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Updated: May 27, 2026
11:13
Mass Spectrometry-Guided Genome Mining as a Tool to Uncover Novel Natural Products
Published on: March 12, 2020
Systematics-guided bioprospecting for bioactive microbial natural products
Xueting Liu1, Krishna Bolla, Elizabeth Jane Ashforth
1Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
|November 17, 2011
Summary
Exploring unique microbes offers novel natural products. Systematics-guided bioprospecting accelerates drug discovery and enhances compound production, bridging the gap between biological and chemical characterization.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Taxonomic advances in microorganisms outpace chemical characterization of novel natural products.
- A gap exists between biological and chemical understanding of new microbes, presenting opportunities for discovery.
- Marine microbes from unique ecological niches are largely untapped resources for novel compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in natural product discovery from microorganisms.
- To highlight the strategy of systematics-guided bioprospecting for identifying novel compounds.
- To share experiences in anti-infectious drug discovery and improving avermectin production.
Main Methods:
- Construction of high-quality microbial libraries and crude extracts.
- Investigation of bioactive compounds from selected microorganisms.
- Precision engineering to enhance the production of active compounds.
Main Results:
- Systematics-guided bioprospecting is an efficient approach for drug lead discovery.
- Novel natural products can be discovered by studying microbes from unique ecological niches.
- Improvements in avermectin production have been achieved.
Conclusions:
- Addressing the gap between microbial taxonomy and chemistry is crucial for natural product discovery.
- Marine microbial bioprospecting offers significant potential for novel anti-infectious agents.
- Integrated approaches combining systematics, chemistry, and engineering drive drug discovery and production.
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