Interactions of glycosyl transferases involved in antibiotic biosynthesis

Dr. Jakeman's research will investigate the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of antibiotics. The study of these enzymes is of the utmost importance to discover how antibiotics are produced, and then use these enzymes with modified substrates to prepare new potential antibiotics. New antibiotics are necessary to circumvent increasing bacterial resistance observed with current agents that treat infectious diseases. The modified antibiotics will be assessed initially in Dr. Jakeman's laboratory for antibacterial activity. In addition to being antibiotics, the classes of antibiotics studied by Dr. Jakeman are also used as anticancer agents. These agents often have undesirable toxicities. Structural modificaiton of other anticancer agents has been shown to significantly reduce the toxicity. Dr. Jakeman will prepare analogues of anticancer antibiotics by enzymatic synthesis with modified substrate analogues and assess the potential of these compounds through collaborations at Dalhousie University.