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Hibiscus acid and hydroxycitric acid dimethyl esters from Hibiscus flowers induce production of dithiolopyrrolone antibiotics by Streptomyces Strain MBN2-2

Lookup NU author(s): Felaine Sumang, Emeritus Professor Alan Ward, Emeritus Professor Jeff Errington, Dr Yousef Dashti

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© The Author(s) 2024.Plants and microbes are closely associated with each other in their ecological niches. Much has been studied about plant–microbe interactions, but little is known about the effect of phytochemicals on microbes at the molecular level. To access the products of cryptic biosynthetic gene clusters in bacteria, we incorporated an organic extract of hibiscus flowers into the culture media of different Actinobacteria isolated from plant rhizospheres. This approach led to the production of broad-spectrum dithiolopyrrolone (DTP) antibiotics, thiolutin (1) and aureothricin (2), by Streptomyces sp. MBN2-2. The compounds from the hibiscus extract responsible for triggering the production of these two DTPs were found to be hibiscus acid dimethyl ester (3) and hydroxycitric acid 1,3-dimethyl ester (4). It was subsequently found that the addition of either Fe2+ or Fe3+ to culture media induced the production of 1 and 2. The Chrome Azurol S (CAS) assay revealed that 3 and 4 can chelate iron, and therefore, the mechanism leading to the production of thiolutin and aureothricin appears to be related to changes in iron concentration levels. This work supports the idea that phytochemicals can be used to activate the production of cryptic microbial biosynthetic gene clusters and further understand plant–microbe interactions. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)


Publication metadata

Author(s): Sumang FA, Ward A, Errington J, Dashti Y

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Natural Products and Bioprospecting

Year: 2024

Volume: 14

Issue: 1

Online publication date: 03/07/2024

Acceptance date: 14/06/2024

Date deposited: 16/07/2024

ISSN (print): 2192-2195

ISSN (electronic): 2192-2209

Publisher: Springer

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13659-024-00460-0

DOI: 10.1007/s13659-024-00460-0

Data Access Statement: All data are included in the main text and its supplementary information file.


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship
DOST-SEI Foreign Graduate Scholarship Program
FL210100071

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