Diverse drug lead compounds from bacterial symbionts in tropical marine mollusks

描述（申请人提供）：菲律宾软体动物共生体ICBG（PMS ICBG）项目将世界多样性热点之一的海洋软体动物生物多样性调查与针对软体动物细菌共生体的药物发现和酶生物勘探联系起来。软体动物构成了最多样化的海洋真核生物群，几乎占据了每一个可能的生态位。与软体动物相关的微生物的多样性同样巨大。在软体动物中，有三个特别的群体表现出我们认为最高的生物技术和科学潜力：双壳类家庭Teredinidae（Teredo属）和腹足类超家庭Conoidea（Conus属）和Muricoidea（Murex属）。该项目直接解决了ICBG计划的目标，并将在中枢神经系统，癌症和抗菌领域产生药物先导，以及用于纤维素生物燃料生产的菌株和酶。该项目将首次在一个比较框架中描述与软体动物相关的细菌的共生多样性以及制药和生物燃料潜力。该计划的重点是培训，保护，并在菲律宾开发药物和生物燃料计划。菲律宾共和国代表了特殊的生物多样性，密集的人口与紧迫的社会和能源需求，随之而来的紧迫保护目标，以及政府和私营部门对教育和技术的承诺，以利用国家人力和自然资源实现可持续未来的独特联系。与菲律宾大学海洋天然产物化学家Gisela孔塞普西翁、犹他州大学生物化学家Baldomero Olivera和天然产物化学家兼生物化学家Eric施密特、费城自然科学院进化生物学家加里罗森伯格和海洋基因组遗产组织海洋微生物学家丹尼尔迪斯特尔协作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Philippine Mollusk Symbiont ICBG (PMS ICBG) project links a biodiversity survey of marine mollusks in one of the world's hotspots of diversity, with drug discovery and enzyme bioprospecting aimed at bacterial symbionts of mollusks. Mollusks constitute the most diverse marine eukaryotic group, occupying virtually every possible ecological niche. The diversity of microbes associated with mollusks is equally vast. Within the mollusks, three particular groups exhibit what we believe to be the highest biotechnological and scientific potential: the bivalve family Teredinidae (genus Teredo) and the gastropod superfamilies Conoidea (genus Conus) and Muricoidea (genus Murex). The project directly addresses the goals of the ICBG program and will yield drug leads in central nervous system, cancer and antimicrobial areas, as well as strains and enzymes for cellulosic biofuels production. The project will characterize symbiotic diversity and pharmaceutical and biofuels potential of mollusk-associated bacteria in a comparative framework for the first time. The plan focuses on training, conservation, and the development of drug discovery and biofuels programs within the Philippines. The Republic of the Philippines represents a unique nexus of exceptional biodiversity, dense human population with pressing societal and energy needs, consequent urgent conservation goals, and government and private sector commitment to education and technology to harness national human and natural resources for a sustainable future The project is led by Margo Haygood, marine microbiologist, Oregon Heath & Science University, in association with Gisela Concepcion, marine natural products chemist, University of the Philippines, Baldomero Olivera, biochemist, and Eric Schmidt, natural products chemist and biochemist, both of University of Utah, Gary Rosenberg, evolutionary biologist, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and Daniel Distel, marine microbiologist, Ocean Genome Legacy.