Work

Production of High-Value Antibiotics by Teredinibacter turnerae Using Paper- and Plant-Based Waste Products

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Cellulosic materials are commonly used in the production of biofuels and commodity chemicals. Here, we employ a cellulolytic bacterium to produce high-value antibiotics using paper and plant waste material as primary feedstocks. Teredinibacter turnerae is an intracellular symbiont of shipworms, marine bivalves of the family Teredinidae, where it contributes cellulases and other carbohydrate-active enzymes that help the animals digest wood. T. turnerae is also a prolific producer of antibiotic drug leads proposed to be integral to shipworm ecology. In the presence of waste cellulose as the sole carbon source, T. turnerae robustly produced potent antiparasitic and antibiotic agents. This suggests an inexpensive strategy to harness mixed waste materials for the synthesis of high-value compounds, such as pharmaceuticals.

Source: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c02348

Authors: Marina L. Gerton, Marvin A. Altamia, Daniel L. Distel, Bailey W. Miller, Eric W. Schmidt

Institutions: University of Utah, Northeastern University

Language: English

Topic: Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis

Subfield: Pharmacology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500