Metabolomics, Genomics and Bioassay-Based Discovery of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Fungi in Isolated Environments

• Grant number: 25/08936-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmacognosy
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Gomes de Souza Berlinck
• Grantee: Camila Luiza Cunha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/17721-9 - The role of Chemistry in holobiont adaptation, AP.TEM

Abstract

Microbial biodiversity associated with isolated environments, such as non-filter-feeding marine organisms and endemic island plants, represents a promising frontier for the discovery of novel bioactive secondary metabolites. This project proposes the discovery of bioactive secondary metabolites from cultures of symbiotic and endophytic fungi isolated from the viscera of non-filter-feeding marine animals and from tissues of native plants from Alcatrazes Island (SP). The investigation will be carried out on part of a set of 15 strains previously screened for antiparasitic and cytotoxic bioactivity, taxonomic criteria, growth capacity and metabolic diversity assessed by UPLC-HRMS/MS and HPLC-UV-MS. The most promising strains (at least two) will be cultivated under different conditions to induce the expression of cryptic biosynthetic pathways. The extracts will be subjected to chemical analyses and targeted bioassays, aiming at the isolation and structural characterization of bioactive metabolites. In parallel, genomic analyses will be performed to identify and annotate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of novel metabolites, allowing correlation between chemical and genetic data. The integration of these approaches is expected to contribute to the discovery of new molecular structures and expand knowledge about the secondary metabolism of fungi associated with ecologically restricted environments, with potential impact on the areas of natural product chemistry, biotechnology and health.