The Actinobacteria are a diverse group of high G+C Gram positive bacteria that includes pathogens, nitrogen fixing plant symbionts, and some of the most prolific, antibiotic producing taxa discovered to date. Actinobacteria are consistently observed in marine samples yet little is known about their ecology, distributions, and secondary metabolite production. Among the Actinobacteria cultured from marine samples is the genus Salinispora, which is the first member of this group known to require seawater for growth. Salinispora strains are a productive source of novel natural products, including salinosporamide A, which is nearing completion of phase I clinical trials as an anticancer agent. In addition to their pharmaceutical potential, these bacteria represent model organisms to address fundamental questions relating to bacterial biogeography, species-specific secondary metabolite production, and how species concepts are applied to bacteria. Genome sequencing is providing clues as to the genetic differences between two Salinispora species while comparisons of cultured Actinobacteria to those that have been detected using culture-independent techniques, including recent metagenomic analyses, reveal wide disparities that suggest a great deal remains to be learned about the diversity and ecophysiology of marine Actinobacteria.
Presenter:
Paul Robert Jensen, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Microbiologist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California San Diego
La Jolla, California
Thursday
April 19, 2007
3:00 p.m.
Marine Sciences Building (MSB) 100
Refreshments will be served after the seminar in POST 121
The Pacific Research Center for Marine Biomedicine (PRCMB) is a newly established center at the University of Hawaii dedicated to trans-disciplinary research designed to gain new knowledge about the profound impacts of the ocean on human health. The Center is funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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