Diversity and evolution of secondary metabolism in the marine actinomycete genus Salinispora
Abstract
Microbial natural products are a major source of new drug leads, yet discovery efforts are constrained by the lack of information describing the diversity and distributions of the associated biosynthetic pathways among bacteria. Using the marine actinomycete genus Salinispora as a model, we analyzed genome sequence data from 75 closely related strains. The results provide evidence for high levels of pathway diversity, with most being acquired relatively recently in the evolution of the genus. The distributions and evolutionary histories of these pathways provide insight into the mechanisms that generate new chemical diversity and the strategies used by bacteria to maximize their population-level capacity to produce diverse secondary metabolites.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- March 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1324161111
- Bibcode:
- 2014PNAS..111E1130Z