Mapping the Trimethoprim-Induced Secondary Metabolome of Burkholderia thailandensis. Author Bethany Okada, Yihan Wu, Dainan Mao, Leah Bushin, Mohammad Seyedsayamdost Publication Year 2016 Type Journal Article Abstract While bacterial genomes typically contain numerous secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, only a small fraction of these are expressed at any given time. The remaining majority is inactive or silent, and methods that awaken them would greatly expand our repertoire of bioactive molecules. We recently devised a new approach for identifying inducers of silent gene clusters and proposed that the clinical antibiotic trimethoprim acted as a global activator of secondary metabolism in Burkholderia thailandensis. Herein, we report that trimethoprim triggers the production of over 100 compounds that are not observed under standard growth conditions, thus drastically modulating the secondary metabolic output of B. thailandensis. Using MS/MS networking and NMR, we assign structures to ∼40 compounds, including a group of new molecules, which we call acybolins. With methods at hand for activation of silent gene clusters and rapid identification of small molecules, the hidden secondary metabolomes of bacteria can be interrogated. Keywords Genes, Bacterial, Bacterial Proteins, Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Metabolomics, Burkholderia, Trimethoprim, Anti-Infective Agents, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular Journal ACS Chem Biol Volume 11 Issue 8 Pages 2124-30 Date Published 2016 Aug 19 ISSN Number 1554-8937 DOI 10.1021/acschembio.6b00447 Alternate Journal ACS Chem Biol PMCID PMC6786267 PMID 27367535 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML