Planta Med 2015; 81 - PT40
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1556418

Method development for accessing novel myxobacterial chemotypes: Analysis of separate culture conditions in the pursuit of optimizing secondary metabolite production

L Niadj 1, 2, A Thompson 1, 2, JB King 1, 2, J You 1, 2, CA Mitchell 1, 2, BS Stevenson 3, RH Cichewicz 1, 2
  • 1Natural Products Discovery Group, Institute for Natural Products Applications and Research Technologies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019
  • 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019
  • 3Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019

Myxobacteria are among the most metabolically talented Gram-negative δ-proteobacteria capable of producing a diverse array of secondary metabolites. Nearly 40% of myxobacteria-derived metabolites possess novel chemical structures. They are among the more intensively studied bacteria because of their unique “wolfpack” predatory lifestyle and cooperative cellular morphogenesis. From a chemical standpoint, the natural products secreted during their micropredatory activities represent an exciting opportunity to explore novel chemical mechanisms used by the myxobacteria to subdue microbial prey. However, pursuing these chemical-ecology-driven studies present one major challenge in that their secondary metabolite production often result in low yields. This project aims to overcome these issues by exploring new culture conditions in hopes to optimize secondary metabolite production.

*Equal contributors