secondary metabolites
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceGenomic and Chemical Diversity of Bacillus subtilis Secondary Metabolites against Plant Pathogenic FungiSecondary or specialized metabolites with antimicrobial activities define the biocontrol properties of microorganisms. Members of the Bacillus genus produce a plethora of secondary metabolites, of which nonribosomally produced lipopeptides in particular display strong antifungal activity.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyElucidating the Diversity and Potential Function of Nonribosomal Peptide and Polyketide Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in the Root MicrobiomeWe identified distinct secondary-metabolite-encoding genes that are enriched (relative to adjacent bulk soil) and expressed in root ecosystems yet almost completely absent in human gut and aquatic environments. Several of the genes were distantly related to genes encoding antimicrobials and siderophores, and their high sequence variability relative to known sequences suggests that they may encode novel metabolites and may have unique...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMarine Sediments Hold an Untapped Potential for Novel Taxonomic and Bioactive Bacterial DiversitySince bacterial resistance to antibiotics is developing worldwide, new antibiotics are needed. Most antibiotics discovered so far have been found in soil-dwelling bacteria, so we instead targeted marine environments as a novel source of bioactive potential. We used amplicon sequencing of bioactive gene clusters in the microbiome of coastal seawater and sandy sediments and found the bioactive potential to be comparable to, but distinct...