Bacteria and fungi are capable of producing various substances to communicate with other organisms, defend themselves, or colonize ecological niches. Some of these molecules can also be of great benefit to humans, for example as antibiotics or chemotherapeutic agents. The diversity of microorganisms on Earth is immense, and many species remain completely unexplored.
Their genetic material can be read like a blueprint or a map to determine whether and how such molecules are produced. This allows us to better understand the function of these substances—particularly their role in the organism and the environment, as well as their potential benefits. So we’ll show how we use methods from microbiology and molecular biology to go on a treasure hunt to explore the world of microbial natural products.
