Identification of compounds with bioactivity against the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by a screen based on the functional genomics of the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata D2.

ABSTRACT: Marine bacteria are a rich, yet underexplored, resource of compounds with inhibitory bioactivity against a range of eukaryotic target organisms. Identification of those inhibitors, however, requires a culturable or genetically tractable producer strain, a prerequisite that is not often fulfilled. This study describes a novel functional genomic screen that is based on expression of inhibitors in a heterogeneous recombinant host (i.e., Escherichia coli). Functional libraries were screened by selective grazing by the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in a simple, rapid, high-throughput manner. We applied our approach to discover inhibitors of C. elegans produced by the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata D2, a model organism for exploring a range of antagonistic activities between bact

SUBMITTER: Ballestriero F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2935069 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature