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Alamethicin
Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alamethicin is a channel-forming peptide antibiotic, produced by the fungus Trichoderma viride. It belongs to peptaibol peptides which contain the non-proteinogenic amino acid residue Aib (2-aminoisobutyric acid). This residue strongly induces formation of alpha-helical structure. The peptide sequence is
- Ac-Aib-Pro-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Gln-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-Leu-Aib-Pro-Val-Aib-Aib-Glu-Gln-Phl
where Ac = acetyl, Phl = phenylalaninol, and Aib = 2-Aminoisobutyric acid.
In cell membranes, it forms voltage-dependent ion channels by aggregation of four to six molecules.
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Biosynthesis
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Alamethicin biosynthesis is hypothesized to be catalyzed by alamethicin synthase, a Nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) first isolated in 1975.[2] Although there are several sequences of the alamethicin peptide accepted,[3] evidence suggests these all follow the general NRPS mechanism [4] with small variations at select amino acids.[5] Beginning with the acylation of the N terminal of the first aminoisobutiric acid on the ALM synthase enzyme by Acetyl-CoA,[6] this is followed by the sequential condensation of amino acids by each modular unit of the synthetase.[7] Amino acids are initially adenylated by an “adenylylation” (A) domain before being attached by a thioester bond to an Acyl Carrier Protein-like Peptidyl carrier protein.[8] The growing chain is attached to the amino acid bearing PCP by the "condensation" (C) domain, followed by another round of the same reactions by the next module.[8]

Assembly is completed by the addition of phenylalaninol, an unusual amino acid-like substrate.[9] Following addition of phenylalaninol the completed peptide chain is cleaved by the thioesterase domain, cleaving the thioester bond and leaving an alcohol.[citation needed]

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