Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Psychrophilic bacteria represent a reservoir of undiscovered biodiversity, because they achieve their ecological success coping with very harsh conditions and this selective pressure may lead to the production of a wide range of compounds, potentially valuable in many pharmaceutical applications.In fact, many bacteria both from marine and terrestrial environments are endowed with the ability to synthesize several infochemicals, formed via primary and/or secondary metabolic pathways. The function of these compounds is not completely clear. This enormous potential could be exploited for several biotechnological applications. In the author?s laboratory, they are exploiting the bioactive potential of psychrophilic bacteria isolated from different cold environments (Antarctica, Arctic and Tibetan glaciers) aiming at isolating novel bioactive compounds with two defined target: a)gram-negative pathogen bacteria and b) parasite nematodes.By using the cross-streaking method it was demonstrated that severalAntarctic bacteria belonging Pseudoalteromonas genus to were able to inhibit the growth of several strain belonging Burkholderiacepacia complex (Bcc), that include opportunistic pathogens of cystic fibrosis, and that the inhibitory effect relies on the production of volatile compounds. It was also set-up an innovative screening methodforhelmintic- compounds-producing bacteria using Caenorhabtidiselegansas model.The potentiality of the psychrophilic bacteria as novel sources of novel drugs to fight the infection of Bcc and parasite nematodes will be largely discussed.

Biography

Donatella de Pascale is researcher at the Institute of Protein Biochemistry at the National Research Council, Naples, Italy. She is involved in many research projects aimed at the discovery of bioactive compounds and hydrolytic enzymes from marine source, in particular from psychrophilic bacteria isolated from Antarctic and Arctic environments. She is partner of the FP7-KBBE Project entitled PharmaSea: Increasing Value and Flow in the Marine Biodiscovery Pipeline, which objective is the discovery of antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-neurodegenerative disease compounds from marine source. She is author of more 40 peer-reviewed publications and she is partner and coordinator of many national and international projects.