Parallel lives of symbionts and hosts: chemical mutualism in marine animals

Natural Product Reports Pub Date: 2018-02-14 DOI: 10.1039/C7NP00053G

Abstract

Covering: up to 2018

Symbiotic microbes interact with animals, often by producing natural products (specialized metabolites; secondary metabolites) that exert a biological role. A major goal is to determine which microbes produce biologically important compounds, a deceptively challenging task that often rests on correlative results, rather than hypothesis testing. Here, we examine the challenges and successes from the perspective of marine animal-bacterial mutualisms. These animals have historically provided a useful model because of their technical accessibility. By comparing biological systems, we suggest a common framework for establishing chemical interactions between animals and microbes.

Graphical abstract: Parallel lives of symbionts and hosts: chemical mutualism in marine animals
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