Meta-omic characterization of the marine invertebrate microbial consortium that produces the chemotherapeutic natural product ET-743.

ABSTRACT: In many macroorganisms, the ultimate source of potent biologically active natural products has remained elusive due to an inability to identify and culture the producing symbiotic microorganisms. As a model system for developing a meta-omic approach to identify and characterize natural product pathways from invertebrate-derived microbial consortia, we chose to investigate the ET-743 (Yondelis) biosynthetic pathway. This molecule is an approved anticancer agent obtained in low abundance (10(-4)-10(-5) % w/w) from the tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata and is generated in suitable quantities for clinical use by a lengthy semisynthetic process. On the basis of structural similarities to three bacterial secondary metabolites, we hypothesized that ET-743 is the product of a marine bacterial symbi

SUBMITTER: Rath CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3220770 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature