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. 2024 Dec 24;23(1):1.
doi: 10.3390/md23010001.

GC/MS Fatty Acid Profile of Marine-Derived Actinomycetes from Extreme Environments: Chemotaxonomic Insights and Biotechnological Potential

Marlene B Cunha  1   2   3 , André F Jorge  3   4   5 , Maria João Nunes  3 , Joana R Sousa  1   2 , Maria João Lança  4   5 , Marco Gomes da Silva  3 , Susana P Gaudêncio  1   2
Affiliations

GC/MS Fatty Acid Profile of Marine-Derived Actinomycetes from Extreme Environments: Chemotaxonomic Insights and Biotechnological Potential

Marlene B Cunha et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

This study investigated the fatty acids (FA) profile of 54 actinomycete strains isolated from marine sediments collected off the Portugal continental coast, specifically from the Estremadura Spur pockmarks field, by GC/MS. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were prepared from the ethyl acetate lipidic extracts of these strains and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with FA identification performed using the NIST library. The identified FAs varied from C12:0 to C20:0, where 32 distinct FAs were identified, including 7 branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), 9 odd-chain fatty acids (OCFAs), 8 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), 6 saturated fatty acids (SFAs), 1 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and 1 cyclic chain fatty acid (CCFA). The average expressed content was BCFA (47.54%), MUFA (28.49%), OCFA (26.93%), and SFA (22.16%), of which i-C16:0, C18:1ω9, and C16:0 were predominant, while PUFA (3.58%) and CCFA (0.41%) were identified as minor components. The identified BCFA were i-C16:0, a-C15:0, i-C15:0, i-C15:1ω6, a-C16:0, a-C14:0, and i-C17:0, which include combined branching and unsaturation and branching and odd. SFAs were present in all species, with C16:0 and C18:0 being the most representative. Rare OCFAs C19:1ω9, C17:1ω7, C15:0, and C17:0 were expressed. PUFA C18:1ω9 was detected; within this class, omega families ω9, ω7, ω6, and ω5 were identified, and no ω3 was detected. The only CCFA was benzene-butanoic acid (benzene-C4:0). These findings highlight the metabolic versatility of actinomycetes, providing valuable insights into microbial chemotaxonomy and offering promising biochemical leads for the development of biofuel, nutraceutical, and antifungal agents. Furthermore, these results underline the diversity and biotechnological potential of FAs in actinomycetes, uncovering their potential to be used as microbial cell factories, and paving the way for innovations in biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and eco-friendly industrial products.

Keywords: GC/MS fatty acids profiling; blue biotechnology; circular bioeconomy; lipidomic FAMEs; marine actinobacteria; marine extreme environments; microbial cell factories; oil extraction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Profile of fatty acids’ main classes (expressed in %) from the ethyl acetate lipid extracts of the actinomycetes species isolated from marine sediments of the Estremadura Spur pockmarks.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Individual SFA profile of the total SFAs (%) identified in ethyl acetate lipid extracts by actinomycetes species isolated from marine sediments of the Estremadura Spur pockmarks.
Figure 3
Figure 3
MUFA content in the total profile of FAMEs in actinomycete species isolated from marine sediments of the Estremadura Spur, with emphasis on C18:1ω9. Values expressed in % in relation to the total identified FA.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Omega families (ω9, ω7, ω6, and ω5) present in the FAME profile of marine actinobacteria species isolated from marine sediments of the Estremadura Spur.
Figure 5
Figure 5
BCFAs comprising the FAME profile identified in the actinomycetes species.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Profiling of the FA classes produced by the actinomycetes genera.
Figure 7
Figure 7
PCA illustrating the FA classes profile according to the actinomycetes genera. The colors correspond to the genera of the actinomycetes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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