Tunicates: A model organism to investigate the effects of associated-microbiota on the production of pharmaceuticals

Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019Source: Drug Discovery Today: Disease ModelsAuthor(s): Anelize Bauermeister, Paola Cristina Branco, Luciana Costa Furtado, Paula Christine Jimenez, Leticia Veras Costa-Lotufo, Tito Monteiro da Cruz LotufoAscidians are marine invertebrates closely related to vertebrates. These animals have been studied to address complex processes, including evolution of the immune system and developmental biology. As holobionts, housing millions of bacteria in a close relationship that drives adaptive fitness to environmental conditions, ascidians are successful invaders and dominant components of the benthic communities. Further, tunicates and their associated microbiota are recognized as producers of chemical structures with pharmacological potential, and over 1000 such molecules have been described so far. This review covers aspects of ascidian biology that make them promising model organisms in various fields and important for drug discovery.
Source: Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research