Structures of the efrapeptins: potent inhibitors of mitochondrial ATPase from the fungus Tolypocladium niveum

The efrapeptins are a series of novel peptides produced by the entomopathogenic fungus Tolypocladium niveum . In addition to their insect toxicity, they strongly inhibit mitochondrial ATPase and photophosphorylation in chloroplasts. The efrapeptins probably act by binding competitively to the catalytic site of the soluble (F sub(1)) part of mitochondrial ATPase and blocking an essential arginine residue at the adenine nucleotide binding site.