Cryo-EM reveals bacterial enzyme structure for anticancer drug scaffold assembly

SciTechera says researchers reconstructed SacC's structure with cryo-EM at near-atomic resolution. The bacterial enzyme performs a seven-step reaction to build a five-ring structure shared by safracin B and trabectedin, a drug used for certain soft-tissue cancers. The post says partner protein SacE improved SacC's behavior after clumping had hindered imaging, and imagines combining the structure with AI and protein engineering to make complex molecules and discover future medicines.