The prominence of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in the Halophilic Bacteria

Halophilic bacteria have emerged as a promising source of bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic and biotechnological applications. In this study, we conducted an <i>in silico</i> analysis to investigate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) of halophilic bacteria whose genomes are available in the NCBI Genome database. In the Halodom database, 670 halophilic bacteria were identified. Genome data were available for 454 of them. We used the antiSMASH database to identify potential BGCs. The presence of BGCs was detected in 447 bacterial species, ranging from 1 to 44 per genome. More than 400 species had 2 or more BGCs in their genome. Commonly occurring BGCs were ectoine, terpenes, betalactones, Type III polyketide synthases and ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). We also observed a moderate positive correlation (<i>R</i>² = 0.40) between genome size and the number of BGCs in the genome. A diverse range of BGCs were found across different bacterial clades. However, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that certain clades such as the phylum Actinomycetota and subclades formed by the members of Cyanobacteriota, Myxococcota, and Pseudomonadota were particularly rich in the multiple BGCs. The study highlights the potential of halophilic bacteria for bioactivity production.