Induced biosynthesis of cryptic polyketide metabolites in a Burkholderia thailandensis quorum sensing mutant
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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Therapeutics to Treat Vibriosis in Humans and Aquatic Organisms
Published on: May 31, 2024
Keishi Ishida1, Thorger Lincke, Swantje Behnken
1Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, HKI, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
Abstract:
Genetic manipulation of the LuxR-type quorum sensing regulator system in Burkholderia thailandensis caused a significant change in the metabolic profile: it led to activation of the thailandamide biosynthesis gene cluster, dramatically increased thailandamide production, and induced strong pigmentation. A novel polyketide metabolite, thailandamide lactone (2), which cannot be detected in the wild type, was isolated from the mutant broth, and its structure was elucidated by high-resolution mass spectrometry and IR and NMR spectroscopy. In a biological assay using tumor cell lines, 2 showed moderate antiproliferative activities. This finding not only points to complex regulation but also serves as a proof of concept that engineering quorum sensing mutants may enable the discovery of novel bioactive natural products encoded by silent or only weakly expressed biosynthetic pathway genes.
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