报告人简介

   Dr. Kim is a professor in Biological Engineering and Chair of Medicinal Biosciences & Biopharmaceutical Engineering at Inha University. He earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology & Biotechnology from the University of Minnesota and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University. His research focuses on microbial natural product biosynthesis, Streptomyces genetics, and synthetic biology. He has published extensively in Nat. Prod. Rep., New Biotechnol., and Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., and serves in leadership roles within the Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology. Dr. Kim received multiple awards, including the Leading Scientist Award (KMB) and Excellent Paper Award (KOFST), recognizing his contributions to microbial biotechnology. His research and service have significantly shaped the field of microbial synthetic biology both in Korea and globally.

Abstract

     Over the past decades, valuable natural products have primarily been discovered from soil-derived actinomycetes. However, extensive research on these strains has diminished their potential for novel compound discovery. Conversely, the potential of marine-derived actinomycetes is rising due to their relatively unexplored nature. Streptomyces sp. MMBL 11-1 (S11-1) was isolated from a marine sponge collected in the deep sea of Jeju Island, Korea. S11-1 was identified as a novel strain and exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity. Whole genome sequencing and antiSMASH analysis were conducted and identified 37 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that most of these BGCs were found to be cryptic. To activate cryptic BGCs, six promising BGCs were heterologous expressed through bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library screening. It was found that BGC region 11 and 25 harbor genes similar to those in the previously reported Kitacinnamycin BGC. To identify novel compounds from these BGCs, strong promoters, including stnY and kasO promoters, were substituted, resulting in increased gene transcription upon heterologous expression.