Lanthionines are thioether bridges that are putatively generated by dehydration of Ser and Thr residues followed by addition of cysteine residues within the peptide. This family contains the lanthionine synthetase C-like proteins 1 and 2 which are related to the bacterial lanthionine synthetase components C (LanC). LANCL1 (P40 seven-transmembrane-domain protein) and LANCL2 (testes-specific adriamycin sensitivity protein) are thought to be peptide-modifying enzyme components in eukaryotic cells. Both proteins are produced in large quantities in the brain and testes and may have role in the immune surveillance of these organs [1]. Lanthionines are found in lantibiotics, which are peptide-derived, post-translationally modified antimicrobials produced by several bacterial strains [2]. This region contains seven internal repeats.

1: Characterization of rat LANCL1, a novel member of the lanthionine synthetase C-like protein family, highly expressed in testis and brain. Mayer H, Bauer H, Breuss J, Ziegler S, Prohaska R; Gene 2001;269:73-80. PMID:11376939

2: Heterologous expression and purification of SpaB involved in subtilin biosynthesis. Xie L, Chatterjee C, Balsara R, Okeley NM, van der Donk WA; Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2002;295:952-957. PMID:12127987