Synlett 2015; 26(20): 2739-2744
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1560711
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© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

The Rhizosphere Microbiome: A Playground for Natural Product Chemists

Colleen E. Keohane
Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA   Email: wwuest@temple.edu
,
Andrew D. Steele
Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA   Email: wwuest@temple.edu
,
William M. Wuest*
Department of Chemistry, Temple University, 1901 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA   Email: wwuest@temple.edu
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 11 August 2015

Accepted after revision: 09 September 2015

Publication Date:
22 October 2015 (online)


Dedicated to Prof. Franklin A. Davis, a gentleman and a scholar

Abstract

The threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an ongoing battle that continues to confound scientists and doctors alike. Reinvestigation of past methods has led to the interrogation of natural microbiomes with the goal of identifying the survival mechanisms employed by its local inhabitants. One such example is that of the rhizosphere; home to many microorganisms capable of producing a variety of essential compounds, such as cyclic lipopeptides, siderophores, quorum sensing molecules, and antibiotics. The intricacies of this ongoing battle inspired our synthetic efforts toward a species-specific natural product, promysalin, isolated from the rhizosphere of a rice plant in Sri Lanka. Recently, our group completed the total synthesis, absolute structural assignment, and identified unique bioactivity. These efforts have informed our insights toward its mechanism of action and role within the rhizosphere.