The research interests of Marine Biotechnology Laboratory (SJTU) lie in microbial symbionts of marine invertebrates especially marine sponge in the South China Sea. Invertebrates, such as sponge, ascidia, and algae harbor abundant microbial symbionts. Marine microbial symbionts are suggested to play an important role in the host's chemical defense, nutrients and energy transfer, and are important resources for marine natural products and marine functional genes. Meanwhile, marine microbial symbionts are directly or indirectly involved in the biosynthesis of some bioactive compounds isolated from marine organisms. Investigation on marine microbial symbionts will enhance the development of marine chemical ecology, marine natural product, marine biology and marine biotechnology, and will solve the bottle-neck problem of the supply limitation of marine pharmacologically valuable compounds. Our current and recent investigations include:
1. Community structure and function of marine microbial symbionts
To reveal the community structure and diversity of microbial symbionts of marine invertebrate such as sponges and microalgae using molecular ecology methods, and investigate the role of microbial symbionts in the C and N cycle, nutrition transfer and chemical defense with the aim to reveal the relationship between symbionts and the host.
2. Metabolites of marine microbial symbionts
To explore novel isolation and cultivation technique for symbiotic microbes, screen isolates with biological potential and establish strain library, isolate and identify natural products of microbial symbionts and produce bioactive compounds on a large scale by fermentation, metabolic engineering.
3. Metagenomics and functional gene (cluster) of marine microbial symbionts
To screen marine polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene cluster and novel marine enzyme gene using metagenomics approach from uncultured microbial symbionts, reveal the biosynthetic mechanism of marine natural compound derived from marine microbial symbionts, and utilize marine functional gene (cluster) through combined biosynthesis, gene engineering.