title: The structural biology of phenazine biosynthesis.
abstract: The phenazines are a class of over 150 nitrogen-containing aromatic compounds of bacterial and archeal origin. Their redox properties not only explain their activity as broad-specificity antibiotics and virulence factors but also enable them to function as respiratory pigments, thus extending their importance to the primary metabolism of phenazine-producing species. Despite their discovery in the mid-19th century, the molecular mechanisms behind their biosynthesis have only been unraveled in the last decade. Here, we review the contribution of structural biology that has led to our current understanding of phenazine biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Structure and Function of Proteins, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: wulf.blankenfeldt@helmholtz-hzi.de.
authors.forename: Wulf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Blankenfeldt
authors.affiliation: Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, 9600 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Electronic address: parsonsj@umd.edu.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D019843:Archaeal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002827:Chorismic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010619:Phenazines / Q000737:chemistry*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019843:Archaeal Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010619:Phenazines; D037521:Virulence Factors; D002827:Chorismic Acid