Total synthesis of lindbladione, a Hes1 dimerization inhibitor and neural stem cell activator isolated from Lindbladia tubulina

Screening study of cancer-related cellular signals from microbial natural products

To identify bioactive natural products from various natural resources, such as plants and microorganisms, we investigated programs to screen for compounds that affect several cancer-related cellular signaling pathways, such as BMI1, TRAIL, and Wnt. This review summarizes the results of our recent studies, particularly those involving natural products isolated from microbial resources, such as actinomycetes, obtained from soil samples collected primarily around Chiba, Japan.

Target Protein-Oriented Isolations for Bioactive Natural Products

Natural products are very attractive for development of medicine. Their structure and bioactivities are often beyond human knowledge and imagination. We have developed isolation methods for target protein-oriented natural products so as quickly to discover bioactive compounds from natural resources. This review summarizes our recent results including protein beads methods for neural stem cells differentiation activators and new cancer drug candidates. Syntheses of isolated compounds are described. We also developed protein plate method for identification of protein-protein interaction inhibitors. Because protein binding ability is tightly related to bioactivity, protein-based natural products isolation is a powerful means to find new candidate medicines.