Peptide halogenation biochemistry: interfacing pharmaceutical deliverables with chemical innovation
Vinayak Agarwal
Med Chem Res 2025 accepted, in press
Large protein-like leader peptides engage differently with RiPP halogenases and lanthionine synthetases
Vidya FNU, Luo Y, Wu H, van der Donk WA, McShan AC,* Agarwal V*
Nat Commun 2025 16:9273
Phylogenomic identification of a highly conserved copper-binding RiPP biosynthetic gene cluster in marine Microbulbifer bacteria
Tang Y,† Zhong W,† Fu L, Asante E, Kostenko A, Vidya FNU, Mandelare-Ruiz P, Adeogun TT, Anderson GP, Edmonds BE, Fang O, Han M, Hollingsworth AS, Ingham AR, Kirby CR, Landrum A, Mack CR, Nobari NS, Oswald EJ, Ploevoy CL, Sharifian Y, So TJ, Stokes JR, Thompson RS, Vuthamaraju R, Wang EC, Yang WH, Onstine AE, Paul VJ, Wu R, Aron AT, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol 2025 20(10):2462–74
Discovery, biosynthesis, and bioactivities of peptidic natural products from marine sponges and sponge-associated bacteria
Zhong W,† Lin Z,† Schmidt EW,* Agarwal V*
Nat Prod Rep 2025 accepted, in press
Detection of unusually high transcriptomic and proteomic abundance of bromoform-synthesizing halogenase in marine macroalgae Asparagopsis taxiformis
Lin Z,† Islam S,† Hargrave MS, Singh R, Zhou L, Xie R, Smith JE,* Schmidt EW,* Agarwal V*
Front Mar Sci 2025 12:1664275
Extending the Peptide/Protein Interaction Paradigm to a Protein/Protein Engagement Model in RiPP Biosynthesis
Wakeel M, Corbin E, McShan AC, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol 2025 20(9):2069–74
Jaspamide/jasplakinolide is Synthesized by Jaspinella (Tectomicrobia) bacteria in sponges
Lin Z, Wolf K, Agarwal V,* Schmidt EW,* Kwan JS*
J Nat Prod 2025 88(6):1471–80
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Halogenase-assisted biocatalytic derivatization of aminothiazoles and cephalosporin antibiotics
Branham PJ,† Saha N,† Oyelere SE, Agarwal V
J Org Chem 2025 90(9):3507–11
Genome mining for the discovery of peptide halogenases and their biochemical characterization
Saha N, Agarwal V
Methods Enzymol 2025 accepted, in press
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Transformation-guided genome mining provides access to brominated lanthipeptides
Saha N,† Vidya FNU,† Luo Y, van der donk WA, Agarwal V
Org Lett 2025 27(4):984–8
highlighted by the American Peptide Society
Halogenase-assisted alkyne/aryl bromide Sonogashira coupling for ribosomally synthesized peptides
Saha N, Vidya FNU, Xie R, Agarwal V
JACS 2024 146(44):30009–13
Activity and biocatalytic potential of an indolylamide generating thioesterase
Zhong W,† Budimir ZL,† Lucas JO, Parkinson EI,* Agarwal V*
Org Lett 2024 26(43):9378–82
Gatekeeping activity of collinear ketosynthase domains limits product diversity for engineered type I polyketide synthases
Yi D, Wakeel MA, and Agarwal V
Biochemistry 2024 63(18):2240–44
Featured in special issue honoring Chris Walsh
Discovery and folding dynamics of a fused bicyclic cysteine knot undecapeptide from the marine sponge Halichondria bowerbanki
Zhong W, Olugbami, JO, Rathakrishnan P, Mohanty I, Moore SG, Garg N, Oyelere AK, Turner T, McShan AC,* and Agarwal V*
J Org Chem 2024 89(17):12748–52
The power and pitfalls of AlphaFold2 for structure prediction beyond rigid globular proteins
Agarwal V* and McShan AC*
Nat Chem Biol 2024 20, 950–959
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Disordered regions in proteusin peptides guide post-translational modification by a flavin-dependent RiPP brominase
Nguyệt NA,† Vidya FNU,† Yeenawar NH, Wu H, McShan AC,* Agarwal V*
Nat Commun 2024 15(1265)
Polymer degrading marine Microbulbifer bacteria: an un(der)utilized source of chemical and biocatalytic novelty
Zhong W and Agarwal V
Bielstein J Org Chem 2024 20, 1635
Short macrocyclic peptides in sponge genomes
Lin Z, Agarwal V,* Cong Y, Pomponi S, Schmidt EW*
PNAS 2024 121 (11) e2314383121
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Coral settlement induction by tetrabromopyrrole is widespread among Caribbean corals and compound specific
Sneed JM, Demko AM, Miller MW, Yi D, Moore BS, Agarwal V, Paul VJ
Front Mar Sci 2024
The influence of light stress on bromoform synthesis and concentration in the red seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis
Hargrave MS, Islam S, Agarwal V, Smith JE
J App Phycol 2024
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The effect of light intensity, spectrum, and photoperiod on the physiological performance of Asparagopsis taxiformis tetrasporophytes
Dishon G, Resetartis HM, Tsai B, Jones AL, Agarwal V, Smith JE
Algal Res 2023 76:103304
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Pseudobulbiferamides: plasmid-encoded ureidopeptide natural products with biosynthetic gene clusters shared among marine bacteria of different genera
Zhong W, Aiosa NM, Deutsch JM, Garg N, Agarwal V
J Nat Prod 2023 86(10):2414–2420
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A leader-guided substrate tolerant RiPP brominase allows Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions for peptides and proteins
Nguyet NA, Agarwal V
Biochemistry 2023 62(12), 1838–1843.
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Discovery and biosynthesis of ureidopeptide natural products macrocyclized via indole N-acylation produced by marine Microbulbifer spp. bacteria
Zhong W, Deutsch JM, Yi D, Abrahamse NH, Mohanty I, Moore SG, McShan AC, Garg N, Agarwal V
ChemBioChem 2023 e202300190.
ChemBioTalents 2022/23 special issue.
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Biosynthesis-guided discovery and engineering of α-pyrone natural products from type I polyketide synthases
Yi D, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol 2023 18(5), 1060–1065.
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Limited metabolomic overlap between commensal bacteria and marine sponge holobionts revealed by large scale culturing and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics: an undergraduate laboratory pedagogical effort at Georgia Tech
Deutsch JM, Green MP, Akavaram P, Davis AC, Diskalkar SS, Du Plessis IA, Fallon HA, Grason EM, Kauf EG, Kim ZM, Miller II JR, Neal AL, Riera T, Stroeva S-E, Tran J, Tran V, Coronado AV, Coronado VV, Wall BT, Yang C, Mohanty I, Abrahamse NH, Freeman CJ, Easson CG, Fiore CL, Onstine AE, Djeddar N, Biliya S, Bryksin AV, Garg N, Agarwal V
Marine Drugs 2023 21(1), 53.
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A silent biosynthetic gene cluster from a methanotrophic bacterium potentiates discovery of a substrate promiscuous proteusin cyclodehydratase
Nguyet NA, Cong Y, Hurrell RC, Arias N, Garg N, Puri AW, Schmidt EW, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol 2022 17(6), 1577–1585.
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A nonfunctional halogenase masquerades as an aromatizing dehydratase in biosynthesis of pyrrolic polyketides by type I polyketide synthases
Yi D, Niroula D, Gutekunst WR, Loper JE, Yan Q, Agarwal V*
ACS Chem Biol 2022 17(6), 1351–1356.
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Resolving the hydride transfer pathway in oxidative conversion of proline to pyrrole
Acharya A, Yi D, Pavlova A, Agarwal V*, Gumbart JC*
Biochemistry 2022 61, 206–215.
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Hepatic demethylation of methoxy-bromodiphenyl ethers and conjugation of the resulting hydroxy-bromodiphenyl ethers in a marine fish, the red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, and a freshwater fish, the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus
Sultana A, Hindrichs C, Cisneros KV, Weaver CJ, Faux LR, Agarwal V, James MO
Chemosphere. 2022 286, 131620.
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An obligate peptidyl brominase underlies the discovery of highly distributed biosynthetic gene clusters in marine sponge microbiomes
Nguyen NA, Lin Z, Mohanty I, Garg N, Schmidt EW, Agarwal V
JACS. 2021 143, 10221–10231
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Gatekeeping ketosynthases dictate initiation of assembly line biosynthesis of pyrrolic polyketides
Yi D, Acharya A, Gumbart JC, Gutekunst WR, Agarwal V
JACS. 2021 143, 7617−7622
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Enzymatic synthesis assisted discovery of proline-rich macrocyclic peptides in marine sponges
Mohanty I,* Nguyen NA,* Moore SG, Biggs JS, Gaul DA, Garg N, Agarwal V
ChemBioChem 2021 22, 2614–2618
*co-first authors
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Presence of bromotyrosine alkaloids in marine sponges is independent of metabolomic and microbiome architectures
Mohanty I, Tapadar S, Moore SR, Biggs JS, Freeman CJ, Gaul DA, Garg N, Agarwal V
mSystems. 2021
6(2):e01387–20
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Stereochemical assignment and absolute abundance of non-proteinogenic amino acid homoarginine in marine sponges
Mohanty I, Moore SG, Biggs JS, Freeman CJ, Gaul DA, Garg N, Agarwal V
ACS Omega 2021 6, 33200–33205.
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Obligate brominating enzymes underlie bromoform production by marine cyanobacteria
Thapa HR, Agarwal V
J Phycol. 2021 57, 1131–1139
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Precursor-guided mining of marine sponge metabolomes lends insight into biosynthesis of pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids
Mohanty I, Moore SG, Yi D, Biggs JS, Gaul DA, Garg N, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol. 2020 15(8), 2185–2194
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Genetic and biochemical reconstruction of bromoform biosynthesis in Asparagopsis lends insights in seaweed ROS enzymology
Thapa HR, Lin Z, Yi D, Smith JW, Schmidt EW, Agarwal V
ACS Chem Biol. 2020 15(6), 1662–1670
Multi-omic profiling of Melophlus sponges reveals diverse metabolomic and microbiome architectures that are non-overlapping with ecological neighbors
Mohanty I, Podell S, Biggs JS, Garg N, Allen EE, Agarwal V
Mar Drugs. 2020 18(2), 124
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Insights into thiotemplated pyrrole biosynthesis gained by crystal structure of flavin-dependent oxidase in complex with carrier protein
Thapa HR, Robbins JM, Moore BS, Agarwal V
Biochemistry. 2019 58(7):918–929.
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Chemical ecology of marine sponges: new opportunities through “-omics”.
Paul VJ, Freeman CJ, Agarwal V
Integr Comp Biol. 2019
Mass spectrometry-based integration and expansion of the chemical diversity harbored within a marine sponge
Cantrell TP, Freeman CJ, Paul VJ, Agarwal V*, Garg N*
J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2019 30(8):1373–1384
*corresponding
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Sulfonation and glucuronidation of hydroxylated bromodiphenyl ethers in human liver
Cisneros KV, Agarwal V, James MO
Chemospehere. 2019 226:132–139.
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Chemoenzymatic synthesis of starting materials and characterization of halogenases requiring acyl carrier protein-tethered substrates.
Thapa HR, Lail AL, Garg N, Agarwal V
Methods Enzymol. 2018 604:333–366.
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Assaying Oxidative Coupling Activity of CYP450 Enzymes
Agarwal V
Methods Enzymol. 2018 604:499–521.