Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41957365›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Mode of action guided metagenomic natural product discovery reveals convergent evolution of a ClpP-targeting motif.

Jingbo Kan, Kaylyn Spotton, Adrian Morales-Amador, Yozen Hernandez, Ján Burian, Cecilia Panfil, Melinda A Ternei, Robert E Boer, Abir Bhattacharjee, Sean F Brady

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jingbo Kan *Laboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
Kaylyn Spotton *Laboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-0088-3085
Adrian Morales-AmadorLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7944-308X
Yozen HernandezLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3349-8856
Ján BurianLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
Cecilia PanfilLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
Melinda A TerneiLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5693-9944
Robert E BoerLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5027-2763
Abir BhattacharjeeLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
Sean F BradyLaboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. sbrady@rockefeller.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5967-8586

Funding

Discovery of Antibiotics from Soil Microbiomes Using MetagenomicsR35GM122559 · NIGMS · ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY · PI SEAN F BRADY · 2017 to 2026
$4.7M
Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical BiologyT32GM136640 · NIGMS · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · PI DEREK S TAN · 2020 to 2026
$2.4M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM122559NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM136640U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) NIH T32 GM136640U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R35GM122559
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The discovery of natural products with specific modes of action from metagenomes remains challenging. Here, we present resistance-CONKAT-seq, a pipeline that links biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) to self-resistance genes, enabling identification of metabolites with desired molecular targets. Using clpP-directed resistance-CONKAT-seq, we identify the calprotamides, which activate native ClpP and enhance its activity. Cryo-EM and bioinformatic analyses reveal that the calprotamides' medium-chain N-acylphenylalanine substructure is a convergently evolved ClpP-targeting motif and identify additional BGCs predicted to encode this moiety, including some with co-localized clp genes. The synthesis of structures bioinformatically inspired by two such clp-linked BGCs, desmethyl jomthonic acid C and tuscamide, reveals that both enhance ClpP activity. Extending our bioinformatically guided synthesis study to additional BGCs lacking nearby clp genes shows that ClpP activity enhancement correlated with antibacterial activity, with the strongest enhancers exhibiting narrow-spectrum antibiotic activity. These findings establish N-acylphenylalanine as a previously unrecognized but common natural motif for targeting ClpP, which should help guide the discovery of both natural and synthetic ClpP modulators for antibiotic and anticancer development. Resistance-CONKAT-seq offers a scalable method for exploring biosynthetic dark matter for metabolites with desired modes of action.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsBiological ProductsEndopeptidase ClpMetagenomeAnti-Bacterial AgentsComputational BiologyMultigene FamilyPhenylalanineAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial ProteinsBiological ProductsEndopeptidase ClpPhenylalanine

Identifiers

PMID41957365
PMCPMC13243586

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.