title: Myxobacteria: natural pharmaceutical factories.
abstract: Myxobacteria are amongst the top producers of natural products. The diversity and unique structural properties of their secondary metabolites is what make these social microbes highly attractive for drug discovery. Screening of products derived from these bacteria has revealed a puzzling amount of hits against infectious and non-infectious human diseases. Preying mainly on other bacteria and fungi, why would these ancient hunters manufacture compounds beneficial for us? The answer may be the targeting of shared processes and structural features conserved throughout evolution.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Virology Group, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.forename: Javier P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mestres
authors.forename: Florenz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sasse
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyerhans
mesh_terms: D001688:Biological Products / Q000378:metabolism*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D009231:Myxococcales / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products