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notes biology

Bryostatin symbiotic origins

Today, I discovered that bryostatin—a promising bioactive compound extracted from bryozoan colonies with potential medical applications for Alzheimer’s, cancers, and HIV therapy—is actually produced by bacterial symbionts:

Bryostatin in Bugula neritina
Figure 4 from Sharp KH, Davidson SK, and Haygood MG (2007). Localization of “Candidatus Endobugula sertula” and the bryostatins throughout the life cycle of the bryozoan Bugula neritina. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2007.78

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