E. P. Balskus

The paper identifies bacterially-derived N-acetylputrescine as a marker of severe gram-negative bloodstream infections and shows that inhibiting its synthesis reduces bacterial growth and antibiotic resistance.

This study shows that bacterial sphingolipids worsen colitis by reducing IL-22 production from ILC3 cells in mice.

This paper determines the structure and mechanism of the cyanobacterial enzyme CylK, which performs unique alkylation reactions in cylindrocyclophane biosynthesis.

This study investigates how trans-4-hydroxyproline affects the metabolism of C. difficile and commensal Clostridia, revealing differential gene expression and microbiota changes in mice.

This study identifies and characterizes bacterial glycogen-degrading enzymes in the vaginal microbiome, showing their activity and expression across different community states.

This study identifies cysteine dependence in Lactobacillus iners as a therapeutic target to shift vaginal microbiota from L. iners-dominant to L. crispatus-dominant states.

This study shows colibactin induces prophage lytic development in bacteria, with resistance mechanisms observed across diverse taxa.

This paper identifies an anaerobic pathway in gut bacteria that converts γ-butyrobetaine to trimethylamine, showing it is a major contributor to TMA production from L-carnitine in the human gut.

This study identifies and characterizes the distribution and diversity of dimetal-carboxylate halogenases in cyanobacteria using genome mining and PCR-based screening.

This paper investigates the assembly of the diiron cofactor in the SznF enzyme, revealing structural changes and an unexpected glutamate ligand that aids in function assignment.

This paper identifies a gene cluster in Streptomyces alanosinicus responsible for diazeniumdiolate biosynthesis and characterizes the pathway's key enzymes and intermediates.

The paper identifies a molybdenum-dependent enzyme in gut bacteria that dehydroxylates catechols, revealing its role in microbial metabolism and broader ecological relevance.

This paper identifies ClbL as an amidase enzyme that forms amide bonds, contributing to colibactin's DNA cross-linking activity by incorporating electrophilic warheads into its structure.

This study characterizes the in vitro activity of ClbP, a peptidase involved in colibactin biosynthesis, and develops a fluorogenic probe to detect its activity.

The paper shows that glutamic acid carries hydrazine during the biosynthesis of fosfazinomycin and kinamycin, forming an N-N bond through an acetylhydrazine intermediate.