Genetic and biochemical diversity of terpene biosynthesis in cyanobacterial strains from tropical soda lakes

Mauricio J. Machado¹Fernanda R. Jacinavicius¹Rhuana V. Médice²Rafael B. Dextro¹Anderson M. T. Feitosa¹Marcio B. Weiss²Thierry A. Pellegrinetti^1,3Simone R. Cotta⁴Camila M. Crnkovic²Marli F. Fiore^1*

• ¹Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
• ²School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
• ³Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
• ⁴Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Terpenes and terpenoids are vital components in diverse metabolic pathways, forming the terpenome -the complete spectrum of terpene-related compounds biosynthesized by an organism. These compounds might support the adaptation of microbial communities inhabiting extreme ecosystems, such as the saline-alkaline lakes of the Pantanal Biome, Brazil, enabling them to develop exclusive strategies for survival and resilience in these harsh environments. Integrating bioinformatic tools has significantly enhanced the ability to assess an organism's metabolic potential by combining these computational approaches with experimental biochemical data. Furthermore, gene annotation provides critical insights into specialized targets, facilitating the identification of shared or unique features across different strains. This study investigates the presence of terpene compounds in cyanobacterial strains isolated from tropical soda lakes using a combination of gene mining, synteny analysis, phylogenetics, and metabolomics. Key enzymes, including phytoene synthase and squalene hopene cyclase, were identified, showing significant similarities and evolutionary links to gene copies in Cyanobacteria from diverse ecological environments. Metabolomic analysis complemented genomic predictions, uncovering a rich diversity of tetraterpene compounds, particularly carotenoids. Notably, triterpene hopanoids were found exclusively in a unicellular strain. These compounds demonstrate significant potential for cellular protection, metabolic adaptation, and biotechnological applications. This study highlights the extensive range of insights that can be obtained by integrating genetics and biochemistry in exploring cyanobacterial diversity, especially from organisms thriving in extreme environments.