Recent application of metagenomic approaches toward the discovery of antimicrobials and other bioactive small molecules.
Bacteria grown in pure culture have been the starting point for the discovery of many of the antibacterials now in use. Metagenomics, which utilizes culture-independent methods to access the collective genomes of natural bacterial populations, provides a means of exploring the antimicrobials produced by the large collections of bacteria that are known to be present in the environment but remain recalcitrant to culturing. Both novel small molecule antibiotics and new antibacterially active proteins have been identified using metagenomic approaches. The recent application of metagenomics to the discovery of bioactive small molecules, small molecule biosynthetic gene clusters and antibacterially active enzymes is discussed here.
Banik
Jacob J
JJ
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Genetically Encoded Small Molecules, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Brady
Sean F
SF
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005827:Genetics, Microbial / Q000639:trends*; D015698:Genomic Library; D056186:Metagenomics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D005810:Multigene Family
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001688:Biological Products