2025 New Investigator Grant
Grace Kenney, Ph.D. Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh
An Unappreciated Yet Widespread Route to the Biosynthesis of Peptidic Natural Products
Abstract
This research endeavors to explore an overlooked biological system, ATP-grasp enzymes, that produces peptidic “natural products,” compounds that play a variety of roles in microbial pathways and can have antimicrobial activity. Two more commonly studied biological systems are currently recognized as the major producers of peptidic natural products. Dr. Kenney hypothesizes ATP-grasp enzymes produce a significant unexplored class of peptidic natural products that are not detectable using common methods. Dr. Kenney’s proposal utilizes a combination of biological, chemical, and computational tools to identify, isolate and characterize a set of candidate compounds that, if successful, will enable further research into their biological roles and potential as drugs. One Scientifc Advisory Board member highlighted that “the success of this research could substantially increase our understanding of the origins of naturally occurring molecules with biological activity. This proposal is well-aligned with the mission [of the Kaufman Foundation]…it is fundamental, and it is high impact.”