Wael M Abdel-Mageed
King Saud University, Egypt
Title: From the deepest on earth: natural products from extreme environments
Biography
Biography: Wael M Abdel-Mageed
Abstract
Marine microbes are uniquely important to life as we know it. Since life most likely began in the oceans, marine microorganisms may be the closest living descendants of the original forms of life and also major pillars of the biosphere. Their metabolic diversity and capability allow them to carry out many steps in biogeochemical cycles that other organisms are unable to complete, while on the other hand they are used in a number of biotechnology applications, including the manufacture of industrial products and energy production. Marine microbes, in particular strains of Actinobacteria, are excellent sources of novel bioactive metabolites that might have pharmaceutical application. In addition to, approximately 20000 natural products have been reported from marine flora and fauna over the past 50 years and yet less than 2% of those derive from deep-water marine organisms. Although difficulty in accessing these depths has previously hindered deep-sea research, today with improved acoustic technology and greater access to submersibles, deep-sea exploration is uncovering extensive deep-water coral reefs that are home to a wealth of species on continental shelves and seamounts world-wide. Recent analyses have shown that the deep sea is one of the most biodiverse and species-rich habitats on the planet, rivalling that of coral reefs and rainforests. Dermacozines (A) and Abyssomicins (B) are rare class obtained from deep sea microbes going to be investigated in this short talk.
