Satellite images of Emiliania huxleyi blooms. Credit: NASA images
Using a special profiling technique, scientists at Princeton have determined the mechanism of action of a potent antibiotic, tropodithietic acid (TDA), leading them to uncover its hidden ability as a potential anticancer agent. TDA is produced by marine bacteria belonging to the roseobacter family, which exist in a unique symbiosis with microscopic algae. The algae provide food for the bacteria, and the bacteria provide protection from the many pathogens of the open ocean.
“This molecule keeps everything out,” said Assistant Prof. Seyedsayamdost. “How could something so small be so broad spectrum? That’s what got us interested,” he said...
Read More
Recent Comments