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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

From a Natural Product to Its Biosynthetic Gene Cluster: A Demonstration Using Polyketomycin from Streptomyces diastatochromogenes Tü6028
Published on: January 13, 2017
Natural products from plant-associated microorganisms: distribution, structural diversity, bioactivity, and
1Southwest Center for Natural Products Research and Commercialization, Office of Arid Lands Studies, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, 85706-6800, USA. leslieg@ag.arizona.edu
Abstract:
A growing body of evidence suggests that plant-associated microorganisms, especially endophytic and rhizosphere bacteria and fungi, represent a huge and largely untapped resource of natural products with chemical structures that have been optimized by evolution for biological and ecological relevance. A diverse array of bioactive small molecule natural products has been encountered in these microorganisms. The structures of over 230 metabolites isolated and characterized from over 70 plant-associated microbial strains during the past four years are presented with information on their hosts, culture conditions, and biological activities. Some significant biological and ecological implications of their occurrence are also reviewed.
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