Exploration of new source for drug screening through the comprehensive analysis of secondary metabolism in super rare actinomycetes

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K05848
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38040:Bioorganic chemistry-related
• Research Institution: Toyama Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Igarashi Yasuhiro 富山県立大学, 工学部, 教授 (20285159)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 希少放線菌 / 二次代謝物 / 生理活性物質 / 多様性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Actinomycetes have been utilized as a producer of medicines including antibiotics for many years, but discovery of new bioactive compounds from commonly studied actinomycetes is getting more difficult. In this study, based on the assumption that gene distribution for secondary metabolites is different at the genus level, we investigated the secondary metabolism in actinomycete genera from which no bioactive compounds have been reported. As a result, we succeeded in discovering the first natural products from unstudied rare actinomycete genera such as Catellatospora, Krasilnikovia, Pseudosporangium, and Allokutzneria. This result indictates that unstudied genera also possess high potential in secondary metabolism and thus should be considered as an untapped source of new compounds in drug discovery program.

Free Research Field

天然物化学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

さまざまな抗生物質が放線菌により生産され，これまで70年以上にわたって感染症治療に役立てられてきた。それ以外にも，抗癌剤，抗寄生虫薬，農業用薬剤など多岐にわたる医農薬が放線菌により生産されている。一方で，長期にわたる探索の結果，分離の容易な放線菌からは新規化合物が得にくくなり，新たな探索源の開拓が求められていた。本研究では新薬探索に有用な微生物群の調査を行い、これまで研究されていない放線菌属が優れた物質生産能をもち、多様な新規化合物を生産することを初めて明らかにした。この知見は、今後の微生物からの医農薬探索において役立つものと考えられる。