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An international study led by researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Complutense University of Madrid has identified a series of biosynthetic genes involved in the production of usnic acid in lichen, a compound showing antiviral, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antibacterial and anticancer activity.
Not all lichens --composite organisms resulting from the symbiosis of fungi and green algae or cyanobacteria-- produce this compound, and this study, published in
Genome Biology and Evolution, has revealed why there is a loss of specific biosynthetic genes in non-producing species.
"Identifying the genes involved in the biosynthesis of these compounds is essential for future studies that require their isolation and mass production; similarly, the genomic approach adopted in this study has helped us identify new biosynthetic genes (PKS) of as yet unknown compounds that may be of pharmacological interest", explained David Pizarro, the first author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany at the UCM.