New strategies in the search of natural antibiotics: symbiotic microorganisms as sources of compounds and in vivo assay based on Caenorhabditis elegans infection model

Abstract

The main goal of this project is the establishment of new strategies for the obtention of natural products with antibiotic activity (antibacterial and anticancer). The strategies are based on two main approaches: 1) The search for new biodiversity niches, which are usually associated to new chemical and biological diversity. In this context, this project aims the chemical study of symbiotic microorganisms. Endophytic microorganisms (fungi and actinobacteria) isolated from medicinal Asteraceae plants and actinobacteria isolated from the mangrove crab (Ucides cordatus) will be cultivated in simple and dual cultures. 2) Establishment of a new in vivo antibacterial assay by using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans infected by pathogenic bacteria for the screening and identification of antibiotic natural products. (AU)