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An environmental bacterial taxon with a large and distinct metabolic repertoire

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  • Micheal C. Wilson

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
    Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Tetsushi Mori

    (Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan)

  • Christian Rückert

    (Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Center for Biotechnology, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätstrasse 25, 33594 Bielefeld, Germany)

  • Agustinus R. Uria

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
    Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Maximilian J. Helf

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
    Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Kentaro Takada

    (Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan)

  • Christine Gernert

    (Julius-von-Sachs Institute for Biological Sciences, University of Würzburg, Julius-von-Sachs-Platz 3, 97082 Würzburg, Germany)

  • Ursula A. E. Steffens

    (Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Nina Heycke

    (Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Susanne Schmitt

    (Palaeontology and Geobiology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Richard-Wagner-Strasse 10, 80333 Munich, Germany)

  • Christian Rinke

    (2800 Mitchell Drive)

  • Eric J. N. Helfrich

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
    Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Alexander O. Brachmann

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland)

  • Cristian Gurgui

    (Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Toshiyuki Wakimoto

    (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan)

  • Matthias Kracht

    (Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Max Crüsemann

    (Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

  • Ute Hentschel

    (Julius-von-Sachs Institute for Biological Sciences, University of Würzburg, Julius-von-Sachs-Platz 3, 97082 Würzburg, Germany)

  • Ikuro Abe

    (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan)

  • Shigeki Matsunaga

    (Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan)

  • Jörn Kalinowski

    (Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Center for Biotechnology, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätstrasse 25, 33594 Bielefeld, Germany)

  • Haruko Takeyama

    (Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University Center for Advanced Biomedical Sciences, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan)

  • Jörn Piel

    (Institute of Microbiology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
    Kekulé Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn, Gerhard-Domagk-Strasse 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany)

Abstract

Cultivated bacteria such as actinomycetes are a highly useful source of biomedically important natural products. However, such ‘talented’ producers represent only a minute fraction of the entire, mostly uncultivated, prokaryotic diversity. The uncultured majority is generally perceived as a large, untapped resource of new drug candidates, but so far it is unknown whether taxa containing talented bacteria indeed exist. Here we report the single-cell- and metagenomics-based discovery of such producers. Two phylotypes of the candidate genus ‘Entotheonella’ with genomes of greater than 9 megabases and multiple, distinct biosynthetic gene clusters co-inhabit the chemically and microbially rich marine sponge Theonella swinhoei. Almost all bioactive polyketides and peptides known from this animal were attributed to a single phylotype. ‘Entotheonella’ spp. are widely distributed in sponges and belong to an environmental taxon proposed here as candidate phylum ‘Tectomicrobia’. The pronounced bioactivities and chemical uniqueness of ‘Entotheonella’ compounds provide significant opportunities for ecological studies and drug discovery.

Suggested Citation

  • Micheal C. Wilson & Tetsushi Mori & Christian Rückert & Agustinus R. Uria & Maximilian J. Helf & Kentaro Takada & Christine Gernert & Ursula A. E. Steffens & Nina Heycke & Susanne Schmitt & Christian , 2014. "An environmental bacterial taxon with a large and distinct metabolic repertoire," Nature, Nature, vol. 506(7486), pages 58-62, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:506:y:2014:i:7486:d:10.1038_nature12959
    DOI: 10.1038/nature12959
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Gregory A Ellis & Chris S Thomas & Shaurya Chanana & Navid Adnani & Emily Szachowicz & Doug R Braun & Mary Kay Harper & Thomas P Wyche & Tim S Bugni, 2017. "Brackish habitat dictates cultivable Actinobacterial diversity from marine sponges," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Alexander Bogdanov & Mariam N. Salib & Alexander B. Chase & Heinz Hammerlindl & Mitchell N. Muskat & Stephanie Luedtke & Elany Barbosa Silva & Anthony J. O’Donoghue & Lani F. Wu & Steven J. Altschuler, 2024. "Small molecule in situ resin capture provides a compound first approach to natural product discovery," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.

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