Biosynthesis and Applications of Natural Products
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 193
Special Issue Editors
Interests: natural products; natural product biosynthesis; protein engineering; enzymology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural products (NPs) have played a critical role in drug discovery and development for nearly a century. Many NPs possess complex structures that provide high specificity and potency to their drug targets. However, this structural complexity often makes them difficult to reproduce or modify using conventional organic synthesis techniques. Consequently, exploring the biosynthetic pathways for NP production and harnessing them for biosynthetic or semisynthetic approaches is an attractive avenue for the diversification of existing NPs or even the generation of new “unnatural” NP-like molecules. The biosynthesis of NPs involves the orchestrated action of a variety of proteins. While understanding the protein function, structure, and interaction with other proteins or small molecules is essential, we are still at the beginning of this long journey.
Therefore, we welcome manuscripts that advance our understanding of the biosynthesis and applications of natural products. We are open to research papers, review papers, and comparative studies. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Discovery and characterization of new natural products;
- Elucidation of biosynthetic gene clusters;
- Functional and structural characterization of individual enzymes;
- Total biosynthesis of natural products;
- Engineering study of individual enzymes;
- Combinatorial biosynthesis;
- Chemoenzymatic synthesis;
- Bioinformatics.
Dr. Shogo Mori
Dr. Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- bioinformatics
- biosynthesis
- chemoenzyamtic synthesis
- combinatorial biosynthesis
- drug discovery
- drug development
- gene clusters
- natural products
- protein engineering
- secondary metabolites
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.