Ecology shapes the genomic and biosynthetic diversification of Streptomyces bacteria from insectivorous bats

Microbial Genomics
By: , and 

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Abstract

 are prolific producers of secondary metabolites from which many clinically useful compounds have been derived. They inhabit diverse habitats but have rarely been reported in vertebrates. Here, we aim to determine to what extent the ecological source (bat host species and cave sites) influence the genomic and biosynthetic diversity of  bacteria. We analysed draft genomes of 132  isolates sampled from 11 species of insectivorous bats from six cave sites in Arizona and New Mexico, USA. We delineated 55 species based on the genome-wide average nucleotide identity and core genome phylogenetic tree.  isolates that colonize the same bat species or inhabit the same site exhibit greater overall genomic similarity than they do with  from other bat species or sites. However, when considering biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) alone, BGC distribution is not structured by the ecological or geographical source of the  that carry them. Each genome carried between 19–65 BGCs (median=42.5) and varied even among members of the same  species. Nine major classes of BGCs were detected in ten of the 11 bat species and in all sites: terpene, non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, polyketide synthase, siderophore, RiPP-like, butyrolactone, lanthipeptide, ectoine, melanin. Finally,  genomes carry multiple hybrid BGCs consisting of signature domains from two to seven distinct BGC classes. Taken together, our results bring critical insights to understanding -bat ecology and BGC diversity that may contribute to bat health and in augmenting current efforts in natural product discovery, especially from underexplored or overlooked environments.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Ecology shapes the genomic and biosynthetic diversification of Streptomyces bacteria from insectivorous bats
Series title Microbial Genomics
DOI 10.1099/mgen.0.001238
Volume 16
Issue 4
Year Published 2024
Language English
Publisher International Society for Microbial Ecology Communications
Contributing office(s) Fort Collins Science Center
Description 001238, 11 p.
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