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Marine Chitinolytic Pseudoalteromonas Represents an Untapped Reservoir of Bioactive Potential
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Mikael Lenz Strube ,
Pernille Kjersgaard Bech ,
Lone Gram ,
Eva C. Sonnenschein
mSystems, Volume: 4, Issue: 4
Swansea University Author:
Eva C. Sonnenschein
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DOI (Published version): 10.1128/msystems.00060-19
Abstract
Chitin is the most abundant polymer in the marine environment and a nutrient-rich surface for adhering marine bacteria. We have previously shown that chitin can induce the production of antibiotic compounds in Vibrionaceae, suggesting that the discovery of novel bioactive molecules from bacteria can...
| Published in: | mSystems |
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| ISSN: | 2379-5077 |
| Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2019
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61726 |
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| Abstract: |
Chitin is the most abundant polymer in the marine environment and a nutrient-rich surface for adhering marine bacteria. We have previously shown that chitin can induce the production of antibiotic compounds in Vibrionaceae, suggesting that the discovery of novel bioactive molecules from bacteria can be facilitated by mimicking their natural habitat. The purpose of this study was to determine the glycosyl hydrolase (GH) profiles of strains of the genus Pseudoalteromonas to enable selection of presumed growth substrates and explore possible links to secondary metabolism. Genomic analyses were conducted on 62 pigmented and 95 nonpigmented strains. Analysis of the total GH profiles and multidimensional scaling suggested that the degradation of chitin is a significant trait of pigmented strains, whereas nonpigmented strains seem to be driven toward the degradation of alga-derived carbohydrates. The genomes of all pigmented strains and 40 nonpigmented strains encoded at least one conserved chitin degradation cluster, and chitinolytic activity was phenotypically confirmed. Additionally, the genomes of all pigmented and a few nonpigmented strains encoded chitinases of the rare GH family 19. Pigmented strains devote up to 15% of their genome to secondary metabolism, while for nonpigmented species it was 3% at most. Thus, pigmented Pseudoalteromonas strains have a bioactive potential similar to that of well-known antibiotic producers of the Actinobacteria phylum. Growth on chitin did not measurably enhance the antibacterial activity of the strains; however, we demonstrated a remarkable co-occurrence of chitin degradation and the potential for secondary metabolite production in pigmented Pseudoalteromonas strains. This indicates that chitin and its colonizers of the Pseudoalteromonas genus represent a so far underexplored niche for novel enzymes and bioactive compounds. |
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| Keywords: |
bioactivity, glycosyl hydrolases, Pseudoalteromonas, chitin |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
The study was funded by the Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award 2016 to Lone Gram. |
| Issue: |
4 |