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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Extension Of The Ergot Alkaloid Gene Cluster, Samantha Joy Fabian
Extension Of The Ergot Alkaloid Gene Cluster, Samantha Joy Fabian
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Specialized metabolites produced by fungi impact human health. A large portion of the pharmaceuticals currently on the market are derived from metabolites biosynthesized by microbes. Ergot alkaloids are a class of fungal metabolites that are important in the interactions of environmental fungi with insects and mammals and also are used in the production of pharmaceuticals. In animals, ergot alkaloids can act as partial agonists or antagonists at receptors for 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), dopamine, and noradrenaline as ergot alkaloids have chemical structures similar to those neurotransmitters. Therefore, they affect insects and mammals that consume them and can be used to produce drugs …
Diversification Of Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis In Natural And Engineered Fungi, Kyle Austin Davis
Diversification Of Ergot Alkaloid Biosynthesis In Natural And Engineered Fungi, Kyle Austin Davis
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Ergot alkaloids are a complex family of tryptophan-derived mycotoxins produced by a diverse range of fungi that occupy a wide variety of ecological niches including soil saprotrophs, plant endophytes, pathogens of plants or insects, and opportunistic pathogens of humans and other mammals. Ergot alkaloids are a similarly diverse family of chemicals that elicit a variety of pharmacological activities in animals due to their resemblance to neurotransmitters and high binding affinity for neurological receptors, including those that bind adrenaline, dopamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. These structural similarities allow us to create medicines aimed at treating a range of neurological diseases and disorders …
Genetic And Biochemical Characterization Of Ergot Alkaloid Synthesizing Fungi And Their Symbionts, Matthew Duane Maust
Genetic And Biochemical Characterization Of Ergot Alkaloid Synthesizing Fungi And Their Symbionts, Matthew Duane Maust
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Ergot alkaloids are fungal tryptophan derived toxins which affect mammalian circulation and neurotransmission. These compounds are biosynthesized by a conserved genetic pathway, known as the ergot alkaloid synthesis (EAS) pathway by fungi belonging to the ascomycete families Trichocomaceae and Clavicipitaceae. Several Ipomoea species and related plants in the morning glory family harbor vertically transmitted symbiotic fungi in the genus Periglandula, also members of Clavicipitaceae, that produce ergot alkaloids. Metabolomic analysis of seeds identified a previously uncharacterized glycoside form of the pharmaceutically important ergot alkaloid, ergonovine. Several species belonging to the fungal genus Metarhizium have recently been shown to have the …