Covering: from 1960 to 2008

Natural products containing non-tetramic γ-hydroxy-γ-lactams and γ-alkylidene-γ-lactams are usually but not exclusively derived from the mixed polyketide–non-ribosomal peptide biosynthetic pathway. Often they are fungal metabolites, although some plant- and marine-derived exceptions exist. Owing to their unique structures and biological properties, they have gained interest in the chemical and biological communities. In this review, we aim to emphasize the structural originality of these compounds, their biological properties and the synthetic efforts developed to reach them; 157 references are cited.