Metabolomics approach to access fungal chemodiversity through co-cultivation

• Grant number: 23/16158-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: March 22, 2024
• End date: June 14, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Cézar Vieira
• Grantee: Victoria Perini Pederiva
• Supervisor: Ruangelie Edrada-Ebel
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Strathclyde, Scotland
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/00874-2 - Access to fungal chemodiversity: isolation of inhibitors of cysteine proteases, BP.MS

Abstract

This work intends to explore Fusarium guttiforme and Fusarium proliferatum, invasive species in pineapples, through their cultivation in the laboratory in different cultivation media and co-cultivation to access silent biosynthetic pathways and obtain new bioactive metabolites from these interactions. Thus, it is possible to access and expand the chemodiversity of these microorganisms due to the activation of these biosynthetic pathways that may lead to new natural products that would not be produced in axenic lineages.The project aims to employ the metabolomic approach as a necessary tool for fungal extract studies. Regarding the execution of the project, the different fungal extracts will be investigated using advanced analytical techniques [UHPLC-DAD-(ESI)-HRMS and NMR]. These techniques will be used to assess a set of chemical compositions to better understand the impact of co-culture metabolite production. The metabolomic approach is employed aiming at ensuring a more selective, fast and efficient analysis of the chemical compositions of Fusarium guttiforme and Fusarium proliferatum. With a better understanding of the composition of the extracts, the metabolomic techniques will also help find and isolate new bioactive compounds, specially novel antifungals and antiparasitics.