Lantibiotics are polycyclic peptides containing uncommon amino acids like the lanthionine, 2-aminoisobutyric acid, and unsaturated amino acids such as dehydroalanine.

Lantibiotics show substantial specificity for some components of bacterial cell membranes. They are active in very low concentrations.

Nisin is a well-known lantibiotic. Others are subtilin, epidermin, mersacidin and actagardin.

Lantibiotics