Discoveries, target identifications, and biological applications of natural products that inhibit splicing factor 3B subunit 1

Covering: 1992 to 2015

The natural products FR901464, pladienolide, and herboxidiene were discovered as activators of reporter gene systems. Unexpectedly, these compounds target neither transcription nor translation; rather, they target splicing factor 3B subunit 1 of the spliceosome, causing changes in splicing patterns. All of them showed anticancer activity in a low nanomolar range. Since their discovery, these molecules have been used in a variety of biological applications.