Fungal Ribosomally Synthesised and Post-translationally Modified Peptides

真菌产生一系列被称为次级代谢物（SMs）的分子，对日常生活产生影响（例如青霉素）。本项目旨在研究一类新的真菌肽SMs，称为RiPPs，它在结构上与现有分子不同，并提供了新的生物活性的令人兴奋的前景。本项目旨在发现RiPP的合成机制及其在植物病原真菌中的生物学作用，揭示和设计具有理想生物活性的新型RiPP。该项目的预期结果将是真菌SM生物学的开创性进展，通过产生令人兴奋的新先导分子，为农业和医疗行业提供重大利益。

Fungi produce an array of molecules called secondary metabolites (SMs) that impact on everyday life (e.g. penicillin). This project aims to investigate a new class of fungal peptide SMs called RiPPs which are structurally unique from existing molecules and offer the exciting prospect of harbouring new and novel biological activities. This project expects to discover the mechanisms of RiPP synthesis and their biological roles in plant pathogenic fungi, and uncover and engineer novel RiPPs with desired bioactivities. The expected outcome from this project will be a seminal advance in fungal SM biology which should provide significant benefits through the generation of exciting new lead molecules for the agricultural and medical industries.