Screening of marine fungal strains for the potential production of metabolites
Author(s)
Coletta, Fabrizio
Sterbini, Emiliano
Salimkumar, Ajay Valiyaveettil
Date Issued
2025
Type
conferenceObject
Abstract
Marine fungi have attracted significant interest due to their biotechnological potential. They represent an interesting source of novel molecules potentially useful in a broad range of applications, from environmental restoring to industrial production. Among them, the most studied compounds were bioactive molecules, often secondary metabolites, with antimicrobial, antitumor, antioxidant properties, etc. It is worth noting that the research of new active compounds is of particular interest due to the increasing issues linked to multidrug-resistant and/or emerging pathogens. This study aimed to investigate marine fungi for the production of
secondary metabolites (SMs) of potential interest. One hundred three marine fungal bionts isolated from different sources such as algae, plants, and invertebrates, preserved at the culture collection of the Laboratory of Ecology of Marine Fungi (University of Tuscia), were utilized. In a first step, some physiological and taxonomical features were considered to select the most relevant strains: growth kinetics, salt preference, preliminary screening for antimicrobial (fungal and
bacterial) activity, new or neglected taxa. In addition, literature data were also considered to select strains related to taxa known for the production of new or interesting molecules. On this base, 36 species were selected and screened for the presence of target genes, such as polyketide synthases (PKS) and non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) genes related to the two main pathways for the production of secondary metabolites in fungi. The genes were amplified in 18 strains, 13 for PKS and 13 for NRPS. Ten promising strains were selected for the third step: cultivation, extraction and solvent partitions. The strains were cultured on two saline solid media, a rich (MEAs) and minimal (GYPs) media. Culture extracts were analyzed for preliminary chemical characterization, including the networking analysis, and tested for their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. In the fourth step, three strains (HPa8, HP10, IG119) showing notable biological activity and/or putative novel compounds were selected. The most promising fungus, Clonostachys rosea IG119, was selected for the subsequent phase, which involves massive cultivation for a more precise and effective qualitative characterization of the metabolites of interest found and submitted to the OSMAC (One Strain, Many Compounds) approach.
Conference(s)
1st International Workshop on “Marine Fungi: Diversity and Applications” - MARIFUNDIVE2025