Natural products biosynthesis in metagenome-assembled genomes from the seawater of Egypt

Aims: Marine microorganisms live in harsh environments, so they adapt by producing secondary metabolites that can defend against predators or aid in various ecological activities.This study was aimed to screen seawater bacteria for producing secondary metabolites with potential industrial or pharmaceutical applications.Methodology and results: Seawater metagenomes were gathered from the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.High-quality Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were separated from the metagenomes and screened for the presence of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that encode for secondary metabolites.It was found that thirteen high-quality MAGs shared similarities with other unculturable bacteria from different seas around the world.One MAG was supposed to be a new strain of Gammaproteobacterium. Some MAGs were proposed to produce a valuable natural product like retinal, phenazine antibiotic and carotenoid pigment. Conclusion, significance and impact of study:A total of 106 newly predicted BGCs were recovered from fourteen MAGs.Six BGCs were highlighted for the possibility of pharmaceutical application, for instance, the phenazine antibiotic that was predicted for the first time to be synthesized by Litoricola sp., a marine retinal from a new Mediterranean Gammaproteobacterium candidate and carotenoid pigment from a purple Rhodobacteraceae bacterium.Research findings were helpful to effectively selecting and prioritize biosynthetic gene clusters for the discovery of new bioactive metabolites from seawater bodies.