Bacterial specialized metabolites may more commonly be produced and act in combination than previously appreciated. In a new review for Nature Microbiology, postdoctoral fellow Kirsten Meyer and Professor Justin Nodwell discuss the biology and applications of combination metabolites with synergistic antimicrobial activity. Bacteria from diverse phyla and environments produce synergistic metabolite combinations. Despite this diversity, there are conserved genetic and biosynthetic strategies for production of the combinations. The metabolite combinations have elegant synergistic mechanisms against pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including mechanisms that counter antimicrobial resistance. These underexplored combination metabolites offer new insights into bacteria and their environments, and have therapeutic potential to fight antimicrobial resistance.
Here is the link to the the original article: Biology and applications of co-produced, synergistic antimicrobials from environmental bacteria.
