Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Biosynthetic Gene Clusters, Microbiomes, And Secondary Metabolites In Cold Water Marine Organisms, Nicole Elizabeth Avalon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms and invertebrate animals from cold water marine environments, such as in Antarctica and in Ireland’s deep sea, are a rich source of secondary metabolites. In this dissertation, research was centered around secondary metabolism and natural product biosynthesis. The projects include the delineation of biosynthetic gene clusters hypothesized to be responsible for the biosynthesis of the palmerolides, stratification of the microbiome of the Antarctic ascidian Synoicum adareanum, genomic and peptidomic analysis of a host-associated Antarctic Pseudovibrio sp., and isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from the Irish deep-sea coral Drifa sp.

Palmerolide A, the principle secondary metabolite associated with S. …

The Potential Of Marine Microbes, Flora And Fauna In Drug Discovery, Santana Alexa Lavonia Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products are chemical compounds synthesized by a living organism. These compounds have been utilized by humans from ancient times to the present for their pharmacological and biological activities. Terrestrial organisms are considered a lucrative source of bioactive compounds and chemical diversity. Within the past 60 years, the marine environment has presented its potential as a validated source for structural diversity and biologically active compounds. Technology has given access from shallow waters down to the abyssal plane for exploration and investigation of the inhabitants. Marine organisms have displayed their benefits in the pharmaceutical industry with the approval of several marine-derived …

Investigation Of Bioactive Metabolites From The Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla Membranosa And Marine Microorganisms, Chris G. Witowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products continue to be a valuable source of compounds in research involving chemical ecology and drug discovery. Secondary metabolites are biosynthesized to benefit the host organism in its environment (feeding deterrence from predators, antibiotic properties to avoid infection, etc.) but these compounds also serve as useful scaffolds in drug discovery applications. The research herein describes both aspects of these two branches of natural products chemistry. The Antarctic sponge Dendrilla membranosa produces diterpenes, of which membranolide A, deters feeding of the predatory amphipod Gondogenia antarctica. A metabolomic study of several sponges was undertaken to determine environmental factors that govern …