Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore
Adaptation to a wide variety of habitats allows fungi to develop unique abilities to produce diverse secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities. In this study, 30 <i>Ascomycetes</i> fungi isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore were investigated for their general biosynthetic po...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/2/1033 |
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| author | Madhaiyan Munusamy Kenneth Tan Choy Eng Nge Martin Muthee Gakuubi Sharon Crasta Yoganathan Kanagasundaram Siew Bee Ng |
| author_facet | Madhaiyan Munusamy Kenneth Tan Choy Eng Nge Martin Muthee Gakuubi Sharon Crasta Yoganathan Kanagasundaram Siew Bee Ng |
| author_sort | Madhaiyan Munusamy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adaptation to a wide variety of habitats allows fungi to develop unique abilities to produce diverse secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities. In this study, 30 <i>Ascomycetes</i> fungi isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore were investigated for their general biosynthetic potential and their ability to produce antimicrobial secondary metabolites (SMs). All the 30 fungal isolates belong to the Phylum <i>Ascomycota</i> and are distributed into 6 orders and 18 genera with Order <i>Hypocreales</i> having the highest number of representative (37%). Screening for polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes using degenerate PCR led to the identification of 23 polyketide synthases (PKSs) and 5 nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) grouped into nine distinct clades based on their reduction capabilities. Some of the identified PKSs genes share high similarities between species and known reference genes, suggesting the possibility of conserved biosynthesis of closely related compounds from different fungi. Fungal extracts were tested for their antimicrobial activity against <i>S. aureus</i>, Methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> (MRSA), and <i>Candida albicans</i>. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active constituents from two promising isolates resulted in the isolation of seven compounds: Penilumamides A, D, and E from strain F4335 and xanthomegnin, viomellein, pretrichodermamide C and vioxanthin from strain F7180. Vioxanthin exhibited the best antibacterial activity with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 3.0 μM and 1.6 μM against <i>S. aureus</i> and MRSA respectively. Viomellein revealed weak antiproliferative activity against A549 cells with an IC<sub>50</sub> of 42 μM. The results from this study give valuable insights into the diversity and biosynthetic potential of fungi from this unique habitat and forms a background for an in-depth analysis of the biosynthetic capability of selected strains of interest with the aim of discovering novel fungal natural products. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:27:07Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:27:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-c2a86376422d49c2809f1f42ea32f2212023-11-30T22:34:24ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-01-01242103310.3390/ijms24021033Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, SingaporeMadhaiyan Munusamy0Kenneth Tan1Choy Eng Nge2Martin Muthee Gakuubi3Sharon Crasta4Yoganathan Kanagasundaram5Siew Bee Ng6Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeSingapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 31 Biopolis Way, #01-02 Nanos, Singapore 138669, SingaporeAdaptation to a wide variety of habitats allows fungi to develop unique abilities to produce diverse secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities. In this study, 30 <i>Ascomycetes</i> fungi isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore were investigated for their general biosynthetic potential and their ability to produce antimicrobial secondary metabolites (SMs). All the 30 fungal isolates belong to the Phylum <i>Ascomycota</i> and are distributed into 6 orders and 18 genera with Order <i>Hypocreales</i> having the highest number of representative (37%). Screening for polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) genes using degenerate PCR led to the identification of 23 polyketide synthases (PKSs) and 5 nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) grouped into nine distinct clades based on their reduction capabilities. Some of the identified PKSs genes share high similarities between species and known reference genes, suggesting the possibility of conserved biosynthesis of closely related compounds from different fungi. Fungal extracts were tested for their antimicrobial activity against <i>S. aureus</i>, Methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> (MRSA), and <i>Candida albicans</i>. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the active constituents from two promising isolates resulted in the isolation of seven compounds: Penilumamides A, D, and E from strain F4335 and xanthomegnin, viomellein, pretrichodermamide C and vioxanthin from strain F7180. Vioxanthin exhibited the best antibacterial activity with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 3.0 μM and 1.6 μM against <i>S. aureus</i> and MRSA respectively. Viomellein revealed weak antiproliferative activity against A549 cells with an IC<sub>50</sub> of 42 μM. The results from this study give valuable insights into the diversity and biosynthetic potential of fungi from this unique habitat and forms a background for an in-depth analysis of the biosynthetic capability of selected strains of interest with the aim of discovering novel fungal natural products.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/2/1033antimicrobial activitybiosynthetic gene clustersnonribosomal peptide synthetasespolyketide synthases |
| spellingShingle | Madhaiyan Munusamy Kenneth Tan Choy Eng Nge Martin Muthee Gakuubi Sharon Crasta Yoganathan Kanagasundaram Siew Bee Ng Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore International Journal of Molecular Sciences antimicrobial activity biosynthetic gene clusters nonribosomal peptide synthetases polyketide synthases |
| title | Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore |
| title_full | Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore |
| title_fullStr | Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore |
| title_short | Diversity and Biosynthetic Potential of Fungi Isolated from St. John’s Island, Singapore |
| title_sort | diversity and biosynthetic potential of fungi isolated from st john s island singapore |
| topic | antimicrobial activity biosynthetic gene clusters nonribosomal peptide synthetases polyketide synthases |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/2/1033 |
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