Production of the antimicrobial secondary metabolite indigoidine contributes to competitive surface colonization by the marine roseobacter Phaeobacter sp. strain Y4I.

ABSTRACT: Members of the Roseobacter lineage of marine bacteria are prolific surface colonizers in marine coastal environments, and antimicrobial secondary metabolite production has been hypothesized to provide a competitive advantage to colonizing roseobacters. Here, we report that the roseobacter Phaeobacter sp. strain Y4I produces the blue pigment indigoidine via a nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS)-based biosynthetic pathway encoded by a novel series of genetically linked genes: igiBCDFE. A Tn5-based random mutagenesis library of Y4I showed a perfect correlation between indigoidine production by the Phaeobacter strain and inhibition of Vibrio fischeri on agar plates, revealing a previously unrecognized bioactivity of this molecule. In addition, igiD null mutants (igiD encoding the indigoidine

SUBMITTER: Cude WN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3416362 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature