Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Talaromyces Fungi
Summary
Talaromyces species are a prolific source of chemically diverse secondary metabolites that serve ecological, defensive and signalling roles in terrestrial and marine environments. These compounds encompass a wide array of structural classes, including polyketides, meroterpenoids, alkaloids, azaphilones, isocoumarins and linear peptides. Advances in genome sequencing have revealed extensive biosynthetic gene clusters, many of which remain cryptic under standard laboratory conditions. By manipulating culture parameters and applying epigenetic modifiers, researchers have begun to unlock this hidden chemodiversity. The bioactivities reported span antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal, anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects, highlighting the global significance of Talaromyces metabolites as leads for drug discovery and agrochemical development. Integration of spectroscopic, spectrometric and crystallographic techniques has permitted rigorous structure elucidation, while preliminary assays continue to guide the prioritisation of compounds with the greatest translational potential.
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Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Talaromyces Fungi publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in bioactive secondary metabolites from talaromyces fungi across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Secondary metabolite: A compound not essential for basic growth but produced to mediate ecological interactions or defence.
Polyketide: A metabolite assembled by sequential condensation of acyl-CoA units via polyketide synthases.
Meroterpenoid: A hybrid natural product combining terpene and polyketide biosynthetic elements.
Azaphilone: A nitrogen-containing polyketide characterised by a highly oxygenated pyrone-quinone scaffold.
Biosynthetic gene cluster: A co-located set of genes encoding enzymes responsible for the stepwise assembly of a specific secondary metabolite.
References
- New Hybrid Phenalenone Dimer, Highly Conjugated Dihydroxylated C28 Steroid and Azaphilone from the Culture Extract of a Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus, Talaromyces pinophilus KUFA 1767. Marine Drugs (2023).
- Polyketides with potential bioactivities from the mangrove-derived fungus Talaromyces sp. WHUF0362. Marine Life Science & Technology (2023).
- Bioactive polyketides and meroterpenoids from the mangrove-derived fungus Talaromyces flavus TGGP35. Frontiers in Microbiology (2024).
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