Lanthionine is composed of two alanine residues that are crosslinked on their β-carbon atoms by a thioether (monosulfide) linkage.
The duramycin family of lantibiotics binds phosphoethanolamine in the membranes of its target cells and seem to disrupt several physiological functions.
[1] The first structures of these antimicrobial agents were produced by pioneering work by Gross and Morell in the late 1960s and early 1970s, thus marking the formal introduction of lantibiotics.
[10][11] Lantibiotics show substantial specificity for some components (e.g., lipid II) of bacterial cell membranes especially of Gram-positive bacteria.
[14] One type known as B lantibiotic NVB302 entered phase 1 clinical trials in 2011 for use against Clostridioides difficile,[15] and reported good results in 2012.