Metabolic and enzymatic studies of Penicillium brasilianum, an endophyte associated with Melia azedarach

• Grant number: 08/11198-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2009
• End date: March 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Edson Rodrigues Filho
• Grantee: Taicia Pacheco Fill
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

"METABOLIC AND ENZIMATIC STUDIES OF penicillium brasilianum, AN ENDOPHYTE ASSOCIATED WITH Melia azedarach". The present project, proposed for the Doctor degree of Taícia Pacheco Fill, is intended to develop and apply analytical methodologies to verify the influence of nitrogenated additives on the secondary metabolism of the endophytic Penicillium brasilianum and verify the biosynthetic pathway of Phenylpropanoids and Prenilated alkaloids produced by the microorganism. During early experimental works on this subject it were studied the biosynthesis for bis-phenylpropanoyl amides, produced by the micro-organism P. brasilianum which were made through the phenylpropanoid pathway by the condensation of two phenylalanine unities via Phenylalanine ammonio lyase (PAL) enzyme which was evaluated during the master studies of the student by the formation of cinnamic acid visualized by HPLC/UV analyses. These amides are reported as antiparasitic compounds and show great potential to be used as antihelmintics. They also showed activity against gram-positive Bacillus subtilis in bioassays conducted recently at LaBioMMi (DQ/UFSCar). Their molecular structures of these brasiliamides resemble those shown by flavolignans produced by Meliaceous plants, the same family of Melia azedarach, from where the fungus Penicillium brasilianum, the amide producer, was obtained as endophyte. In the present project the effect of different nitrogen source, such as amino acidies and nitrogenated inorganic nutrients, on the secondary metabolism of the endophytic fungus, biosynthetic pathways of interesting secondary metabolites, will be studied using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry techniques.