Exploration of the biosynthetic potential of the secondary metabolome of the newly identified fungal endophyte Cyanodermella asteris

In the proposed research I aim to explore the secondary metabolome of the newly identified fungal endophyte Cyanodermella asteris.

In this regard, we have selected two in silico-predicted polyketide synthase gene clusters, which will be further examined.

The selected gene clusters thereof are chosen for vector construction in Escherichia coli and subsequently the heterologous expression in fungal hosts (Aspergillus niger or Aspergillus nidulans) will be performed.

Afterwards, the engineered expression strains will be examined in a combined effort applying mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to identify the newly produced compounds. Additional metabolomics-based tools and molecular networking will be employed.

Moreover, the biosynthetic pathways of the isolated natural products of the respective gene clusters will be fully delineated.