Harvard study looks at how microbes produce cancer fighting compound
For decades, scientists and doctors have known that bacteria in soil were capable of manufacturing streptozotocin, an antibiotic compound that is also an important treatment for certain types of pancreatic cancer. What was less clear was exactly how they managed to do it. Led by Emily Balskus, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, a team of researchers has untangled that process, showing for the first time that the compound is produced through an enzymatic pathway and revealing the novel chemistry that drives the process. The study is described in a Feb. 7 paper published in Nature. What makes streptozotocin such an effective anti-cancer agent is a chemical structure known as a nitrosamine — what Balskus called the molecule’s “warhead.” Known to be highly reactive, nitrosamines have been shown to be toxic in a host of compounds, and are most commonly known outside of cancer treatment as carcinogens found in everything from tobacco to...