Project aim

With the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbial pathogens, novel antimicrobials are urgently needed. Natural products produced by Actinobacteria have been the major resource of antimicrobials used in the clinic, but discovery of novel compounds with new modes of action has decreased substantially. Advanced genome sequencing heralded a repertoire of novel structures in Actinobacteria associated with animals and plants from remote ecosystems. Here, we integrate antimicrobial activity profiling with state-of-the-art analytical techniques to explore a unique collection of Actinobacteria from eggshells of sea turtles naturally protected against fungal infections. This ecology-based approach is expected to uncover novel antimicrobials with prospective health benefits.

Description

Sea turtles are among the most endangered groups of animals worldwide, and they currently encompass only seven species. One of the major threats facing sea turtles are diseases caused by fungal pathogens belonging to the genus Fusarium, which attack their eggs and prevent them from hatching. A previous study by collaborators was dedicated to exploring the microbial community associated with Fusarium-infected and healthy eggs of the critically endangered sea turtle species Eretmochelys imbricata from Ecuador. The study revealed the abundance of Actinobacteria among the microbial community of the eggshells, and close to 170 isolates could be recovered particularly from the shells of healthy eggs. In this project, we study the natural products produced by the Actinobacteria isolated from sea turtle eggshells, with the aim of finding novel natural products that protect sea turtles from Fusarium infections, as well as combat microbial pathogens in human.

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