Image Credit: Alison E. Murray, DRI

Late spring at Arthur Harbor. The waters surrounding Anvers Island, Antarctica, are home to a species of sea squirt called Synoicum adareanum. New research has traced the production of palmerolide A, a key compound with anti-melanoma properties, to a member of this sea squirt’s microbiome.

Research Update: Within an Antarctic Sea Squirt, Scientists Discover a Bacterial Species With Promising Anti-Melanoma Properties

A new study may have found a bacterial species with anti-melanoma properties.

A new study may have found a bacterial species with anti-melanoma properties.

Photo Credit: Bill J. Baker, University of South Florida

Synoicum adareanum lives on the Antarctic sea floor and gets its nutrition from microorganisms and organic carbon in the seawater. This type grows in colonies with many individual lobes that are connected at their base. Its microbiome hosts a suite of different microorganisms, including a bacterium in the phylum, Verrucomicrobium, that produces a compound with anti-melanoma properties.

The recently published paper in mSphere describes strides made by scientists to successfully trace a naturally produced melanoma-fighting compound called “palmerolide A” to its source: a microbe that resides within a species of sea squirt common to the waters of Antarctica.

To survive in the harsh Antarctic environment, sea squirts and other invertebrates have developed symbiotic relationships with diverse microbes with features such as bioluminescence and chemical defense agents. These compounds may have medicinal and biotechnological applications useful to humans in science and health.

Learn more about the study from the Desert Research Institute's website