Abstract
Increased incidences of antimicrobial resistance and the emergence of pan-resistant ‘superbugs’ have provoked an extreme sense of urgency amongst researchers focusing on the discovery of potentially novel antimicrobial compounds. A strategic shift in focus from the terrestrial to the marine environment has resulted in the discovery of a wide variety of structurally and functionally diverse bioactive compounds from numerous marine sources, including sponges. Bacteria found in close association with sponges and other marine invertebrates have recently gained much attention as potential sources of many of these novel bioactive compounds. Members of the genus Pseudovibrio are one such group of organisms. In this study, we interrogate the genomes of 21 Pseudovibrio strains isolated from a variety of marine sources, for the presence, diversity and distribution of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). We expand on results obtained from antiSMASH analysis to demonstrate the similarity between the Pseudovibrio-related BGCs and those characterized in other bacteria and corroborate our findings with phylogenetic analysis. We assess how domain organization of the most abundant type of BGCs present among the isolates (Non-ribosomal peptide synthetases and Polyketide synthases) may influence the diversity of compounds produced by these organisms and highlight for the first time the potential for novel compound production from this genus of bacteria, using a genome guided approach.
Highlights
The global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has reached a crisis point with both common and life-threatening infections becoming increasingly untreatable
FO-BEG1 was isolated from a Beggiatoa sp. enrichment culture, originally obtained from a black band diseased coral collected off the coast of Florida (Bondarev et al, 2013), P. hongkongenesis MCCC 1K00451 (UST20140214-015B) (Xu et al, 2015) and P. stylochi MCCC 1K00452 (UST20140214-052) (Zhang et al, 2016) both isolated from the same marine flatworm specimen (Stylochus sp.) in Hong Kong and Pseudovibrio sp
We present for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of the distribution and diversity of the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in the available Pseudovibrio genomes, based on comparative genomics
Summary
The global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has reached a crisis point with both common and life-threatening infections becoming increasingly untreatable. Comparative Genomics of Marine Pseudovibrio infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013) This number is estimated to rise to a staggering 10 million deaths by 2050 (O’Neill, 2014). Sponges are highly susceptible to predation by fish and other invertebrates As a result, they have developed a sophisticated armory of defensive chemicals to deter predators and prevent growth on their surfaces by competitive species (fouling organisms) (Mol et al, 2009; Hertiani et al, 2010). They have developed a sophisticated armory of defensive chemicals to deter predators and prevent growth on their surfaces by competitive species (fouling organisms) (Mol et al, 2009; Hertiani et al, 2010) The cytotoxicity of these compounds is potent in habitats such as coral reefs where competition and predation are intense (Proksch, 1994). In the last number of years mounting evidence suggests that microbial-symbionts of sponge species are the true producers of these bioactive molecules (Donadio et al, 2007; Piel, 2009)
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