Microbial Chemical Diversity and Cytotoxic Potential From Brazilian Ferruginous Caves: A Pioneering Metabolomic Survey.

ABSTRACT: Cave microbiomes represent a rich yet understudied source of chemical diversity with biotechnological properties. Microorganisms in these environments thrive under extreme conditions such as darkness, oligotrophy, and high concentrations of inorganic matter like iron ore. In this study, sediment samples were collected from the aphotic zone of a ferruginous cave in the National Forest of Carajás (Brazilian Amazon). Eight bacterial strains were isolated and taxonomically classified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, revealing five genera: Serratia, Bacillus, Enterococcus, Aneurinibacillus, and Comamonas. Crude extracts from liquid cultures were analyzed using untargeted LC-MS/MS and processed through feature-based molecular networking on the GNPS platform. The resulting network highlighted the

SUBMITTER: Kato NN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12781163 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature