Research

• Marine Microbial Discovery and Analysis
• "Back in the Lab" - Natural Product Isolation from Collection Samples
• Colloquia Review - June 2005

Molecular genetic analysis

Dr. Sherman is particularly interested in the biosynthesis of terrestrial and marine natural products. A large number of novel natural products are being discovered from terrestrial and novel marine microbes. These exciting sources of new chemical entities will provide a wealth of unique information about the organization, structure, and regulation of genes involved in secondary metabolism. The focus over the past five decades has been entirely on secondary metabolite pathways of terrestrial microorganisms. Since novel classes of microorganisms that produce important secondary metabolites are being discovered from marine sources, it is clear that there is exciting new information to be learned from these novel organisms at the genetic level. Our focus currently includes marine cyanobacteria, actinomycetes and myxobacteria.

Biochemistry, Enzymology, and Bioorganic Chemistry

The unique chemistry of proteins involved in constructing complex terrestrial and marine natural products provides a certain and virtually limitless source of novel enzymes and resistance proteins. The genes that specify the biosynthesis of these compounds will provide a readily accessible source of novel biocatalysts that perform interesting and potentially novel chemical reactions. As new classes of marine natural products are elucidated, the corresponding organisms identified and the gene clusters characterized, it will be possible to use the versatile tools of genetic engineering to over-express, purify and characterize fully the unique chemical catalysts that have evolved in the terrestrial and marine environments.

Combinatorial Biology

Over the past few years it has become evident that powerful new molecular methods exist for the reconfiguration and expression of genes involved in marine natural product biosynthesis. There is huge potential to create novel organic molecules through deliberate in vivo and in vitro engineering of these pathways for production of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and high value biomaterials. Relatively few systems exist that can be readily tapped to provide the needed metabolic diversity for the creation of new pathways. Perhaps the single most important new source of this metabolic potential will be provided by natural product biosynthetic genes derived from marine microorganisms. We will continue to pursue aggressively novel metabolic pathways from micro- and macro-organisms, including sponge symbionts and other invertebrates.