Regulation and function of a Chromobacterium violaceum biosynthetic gene cluster

• Grant number: 24/04709-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: José Freire da Silva Neto
• Grantee: Luís Gustavo Laranjeiro Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/10577-0 - Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

A major public health problem is the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic microbes. Resistance spreads faster than the pharmaceutical industry can discover and make new antimicrobial compounds available. On the other hand, microorganisms produce a huge diversity of specialized metabolites that are important for their adaptation, competition, and survival in the environment. Many of these natural products have biotechnological applications in medicine, industry, and agriculture. In this project, we will study the regulation and characterize the function of a biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) containing the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzymes CV2802 and CV2803 from Chromobacterium violaceum, an opportunistic environmental pathogen that produces bioactive compounds of biotechnological interest. Gene expression assays will be used to determine the conditions and regulatory circuits that control the expression of BGC genes. The role of BGC transporters in the efflux of the bioactive compound into the extracellular environment will be evaluated. Functional tests against various microorganisms will be carried out to identify the biological activity of the bioactive compound, which will be purified to determine its structure. The results obtained should contribute to understanding how to activate silent BGCs and to the discovery of a potential new antimicrobial compound.