maytansine/putterlickia

Maytansinoid compounds are ansa antibiotics occurring in the bacterium Actinosynnema pretiosum, in mosses and in higher plants such as Putterlickia verrucosa (E. Meyer ex Sonder) Szyszyl. The disjunct occurrence of maytansinoids has led to the consideration that plant-associated bacteria may be

Several recent studies have lent evidence to the fact that certain so-called plant metabolites are actually biosynthesized by associated microorganisms. In this work, we show that the original source organism(s) responsible for the biosynthesis of the important anticancer and cytotoxic compound

Maytansinoids possess remarkable antibiotic activities along with high cytotoxicity, many of which are currently used (or in clinical trials) in the treatment of breast cancer. Celastraceous plants and their associated microorganisms serve as an important resource of maytansinoids. Here, we report

Individual plants belonging to different species of the family Celastraceae collected from their natural habitats in South Africa (Putterlickia verrucosa (E. Meyer ex Sonder) Szyszyl., Putterlickia pyracantha (L.) Szyszyl., Putterlickia retrospinosa van Wyk and Mostert) and Brazil (Maytenus