Drugs from Bugs from Bugs
Dong-Chan Oh
Natural Products Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University,
Host-microbe symbioses play a critical role in the evolution of biological diversity
and complexity. In a notably intricate system, southern pine beetles use symbiotic fungi
to help overcome host-tree defences and to provide nutrition for their larvae. Here we
show that this beetle-fungal mutualism is chemically mediated by a bacteriallyproduced polyunsaturated peroxide. The molecule’s selective toxicity towards the
beetle's fungal antagonist, combined with the prevalence and localization of its bacterial
source, indicates an insect-microbe association that is both mutualistic and coevolved.
In another insect-microorganism symbiosis, the fungus-growing ant (attine ant) system,
we here demonstrate that a cyclic depsipeptide, produced by symbiotic Pseudonocardia
sp. on the exoskeleton of the ants, controls the parasitic fungi and maintain the
beneficial food fungal culture. These unexpected discoveries in well-studied systems
indicate that mutualistic associations between insects and antibiotic-producing bacteria
are more common than currently recognized, and that identifying their small molecule
mediators could provide a powerful search strategy for therapeutically useful natural
compounds.
CV
학력 및 경력
1992년 - 1996년: 서울대학교 자연과학대학 해양학과 학사 (부전공: 화학)
1996년 - 1998년: 서울대학교 자연과학대학 해양학과 석사 (해양화학)
1998년 – 2001년: 해군 정보장교 복무 (예비역 중위)
2001년 – 2006년: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego 박사 (해양
천연물화학)
2006년 – 2008년: Research Fellow in Harvard Medical School
2008년 – 2009년: Instructor in Harvard Medical School
2009년 – 현재: 서울대학교 약학대학 제약학과 천연물과학전공 조교수
주요논문
“D-amino acids govern stationary phase cell wall re-modeling in bacteria” Lam, H.*; Oh, D.C.*; Cava, F.*; Takacs, C. N.; Clardy, J.; de Pedro, M. A.; Waldor, M. K. Science, in press
(scheduled on Sept. 18, 2009). *These authors contributed equally to this work.
“Dentigerumycin: a bacterial mediator of an ant-fungus symbiosis.” Oh, D.-C.*; Poulsen, M.*;
Currie, C. R.; Clardy, J. Nature Chemical Biology, 2009, 5, 391-393. *These authors
contributed equally to this work.
“Mycangimycin, a polyene peroxide from a mutualist Streptomyces sp.” Oh, D.-C.; Scott, J. J.;
Currie, C. R.; Clardy, J. Organic Letters, 2009, 11, 633-636.
“Bacterial protection of beetle-fungus mutualism” Scott, J. J.*; Oh, D.-C.*; Yuceer, M. C.;
Klepzig, K. D.; Clardy, J.; Currie, C. R. Science, 2008, 322, 63. *These authors contributed
equally to this work.
“Biosynthesis and structures of cyclomarins and cyclomarazines, prenylated cyclic peptides of
marine actinobacterial origin” Schultz, A. W; Oh, D.-C.; Carney, J. R.; Williamson, R. T.;
Udwary, D. W.; Jensen, P. R.; Gould, S. J.; Fenical, W.; Moore, B. S. Journal of the American
Chemical Society, 2008, 130, 4507-4516.
“Thalassospiramides A and B, immunosuppressive peptides from the marine bacterium
Thalassospira sp.” Oh, D.-C.; Strangman, W. K.; Kauffman, C. A.; Jensen, P. R.;
Fenical, W. Organic Letters, 2007, 9, 1525-1528.