Chemical Dark Matter of the Amazon’s Iron Caves

Brazilian iron-cave bacteria produce rare cyclopeptides with significant cytotoxic activity against cancer cells.

Deep within the aphotic zones of the Amazon’s ferruginous caves, a hidden world of microbial “dark matter” holds immense potential as a source for pharmacological innovation. A pioneering metabolomic survey of these extreme environments isolates rare bacterial genera that thrive in these iron-rich landscapes. They use SIRIUS to identify and classify chemical features, including potent cyclopeptides demonstrating growth inhibition against cancer cell lines.

The easy way to comprehensive structure elucidation​

SIRIUS is the comprehensive software solution for the high-throughput identification of small molecules from fragmentation mass spectrometry data. SIRIUS provides a comprehensive set of features spanning every step from feature detection to detailed result validation. It is designed to not only accurately characterize known compounds but also to confidently identify “unknown unknowns” in complex biological samples. 

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