Epigenetic modifiers: extending the metabolic diversity of endophytic fungi

• Grant number: 18/05905-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2018
• End date: April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Lourdes Campaner dos Santos
• Grantee: Marcelo Rodrigues de Amorim
• Supervisor: Leslie Gunatilaka
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Arizona, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/11058-5 - Chemical and biological prospecting of endophytic fungi associated with Paepalanthus planifolius (Eriocaulaceae), BP.DR

Abstract

This project is associated to FAPESP doctorate fellowship process number 2015/11058-5, entitled: "Chemical and biological prospecting of endophytic fungi associated with Paepalanthus planifolius (Eriocaulaceae)". The work will be carried out under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Leslie Gunatilaka (University of Arizona, USA). This researcher is the director of the Natural Products Center (Arizona, USA), being well recognized for his work on endosymbiotic (endophytic and endolichenic) fungi. The time required to develop the research activities in the proposal is 10 months. Natural products are known to provide prototypes of important medicines marketed globally, such as penicillin, ergotamine and cyclosporin that are produced by fungi. Among the fungi that have a high potential for production of bioactive secondary metabolites, endophytic fungi are distinguished by the high metabolic production of these compounds and different methodologies can be used to explore their production. Epigenetic modification is one of the effective methodologies that can be used to explore the production of secondary metabolites by endophytic fungi and involves DNA and histones modifications leading to activation and/or alteration of biosynthetic pathways. Therefore, this proposal aims to explore the effect of epigenetic modifiers on endophytic fungi, including the isolation of the secondary metabolites by chromatographic techniques and their structural determination using spectroscopic techniques. In addition, this project will provide new knowledge about secondary metabolites using epigenetic approaches.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE AMORIM, MARCELO R.; WIJERATNE, E. M. KITHSIRI; ZHOU, SHENGLIANG; ARNOLD, A. ELIZABETH; BATISTA, ANDREA N. L.; BATISTA, JOAO M.; DOS SANTOS, LOURDES C.; GUNATILAKA, A. A. LESLIE. An epigenetic modifier induces production of 3-(4-oxopyrano)-chromen-2-ones in Aspergillus sp. AST0006, an endophytic fungus of Astragalus lentiginosus. Tetrahedron, v. 76, n. 43, OCT 23 2020. (18/05905-5, 14/25222-9)

RODRIGUES DE AMORIM, M.; WIJERATNE, E. M. K.; BATISTA JUNIOR, J. M.; DOS SANTOS, L. C.; GUNATILAKA, A. A. L.. An epigenetic modifier induces the production of new metabolites by Aspergillus terreus AST0006. Planta Medica, v. 85, n. 18, p. 1-pg., 2019-12-01. (18/05905-5, 15/11058-5, 14/25222-9)