Martin Schmeing

Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

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INPEC node since 2010

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The general goal of the lab is to understand how some of the large enzymes in the cell act to perform their important functions.  To do this, we combine X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, biochemical techniques and chemical biology. The main current focus of the lab is the study of nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), large macromolecular machines that, like the ribosome, catalyze peptide bond formation. Instead of making proteins, these enzymes produce a large variety of small molecules with important and diverse biological activity. For example, NRPSs synthesize anti-fungals, anti-bacterials, anti-virals, anti-tumourigenics, siderophores, and immunosuppressants, including classic therapeutics such as penicillin and cyclosporin, and modern billion-dollar antibiotics like daptomycin.

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Keywords: megaenzyme, NRPS, natural products, X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, ribosome