Title: Macroalgae-associated Actinomycetota: a hub for diversity and natural products discovery

Mining actinobacterial secondary metabolism from untapped marine sources represents a valuable route to uncover novel chemistry with important biotechnological applications. We have used a combination of culture-dependent and independent approaches to explore for the first time the Actinomycetota communities associated with two macroalgae species inhabiting the northern Portuguese coast. A highly diverse collection of 380 strains comprising new species was generated and screened for the production of bioactive molecules. Three novel compounds were isolated from the metabolome of two of these strains and chemically characterized. Confirming the opportunity for biodiscovery, metagenomic data unveiled a larger pool of chemicals yet to be uncovered. Our findings underscore macroalgae-associated Actinomycetota as both a hub for diversity and a rich source of novel natural products.

Name: Mariana Girão

Mariana holds a BSc Aquatic Sciences (ICBAS, University of Porto) and a MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology (FCUP, University of Porto). She is currently finishing her PhD in Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS, University of Porto). Her work is mainly focused on the bioprospecting of the diversity and secondary metabolism of marine-derived Actinobacteria to discover new natural products with pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

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