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Mixed fermentation for natural product drug discovery
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2404, USA. robin.pettit@asu.edu
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
|March 24, 2009
Summary
Mixed fermentation with neighboring microbes unlocks hidden microbial metabolic potential, yielding novel antibiotics and increasing production of known compounds. This approach overcomes chemical redundancy in natural product drug discovery.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Natural products are vital for drug discovery, but chemical redundancy limits their potential.
- Many microbial secondary metabolite pathways remain unexpressed under standard lab conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mixed fermentation as a strategy to access unexpressed microbial metabolic pathways.
- To explore the impact of microbial co-cultivation on secondary metabolite production and bioactivity.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing mixed fermentation techniques involving co-cultivation of bacteria and fungi.
- Analyzing crude extracts for antibiotic activity and metabolite profiles.
- Employing genomic insights to understand pathway expression.
Main Results:
- Mixed fermentation increased antibiotic activity in crude extracts.
- Enhanced yields of known and previously undetected metabolites were observed.
- Novel analogues and induction of previously unexpressed bioactive pathways were identified.
Conclusions:
- Mixed fermentation is an effective strategy to overcome chemical redundancy and access the full metabolic potential of microbes.
- This approach significantly expands the repertoire of natural products for drug discovery and development.
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