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Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the Department of Energy have discovered that communities of microbes living in and around poplar roots are ten times more diverse than the human microbiome and produce a cornucopia of new molecules that could be useful as antibiotics, anticancer drugs. or for agricultural applications.
The study marks the first in-depth look at the gene clusters of the Populus microbiome that codes for the production of unique and varied natural products.
Microbes use natural products primarily as signals to communicate with other microbes or with the host plant. These molecules can trigger growth, change or slowing of bacteria. Competition for key resources can be fierce, microbes also secrete natural products in the form of antibiotics in order to eliminate their competitors.
The specific nature of these antibiotics, which often target selected bacteria, makes them attractive candidates for use as targeted drugs that could kill harmful species rather than a broad band of microbes in a particular community, such as the human intestine.
The results provide a starting point for the exploration of natural products and lay the foundation for a more in-depth study of the role of these molecules in plant-microbe interactions.
"We are focusing on the exchange of energy, information and materials across the plant-microbe interface," said Mitch Doktycz, head of the area of scientific interest. plant-microbe (PMI) interfaces at ORNL. "Natural products are essential to the performance and health of microbes and their host plants."
By studying the extent and diversity of natural products and the genetic basis of the microbes that produce them, researchers have discovered an abundance of clusters of genes that are not part of known groups. Nearly 15% of gene clusters are not part of the common structural categories. Of the clusters belonging to known groups, only 1% corresponds to the previously characterized sequences.
Rooting of natural products
"This represents a lot of potential for biosynthesis," said Patricia Blair. "Some unique gene sequences can code for known natural products. Some may code for molecules that we have never seen before. "
The research team performed a computer analysis of over 300 sequences of the bacterial genome as well as metagenomic samples from dozens of locations. This wealth of genomic information has been collected during previous ORNL research in the context of PMI.
The recent article, published in mSystèmes, marks the first time that a large number of these bacterial genomes are described, although the sequences are regularly made available through the Joint Genome Institute.
At ORNL, these results will guide ongoing research on the interactions between plants and microbes and affect their mutual survival in nature. In particular, researchers will study the effects of specific natural products and producers on the dynamics of plant communities built.
"Some bacteria are just rampant with these clusters of genes," said Blair. "Scientists could prioritize a strain of bacteria or a class of natural products for further studies based on these data. A single genome contains so much information that you just need a place to start. "
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