Professor Chris Willis

Summary

Natural products isolated from bacteria, fungi and plants from both marine and terrestrial environments are a rich source of compounds of medicinal and agrochemical importance. We have published >130 papers which centre upon:-

• Structure elucidation and total synthesis of natural products
• Design and synthesis of probes to elucidate biosynthetic pathways and enzyme mechanisms
• Enantioselective synthesis of amino acids and heterocycles
• Isotopic labelling, biotransformations and reaction mechanisms

Professor Willis is a supervisor in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Synthesis

Keywords

• natural products
• bacteria
• fungi
• plants
• compounds
• biosynthetic pathways
• enzyme mechanisms
• amino acids

Expertise

Natural products isolated from bacteria, fungi and plants from both marine and terrestrial environments are a rich source of compounds of medicinal and agrochemical importance. We have published >100 papers which centre upon:- ? Structure elucidation and total synthesis of natural products ? Design and synthesis of probes to elucidate biosynthetic pathways and enzyme mechanisms ? Enantioselective synthesis of amino acids and heterocycles ? Isotopic labelling, biotransformations and reaction mechanisms

Memberships

Organisations

School of Chemistry

Other sites

• Chemistry

Links

• Willis Research Group

Recent publications

• Connolly, JA, Wilson, A, Macioszek, M, Song, Z, Wang, L, Mohammad, HH, Yadav, M, Martino, Md, Miller, CE, Hothersall, J, Haines, AS, Stephens, ER, Crump, MP, Willis, CL, Simpson, TJ, Winn, PJ & Thomas, CM, 2019, ‘Defining the genes for the final steps in biosynthesis of the complex polyketide antibiotic mupirocin by Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB10586’. Scientific Reports, vol 9.
• Donnelly, B, Elliott, L, Willis, C & Booker-Milburn, K, 2019, ‘Sequential Photochemical and Prins Reactions for the Diastereoselective Synthesis of Tricyclic Scaffolds’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition.
• Lees, NR, Han, L-C, Byrne, M, Davies, J, Parnell, A, Moreland, P, Stach, JEM, Kamp, MVd, Willis, C & Race, P, 2019, ‘An Esterase-like Lyase Catalyzes Acetate Elimination in Spirotetronate/Spirotetramate Biosynthesis’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol 58., pp. 2305-2309
• Szwalbe, AJ, Williams, K, Song, Z, De Mattos-Shipley, K, Vincent, JL, Bailey, AM, Willis, CL, Cox, RJ & Simpson, TJ, 2019, ‘Characterisation of the biosynthetic pathway to agnestins A and B reveals the reductive route to chrysophanol in fungi’. Chemical Science, vol 10., pp. 233-238
• Marsh, CO, Lees, NR, Han, L-C, Byrne, MJ, Mbatha, SZ, Maschio, L, Pagden-Ratcliffe, S, Duke, P, Stach, JEM, Curnow, P, Willis, CL & Race, PR, 2019, ‘A Natural Diels-Alder Biocatalyst Enables Efficient [4 + 2] Cycloaddition Under Harsh Reaction Conditions’. ChemCatChem.
• Walker, P, Williams, C, Weir, A, Wang, L, Crosby, J, Race, P, Simpson, T, Willis, C & Crump, M, 2019, ‘Control of beta-Branching in Kalimantacin Biosynthesis: Application of Direct Observe 13C NMR to Polyketide Programming.’. Angewandte Chemie, vol 58., pp. 12446-12450
• Greco, C, Mattos-Shipley, Kd, Bailey, AM, Mulholland, NP, Vincent, JL, Willis, CL, Cox, RJ & Simpson, TJ, 2019, ‘Structure revision of cryptosporioptides and determination of the genetic basis for dimeric xanthone biosynthesis in fungi’. Chemical Science, vol 10., pp. 2930-2939
• Nofiani, R, Mattos-Shipley, Kd, Lebe, KE, Han, LC, Iqbal, Z, Bailey, AM, Willis, CL, Simpson, TJ & Cox, RJ, 2018, ‘Strobilurin biosynthesis in Basidiomycete fungi’. Nature Communications, vol 9.
• Hayashi, R, Shimizu, A, Davies, J, Ishizaki, Y, Willis, C & Yoshida, 2018, ‘Metal‐ and Oxidant‐Free Alkenyl C−H/Aromatic C−H Cross‐Coupling Using Electrochemically Generated Iodosulfonium Ions’. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol 57., pp. 12891-12895
• Maschio, L, Parnell, A, Lees, NR, Willis, C, Berger-Schaffitzel, C, Stach, JEM & Race, P, 2018, ‘Cloning, Expression and Purification of Intact Polyketide Synthase Modules’. in: [forthcoming Methods in Enzymology volume]. Elsevier Inc., pp. 63-82

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system