Abstract:Gliotoxin is a small molecular compound with a molecular weight of 326 Da, and its skeleton is a cyclic two-peptide synthesized by the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase GliP, catalyzing the condensation reaction of phenylalanine and serine. Gliotoxin belongs to the family of epidithiodiketopiperazines, is an important fungal secondary metabolite. Many studies have shown that gliotoxin has a variety of effects on plants and animals both in vivo and in vitro. Gliotoxin not only has the function of immune suppression, inducing host cell apoptosis, but also has potential application in biological control. The recent advances in biosynthesis process, mechanisms of gliotoxin on host cells and its potential application value are reviewed in this paper.