20.05.2021 Microbial metabolites as key elements in organismic interaction

Helge B. Bode, Max-Planck-Institut für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Marburg

Microbial secondary or specialized metabolites (SMs) are important clinically used antibiotics, anti-cancer or immune-suppressive drugs. However, we hardly know about the true natural function of these metabolites in the environment, which might mediate the interaction among microbes but also between microbes and their eukaryotic host organisms.

The goal of our research is to understand the function of all SMs produced by single bacterial species that can produce up to 30 different SM classes. As a model we use entomopathogenic bacteria of the genera Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus that live in symbiosis with nematodes and together infect and kill insect larvae. Since the majority of SM classes found in these bacteria are derived from non-ribosomal peptide synthetases, we have developed tools to manipulate the expression of the underlying biosynthesis gene clusters as well as the enzymes itself in detail, allowing us even to generate SMs in vivo that in the future can be followed in time and space using “Click”-chemistry followed by fluorescence microscopy or mass spectrometry.

In my talk, I will present an overview about our current methods and future goals and will give examples of SMs that have important ecological but also clinical functions.

Der Vortrag findet am 08. Juni 2021 um 16:00 Uhr digital statt unter:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86940301123?pwd=ZGpXcSt0QnhpUXF2Y210VFc1aUtzUT09
Meeting-ID: 869 4030 1123 Kenncode: 251555