Molecules to Ecosystems: Actinomycete Natural Products In situ

Abstract

Actinomycetes, filamentous actinobacteria found in numerous ecosystems around the globe, produce a wide range of clinically useful natural products (NP). In natural environments, actinomycetes live in dynamic communities where environmental cues and ecological interactions likely influence NP biosynthesis. Our current understating of these cues, and the ecological roles of NP, is in its infancy. We postulate that understanding the ecological context in which actinomycete metabolites are made is fundamental to advancing the discovery of novel NP. In this review we explore the ecological relevance of actinomycetes and their secondary metabolites from varying ecosystems, and suggest that investigating the ecology of actinomycete interactions warrants particular attention with respect to metabolite discovery. Furthermore, we focus on the chemical ecology and in situ analysis of actinomycete NP and consider the implications for NP biosynthesis at ecosystem scales.

Biological Significance of Marine Actinobacteria of East Coast of Andhra Pradesh, India

“…Initially, they were considered to be native to terrestrial habitats, but they are also common in marine ecosystems (Behie et al, 2017; Betancur et al, 2017) as evident by the isolation of various genera like Agrococcus, Arthrobacter, Dietzia, Gordonia, Mycobacterium, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococci, Streptomyces etc. (Claverias et al, 2015).…”

A Human Lung-Associated Streptomyces sp. TR1341 Produces Various Secondary Metabolites Responsible for Virulence, Cytotoxicity and Modulation of Immune Response

“…(Kampfer et al, 2014). Recently, numerous works report their important symbiotic relationships with plants and animals (Kaltenpoth et al, 2005;Behie et al, 2016). In some cases, they develop tight bonds with the host as it is documented in leaf-cutting (Haeder et al, 2009), but also other families of ants (Liu et al, 2018), and in the digging wasps.…”

Regulation of specialised metabolites in Actinobacteria – expanding the paradigms

“…The majority of Actinobacteria that have extensive specialised metabolism inhabit competitive and nutrient limited environments such as soil and sediment, and these highly structured and dynamic locations comprised a multitude of diverse microniches in which taxonomically diverse organisms reside and compete for resources (Stubbendieck et al, 2016;Behie et al, 2017). It is a competition in these environments that likely drive the evolution of these adaptive responses (Vargas-Bautista et al, 2014;Traxler et al, 2015;Behie et al, 2017). Key to the adaptive nature of production is the appropriate and coordinated production of these chemically diverse compounds, the regulation of which has been the focus of specialised metabolite research for many years.…”