'Silent' Fungus Metabolism Awakened For New Natural Products
Thursday, May 1, 2008 - 14:14
in Biology & Nature
US scientists have re-awakened 'silent' metabolic pathways in fungi to reveal a new range of natural products. The research could provide not only a source of new drugs, but a way to "listen to what fungi are saying" to organisms around them. Fungi produce a wide variety of natural products, including potent toxins and life-saving drugs such as penicillin. As a result, the genetics of fungi have generated much interest in recent years.