Marine Chitinolytic <i>Pseudoalteromonas</i> Represents an Untapped Reservoir of Bioactive Potential

Abstract

Infectious bacteria are developing and spreading resistance to conventional treatments at a rapid pace. To provide novel potent antimicrobials, we must develop new bioprospecting strategies. Here, we combined in silico and phenotypic approaches to explore the bioactive potential of the marine bacterial genus Pseudoalteromonas . We found that pigmented strains in particular represent an untapped resource of secondary metabolites and that they also harbor an elaborate chitinolytic machinery. Furthermore, our analysis showed that chitin is likely a preferred substrate for pigmented species, in contrast to nonpigmented species. Potentially, chitin could facilitate the production of new secondary metabolites in pigmented Pseudoalteromonas strains.