New Publication in RSC Chemical Biology

Usnic acid is a natural product with versatile biological activities against various organisms. Here, we utilise a
chemical proteomic strategy to gain insights into its target scope in bacterial and human cells. First, we
excluded DNA binding as a major reason for its antibacterial activity, and second, we commenced with target
profiling, which unravelled several metal cofactor-dependent enzymes in both species indicating a
polypharmacological mode of action. Interestingly, our synthetic studies revealed a selectivity switch at usnic
acid, which maintains antibacterial activity but lacks strong cytotoxic effects.

Ruddell, S. A., Mostert, D., Sieber, S. A. "Target identification of usnic acid in bacterial and human cells", RSC Chem. Biol.

Link: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CB00040D