Natural product biosynthetic potential reflects macroevolutionary diversification within a widely distributed bacterial taxon

• Published in: mSystems Vol. 8; no. 6; p. e0064323
• Main Authors: Silva, Sandra Godinho, Nabhan Homsi, Masun, Keller-Costa, Tina, Rocha, Ulisses, Costa, Rodrigo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Microbiology 21.12.2023
• Subjects: Biological Products - metabolism; Biosynthesis; biosynthetic gene clusters; Carbohydrate metabolism; Carbon; carotenoids; Classification; comparative genomics; Datasets; Diversification; Ecosystems; Flavobacteriaceae; Flavobacteriaceae - metabolism; Gene clusters; Genes; Genomes; Genomics; Host range; machine learning; Mann-Whitney U test; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metadata; metagenome-assembled genomes; Microbial Ecology; Natural products; Peptides; Peptides - metabolism; Phylogeny; Pigments; Polyketides; Post-translation; Research Article; Secondary Metabolism; Taxonomy; biosynthetic gene clusters; natural products; Flavobacteriaceae; carotenoids; metagenome-assembled genomes; machine learning; comparative genomics
• ISSN: 2379-5077; 2379-5077
• DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00643-23

This is the most comprehensive study performed thus far on the biosynthetic potential within the family. Our findings reveal intertwined taxonomic and natural product biosynthesis diversification within the family. We posit that the carbohydrate, peptide, and secondary metabolism triad synergistically shaped the evolution of this keystone bacterial taxon, acting as major forces underpinning the broad host range and opportunistic-to-pathogenic behavior encompassed by species in the family. This study further breaks new ground for future research on select spp. as reservoirs of novel drug leads.