Antibiotic Production in Exiguobacterium acetylicum
Charles Frame
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: José R. de la Torre
The rise of antibiotic resistance calls for the discovery of new antibiotic-producing microbes. While genera like Streptomyces and Bacillus are well known for their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), less-studied bacteria may also carry similar genetic signatures. This study investigates whether Exiguobacterium acetylicum contains genomic elements linked to potential antibiotic production. Using GeneMarkS, we predicted coding regions in the genome, followed by BLAST analysis to identify similarities with known antibiotic-related genes, including polyketide synthases, or PKSs, (but weather it is type I, II or III is not known) and nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS). Both PKSs and NRPS are also used as immunosuppressants and are important in the fight against cancer, even if they are not the subject of this paper. Our analysis revealed multiple gene regions with notable homology to established BGCs, suggesting the presence of secondary metabolite pathways (secondary metabolites can also be pigments, toxins and signaling molecules). Additionally, several regulatory elements associated with biosynthesis were identified. These findings suggest that E. acetylicum may have unexplored potential for producing antimicrobial compounds. What is cool about this research is that it uncovers hidden biosynthetic potential in a lesser-known bacterium, showing that even understudied microbes could be valuable sources for future antibiotics.