Microbial Sterolomics as a Chemical Biology Tool

Abstract

Metabolomics has become a powerful tool in chemical biology. Profiling the human sterolome has resulted in the discovery of noncanonical sterols, including oxysterols and meiosis-activating sterols. They are important to immune responses and development, and have been reviewed extensively. The triterpenoid metabolite fusidic acid has developed clinical relevance, and many steroidal metabolites from microbial sources possess varying bioactivities. Beyond the prospect of pharmacognostical agents, the profiling of minor metabolites can provide insight into an organism’s biosynthesis and phylogeny, as well as inform drug discovery about infectious diseases. This review aims to highlight recent discoveries from detailed sterolomic profiling in microorganisms and their phylogenic and pharmacological implications.

Potential Beneficial Effects and Pharmacological Properties of Ergosterol, a Common Bioactive Compound in Edible Mushrooms

“…It maintains fungal cell membrane integrity, similar to cholesterol in animal cell membranes [ 4 ]. This compound contains three double bonds and β-hydroxy groups at positions 5, 7, and 22 with a 1,2-cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring nucleus ( Figure 1 ), making it behave like an amphipathic lipid [ 5 ]. Ergosterol exists in free and esterified forms.…”

Multi-Omic Profiling of Melophlus Sponges Reveals Diverse Metabolomic and Microbiome Architectures that Are Non-overlapping with Ecological Neighbors

“…Next, we searched for the sarasinoside biosynthetic potential in the M. sarasinorum holobiont. Supported by literature, a hypothetical enzymatic scheme furnishing sarasinosides is illustrated in Figure 4A [25,26]. In this scheme, enzyme squalene synthase converts two molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate to squalene.…”

Omics for Bioprospecting and Drug Discovery from Bacteria and Microalgae

“…Lipidomics target water-insoluble forms of metabolites, constituting part of the membrane barriers. Lipidome profiling is crucial to understanding biosynthetic pathways in a microorganism as well as a way for better understanding the metabolic status of a cell [93]. Further, lipidomics can serve as an approach to chemotaxonomic characterization of microorganisms [93,94].…”

“…Lipidome profiling is crucial to understanding biosynthetic pathways in a microorganism as well as a way for better understanding the metabolic status of a cell [93]. Further, lipidomics can serve as an approach to chemotaxonomic characterization of microorganisms [93,94]. The polyketide synthase pathway is one of the noteworthy pathways that leads to the formation of several secondary metabolites and their derivatives in many organisms, including bacteria and microalgae [75,95].…”