Phylogenetic and ecological investigations of secondary metabolite producing marine bacteria and their potential for biotechnology

The goal of this research was to investigate bacteria from the marine environment using molecular phylogenetic methods in combination with classical microbiology and selective isolation techniques in order to determine their evolutionary relationships, distributions, and potential ecological functions. A majority of this work focused upon bacteria of the Order Actinomycetales (actinomycetes) however a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, Saprospira , was investigated as well. Interfacing with the chemistry program in our laboratory many of the phylogenetically novel bacteria were investigated with regards to their ability to produce novel secondary metabolites.; Chapter I of this thesis serves as an introduction to the work performed and discuss the unifying themes of secondary metabolite production and prokaryotic diversity. Chapter II presents the first study of this thesis work describing marine adaptations and bioactivity of fermentation extracts from a new taxon of actinomycete, "Salinospora" gen. nov. Chapter III further investigates "Salinospora" in the marine sediment environment using selective isolation and cultivation-independent techniques. Chapter IV introduces another marine adapted actinomycete group with the proposed name "Marinophilus" gen. nov. Chapter V presents an investigation of the phylogenetic distribution and diterpenoid production among members of the Gram-negative bacterial genus Saprospira . Appendix A is a reprint of the manuscript describing the first bioactive molecule discovered from "Salinospora". Appendix B is a summary of a U.S. patent application for the use of " Salinospora" as a specific platform technology in drug-discovery and biotechnology. Appendix B is also a summary of the U.S. patent application for the use of "Marinophilus" as a specific platform technology in drug-discovery and biotechnology.