There has been a dramatic increase in bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. To combat the global antimicrobial resistance crisis, the project "Silent pathway awakening to discover novel antibacterial compounds from actinomycetes" focuses on the screening of strains for the production of novel compounds with antibacterial activity from actinomycetes, a large group of gram-positive bacteria.

Actinomycetes were isolated from different habitats in Switzerland and identified on genus level. The isolated strains were investigated for production of secondary metabolites and a novel screening method has been established. The bioactive compound echinomycin and other natural compounds were detected from different Streptomyces strains. Additionally, the draft genome sequence from Actinokineospora strain B136.1 was determined and biosynthetic gene clusters have been identified encoding for secondary metabolites.

Next to the in vitro assessment of antibacterial activity and the chemical identification of the related compounds, a genomic approach is being followed to identify silent biosynthetic gene clusters. These clusters can potentially be activated either through specific cultivation approaches or by gene manipulation.

Arn F., Frasson D., Kroslakova I., Rezzonico F., Pothier J.F., Riedl R., Sievers M. 2020. Isolation and identification of actinomycetes strains from Switzerland and their biotechnological potential. Chimia. 74 (5). DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2020.382

More about the project: Silent pathway awakening to discover novel antibacterial compounds from actinomycetes