# Discovery and Mechanism of Biosynthetic Enzymes

> **NIH NIH R35** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2021 · $579,500

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Biosynthetic pathways are rich in enzymatic transformations that produce structurally
diverse natural products, such as secondary metabolites, modified nucleic acids, and
modified peptides. Discovering and understanding the molecular basis for these
transformations underpins efforts towards development of deep insights into factors that
either belie many disease processes, or their use in development of therapeutic agents.
The two major NIGMS-funded research areas in the Bandarian lab at the University of
Utah focus on (1) discovering the molecular basis of biogenesis of the pyrrolopyrimidine
core structure found in a variety of secondary metabolites, as well as in the hypermodified
base, queuosine, and (2) elucidating the mechanism of enzymes involved in the
biosynthetic pathways of ribosomally synthesized posttranscriptionally modified
polypeptides (RiPPs), which are emerging as a new group of natural products with
substantial potential as therapeutic agents. These pathways often utilize complex radical-
mediated enzymatic transformations whose mechanisms are not known. The discovery
and mechanistic studies of these enzymes are proposed as part of this R35 application.
!

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10147100
- **Project number:** 5R35GM126956-04
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** VAHE BANDARIAN
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $579,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10147100

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10147100, Discovery and Mechanism of Biosynthetic Enzymes (5R35GM126956-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10147100. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*