Molecular approach to biomedicinals from photosymbionts of marine invertebrates

A phylogenetic tree was generated that illustrates the affiliation of the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence from a clone of the uncultured cyanobacterium symbiont of the sponge Ircinia ramosa. The partial 16S rRNA gene sequence derived from this clone is available from the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ nucleotide sequences database under Accession No. EF467662. To consider the use of molecular techniques for searching and identifying key biosynthetic genes from the currently non-culturable microbial consortia.To examine the ecological role and metabolic cost to the algal producer for the biosynthesis of such a vast array of often complex secondary metabolites. Prochlorococcus marinus (AE017162, AF001469, AF001470, AF001471, AF001474, AF053397, AF053399, AF115268, AF115270, AF180967, AF311217, AF311220, BX572095, BX572090, BX572100, X63140); Synechococcus sp. (AF001480, AF216950, AF317073, AF330249, AF330250, AF330251, AF448060, AF448063, AF448067, AY172801, AY172802, AY172803, AY172804, AY172806, AY172807, AY172808, AY172809, AY172810, AY172832, AY210409, AY224198, BX569694); Cyanobacterium symbiont of Ircinia ramosa (EF467662); Cyanobacterium symbionts of Xestopongia exigua (AY692243, AY692244, AY692245); Cyanobacterium symbiont of Aplysina aerophoba (AJ347056).