Molecules to Ecosystems: Actinomycete Natural Products In situ

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 biosyn...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in microbiology 2017-01, Vol.7, p.2149-2149
Main Authors: Behie, Scott W, Bonet, Bailey, Zacharia, Vineetha M, McClung, Dylan J, Traxler, Matthew F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Microbiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary: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 analysis of actinomycete NP and consider the implications for NP biosynthesis at ecosystem scales.
ISSN:1664-302X
1664-302X
DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2016.02149