Actinobacteria as Microbial Cell Factories and Biocatalysts in The Synthesis of Chiral Intermediates and Bioactive Molecules; Insights and Applications.

Actinobacteria are one of the most intriguing bacterial phyla in terms of chemical diversity and bioactivities of their reported biomolecules and natural products, including various types of chiral molecules. Actinobacterial genera such as Detzia, Mycobacterium, and Streptomyces are among the microbial sources targeted for selective reactions such as asymmetric biocatalysis catalyzed by whole cells or enzymes induced in their cell niche. Remarkably, stereoselective reactions catalyzed by actinobacterial whole cells or their enzymes include stereoselective oxidation, stereoselective reduction, kinetic resolution, asymmetric hydrolysis, and selective transamination, among others.

Contribution of endophytes towards improving plant bioactive metabolites: a rescue option against red-taping of medicinal plants.

Medicinal plants remain a valuable source for natural drug bioprospecting owing to their multi-target spectrum. However, their use as raw materials for novel drug synthesis has been greatly limited by unsustainable harvesting leading to decimation of their wild populations coupled with inherent low concentrations of constituent secondary metabolites per unit mass. Thus, adding value to the medicinal plants research dynamics calls for adequate attention.