Mode of Action

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Mode of action research in the van der Donk lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanisms by which peptidic or phosphonate natural products carry out their biological functions. With a focus on studying the underlying cause of bactericidial activity, we use techniques such as synthesizing analogs to identify structure-activity relationships, and performing bioactivity screens against the bacterial ESKAPE pathogens. We are also interested in elucidating the function of mammalian homologs of bacterial lanthipeptide synthetases and probing their role as safeguards against protein damage in eukaryotic systems. By delving into the mode of action, we aim to not only decipher the fundamental principles of these compounds, but also harness their potential for therapeutic applications.

Selected Publications

Research article published in ACS Infectious Diseases by Rahman et al. in 2021 titled structure-activity relationships of the enterococcal cytolysin
Research article published in Frontiers in Microbiology by Wu et al. in 2023 titled investigation into the mechanism of action of the antimicrobial peptide epilancin 15X
Research article published in Cell by Lai et al. in 2021 titled LanCLs add glutathione to dehydroamino acids generated at phosphorylated sites in the proteome