Biosynthtic investigation of the didemnins

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24658181
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Fisheries chemistry
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: SAKAI Ryuichi 北海道大学, 大学院水産科学研究院, 教授 (20265721)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): IMADA Chiaki 東京海洋大学, 大学院海洋科学技術研究科海洋生命科学専攻, 教授 (90183011)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: didemnin / Tistrella mobilis / biosynthesis / symbiosys

Research Abstract

The antitumor peptide didemnins originally found from the Caribbean tunicate Trididemnum solidum were recently identified in the cultured marine bacterium Tistrella mobilis collected in various regions in the world. We thus compared the production and genetic profiles between the tunicate and the microbe. We found that the metabolic pattern in the bacteria differed largely from that of the tunicate. Analysis of microbial fauna in the tunicate indicated that a genus of cyanobacteria is a main associate of the tunicate, but T. mobilis was found as only a minor microbe that associate with the host.