Chemistry of Fungi

Fungi occupy an important place in the natural world. As non-photosynthetic organisms, they obtain their nutrients from the degradation of organic material. They use many of their secondary metabolites to secure a place in a competitive natural environment and to protect themselves from predation. The structural diversity of fungal metabolites, the unifying role of biosynthetic studies in rationalising these and the growing ecological understanding of the role of fungal metabolites has attracted the interest of chemists for many years. In addition, a number of aspects of modern biotechnology are now associated with fungi and their metabolites and the production of pharmaceuticals creating a whole new sphere of interest in this area.

James R. Hanson, Department of Chemistry, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK