Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Introduction: Natural products (NP) to chemists - molecules of communication to bacteria, plants, fungi, and animals - these specialized organic metabolites are at the intersection of chemistry and biology. The genetically encoded chemical structures confer an advantage to the producing organism and are produced from discrete gene clusters containing all necessary information for their biogenesis. Due to the fitness importance to organisms, we know that unexplored ecological niches coincide with structural diversity of NP. My program focuses on bacterial NP discovery from diverse Northern boreal and sub-boreal ecological niches, including insect microbiomes, using integrated -omics tools. Program Overview: My program seeks to harness the chemical diversity present within the unexplored insect-associated bacterial NPs of the boreal and sub-boreal forests of Northwest Canada. To do so, we focus on building targeted NMR-based discovery methodologies centred on NP families that display bioactivities or ecological roles. We seek to then harness this chemical and biological diversity towards use as sustainable agrochemicals. Part 1: Insect Microbiomes Bark beetles are economically important insects in Northwest Canada. Their fungal and bacterial microbiome aid bark beetle's colonization of a tree host, yet the bacterial NP chemistry is unexplored. We will isolate and identify the bacteria of the microbiomes and investigate their chemistry and chemical ecology. Part 2: Gene Cluster Families encode for structural similarity, providing predictable NMR spectroscopic handles for efficient detection and isolation. My program aims to develop techniques for the targeted discovery of NP families, to then target gene cluster families of the northern boreal insect-associated bacteria. Part 3: Agrochemical NPs are more sustainable during manufacturing and end-of-life cycles. This program will investigate the chemistry of insect-associated bacteria for activity against phytopathogens causing significant harm to Canadian agriculture. Impact: Our research program will explore the frontiers of Northern Canada's insect-associated bacteria for the first time, including the characterization of natural product families, chemical ecology, and agrochemical discovery. These studies have applications in 1) long-term solutions for bark beetle destruction in forests; 2) complementary -omic tools for rapid NP retrieval; 3) degradable agrochemicals sustainably produced via biocatalysts or engineering of plant-associated bacteria. HQP and EDI: My comprehensive training plan will involve 10 undergraduate, 5 MSc, and 2 PhD students in the next five years. EDI is at the core of my training plan because diverse voices build strong science. My program gives students training in NP chemistry, structure elucidation, separation, and microbiology techniques. My program collaborates with diverse scientists to strengthen my students' training.