagonistic capacities in nature. Pleiotropic switching, the simultaneous expression of sporulation and antibiotic biosynthesis genes, is interpreted in terms of the defence roles of antibiotics. We suggest a general mechanism for the evolution of secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways, and argue against the hypothesis that modern antibiotics had prebiotic effector functions, on the basis that it does not account for modern biosynthetic pathways.
引用
收藏
页码:29 / 34
页数:6
相关论文
共 20 条
[1]  
BROWN JP, 1975, MOL PHARMACOL, V11, P119
[2]   SECONDARY METABOLISM - AN EXPLANATION IN TERMS OF INDUCED ENZYME MECHANISMS [J].
BULOCK, JD ;
POWELL, AJ .
EXPERIENTIA, 1965, 21 (01) :55-&
[3]  
BULOCK JD, 1980, STUDY SECONDARY META, P1
[4]   ON THE NATURE OF ANTIBIOTIC BINDING-SITES IN RIBOSOMES [J].
CUNDLIFFE, E .
BIOCHIMIE, 1987, 69 (08) :863-869
[5]   WHAT ARE ANTIBIOTICS - ARCHAIC FUNCTIONS FOR MODERN ACTIVITIES [J].
DAVIES, J .
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, 1990, 4 (08) :1227-1232
[6]  
DAVIES JE, 1986, ALLIANCE PRUDENT FAL, P7
[7]   SPORE COLOR IN STREPTOMYCES-COELICOLOR A3(2) INVOLVES THE DEVELOPMENTALLY REGULATED SYNTHESIS OF A COMPOUND BIOSYNTHETICALLY RELATED TO POLYKETIDE ANTIBIOTICS [J].
DAVIS, NK ;
CHATER, KF .
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, 1990, 4 (10) :1679-1691
[8]  
DEMAIN AL, 1980, SEARCH, V11, P148
[9]  
DEMAIN AL, 1989, GENETICS MOL BIOL IN, P1
[10]  
GOTTLIEB D, 1976, J ANTIBIOT, V29, P987