Chinese Scientists Discover Potential New Antimicrobial Compounds in Deep Sea

Chinese marine scientists find resources in the deep sea that could have pharmaceutical applications, particularly in the fight against drug-resistant infections. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, emphasize the potential of deep-sea microbial communities as a source of new antimicrobial compounds.

The research team, led by scientists from the Third Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources, analyzed 22 sediment cores from nine cold seeps in the deep sea. They detected natural product-encoding biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) from 63 archaeal and bacterial phyla. A large proportion of the discovered BGCs are likely to encode antimicrobial compounds, which could serve as chemical weapons for host defense and competition within the microbial community.

Why this matters: The discovery of potential new antimicrobial compounds from deep-sea microbial communities could be vital in combating the growing threat of drug-resistant infections. These findings emphasize the importance of exploring extreme environments like the deep ocean for novel natural products with potential therapeutic applications.

In a related study, Chinese scientists isolated and identified 32 fungal polyketide derivatives, including 11 new compounds, from the deep-sea cold-seep-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. CS-258. Some of the compounds showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against several human and aquatic pathogens, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.5 to 64 μg/mL.

The deep sea floor harbors a rich and largely untapped reservoir of microbial diversity. In the cold seeps of the deep sea, microbial communities thrive on geological seepage and use BGCs to synthesize natural products that help them compete for resources. These unknown natural products are believed to possess potent antimicrobial properties.

"The findings provide a pathway to identify previously unrecognized antimicrobial compounds and other types of drugs," according to the researchers. The studies shed light on the potential of deep-sea microbial communities as a source of new antimicrobial agents to address the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

Key Takeaways

• Chinese scientists find antimicrobial compounds in deep-sea microbial communities.
• Discovered natural product-encoding biosynthetic gene clusters in 63 archaeal and bacterial phyla.
• Some compounds showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against human and aquatic pathogens.
• Deep-sea microbes use these compounds to compete for resources in their environment.
• Findings highlight the potential of the deep sea as a source of new antimicrobial agents.