2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Investigating natural product biosynthetic pathways in the microbiomes associated with long-lived aquatic vertebrates
| Project/Area Number |
21K06612
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | microbiomes / aquatic vertebrates / biosynhetic genes / cultivation |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The important role of gut microbiomes in the prolonged lifespan of eukaryotic hosts has recently been recognized. Our proposed research aims to identify key bacteria, metabolites/natural products, and biosynthetic genes responsible for longevity and healthy lifespan in long-lived aquatic vertebrates. In the first year of this project, we collected some marine organisms known with long lifespan, such giant chitons (around 40 years) and a Japanese rockfish (>90 years). We believe that this has great scientific prospect, because natural products with anti-ageing properties can be developed as pharmaceutical agents that slow ageing or treat age-related diseases, thereby contributing to human healthy lifespan. We isolated more than 200 bacterial strains from chitons and 50 strains from the rockfish using four different media. Two of the cultivation media contained artificial seawater. We prepared crude extracts from the rockfish-derived bacterial isolates. In addition, we established the protocol to screen bioactive compounds for the effect on lifespan extension using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the organism model.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
In the beginning of the project, it was difficult to obtain vertebrate samples from the sea due to the corona periods. Last year, we managed to obtain the invertebrate chiton as well as rockfish.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
In the next plan, we will test the crude extracts from bacterial isolates for their effect on lifespan extension using yeast as the organism model. Then we will perform genome sequencing to identify promising biosynthetic genes. We will also isolate bioactive compounds with lifespan effect from promising isolates.
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