Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42469455›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2026

Evolution, structure and function of the putative biosynthetic gene cluster of the fungal secondary metabolite myriocin, a potent inhibitory sphingolipid.

Ben Rutter, Michael A Herrera, Gustavo Perez Ortiz, Claudio Greco, Ben Ashley, Hai Deng, Abigail Hay, Cameron Bedford, Marius Wenzel, Stephen Mondo and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

17 authors.

Ben RutterSchool of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
Michael A HerreraSchool of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Gustavo Perez OrtizSchool of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Claudio GrecoDepartment of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3067-0999
Ben AshleySchool of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Hai DengDepartment of Chemistry, School of Natural & Computing Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0047-0622
Abigail HaySchool of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
Cameron BedfordMedical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Marius WenzelCentre for Genome-Enabled Biology & Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0093-368X
Stephen MondoUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5797-0647
Zachary KonkelDepartment of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
Jason C SlotDepartment of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6731-3405
Qinxi MaMedical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Nicolas HelmstetterMedical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Rhys A FarrerMedical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8456-7458
Dominic J Campopiano *School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8573-6735
Alexandra C Brand *School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK. a.brand@exeter.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-7381-131X

Funding

National Science Foundation (NSF) DEB-1638999RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/J01446X/1RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/V001620/1RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BB/Y002210/1RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) B/V005723/2Royal Society UF080611Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust (Wellcome) 206412/Z/17/ZWellcome Trust (Wellcome) 225303/Z/22/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Myriocin is a fungal secondary metabolite exploited worldwide as a powerful inhibitor of sphingolipid biosynthesis through its structural similarity to sphingosine. We identify the putative myriocin biosynthesis gene cluster (BGC) through de novo sequencing of two producing fungi, Isaria sinclairii and Mycelia sterilia, yielding genomes of 25.2 Mb and 34.2 Mb encoding 27 and 20 secondary metabolite BGCs, respectively. BGCs #5 in I. sinclairii and #18 in M. sterilia both shared and expressed the polyketide synthase (PKS) and alpha oxo-amine synthase (AOS) predicted for myriocin biosynthesis, with 74% and 79% sequence similarity, respectively. Analysis of a 2,236-fungal-genome database suggests the pathway originated in the Sordariomycete ancestor, presenting in two major clades distinguished by PKS gene orientation. The placement of thermophilic M. sterilia suggests myriocin BGC acquisition through horizontal gene transfer, but its origin in I. sinclairii is ambiguous. Heterologously-expressed IsMyrA bound aminomalonate, and a protein-protein docking interface was identified between the acyl carrier protein and IsMyrA. A model of PKS domain function, the roles of the PKS and AOS genes and the synteny of the putative myriocin biosynthetic gene cluster across 34 carrier species of ascomycetes is presented.

Indexed as

Evolution, MolecularFatty Acids, MonounsaturatedMultigene FamilySphingolipidsBiosynthetic PathwaysGenome, FungalPhylogenyPolyketide SynthasesFatty Acids, MonounsaturatedPolyketide SynthasesSphingolipidsthermozymocidin

Identifiers

PMID42469455
PMCPMC13612406

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.