Toxic Non-Proteinogenic Amino Acids (NPAA)
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2017) | Viewed by 15055
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cyanobacteria; toxins; bioactive compounds; zebrafish embryo model; natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Amino acids are clearly key molecules in the chemistry of life, and indeed, are the most abundant biomolecules (constituting, for example, as much as 50% dry weight of biological systems in the form either proteins or free amino acids). By far, most attention has focused on the canonical twenty amino acids utilized in ribosomal protein synthesis via translation. However, it is generally accepted that the proteinogenic amino acids represent only a very small subset of the diversity of amino acids, and estimates suggest that several hundred or more non-proteinogenic amino acids (NPAAs) are produced and exist in nature. The NPAA are produced in the environment by a wide range of organisms including, in particular, various plant and microbial taxa. Reported functions of the NPAA include endogenous roles such as cellular signaling and regulation, structural composition of cell membranes and metabolic intermediates, as well as various “exogenous”, and particularly ecological, roles as feeding deterrents, and other allelopathic (e.g., antimicrobial or other antibiotic) activities. Notably, the NPAAs are found in a wide range of biologically active peptides from microbes. Alongside these roles, several examples exist to suggest that NPAAs may secondarily pose threats to human and animal health as potent toxins and/or contributors to diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative disease). These diverse functions, and reported impacts on health, point to a largely under-investigated contribution of NPAAs as natural toxins. This Special Issue will focus, therefore, on toxic amino acids including their diversity, biosynthesis/biogenesis, mechanisms of toxicity and possible roles in a wide range of biological processes including, in particular, human health and disease. Manuscripts from any fields, and disciplines, related to toxic amino acids are invited.
Prof. Dr. John P. Berry
Guest Editor
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