Effects of Cyanobacterial Metabolites on Other Bacterial Phyla and in the Morphogenesis, Viability, and Biochemistry of Eukaryotes

Prokaryotes were the earliest life forms on Earth but, although they originated an estimated 2 billion years before eukaryotic cells, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes share the same basic molecular mechanisms, indicating that both stem from a primordial ancestor. Bacteria, including cyanobacteria, produce a vast variety of secondary metabolites capable of controlling multiple eukaryotic cell functions. Some metabolites direct morphogenetic processes (in both cyanobacteria and higher algal taxons), while others are toxic to eukaryotes, helping prokaryotes colonize a wider variety of ecological niches. In addition, bacteria often use secondary metabolites to control other bacterial groups. On the other hand, eukaryotic cells can also synthesize secondary metabolites with either bacteriostatic or bactericidal capabilities, to counteract either cyanobacterial or eubacterial organisms. Cyanobacteria are an ancient lineage of photosynthetic microorganisms, but their study was neglected for many years. Recent publications demonstrate that cyanobacterial genomes encode a large variety of natural products, with broad mechanisms of action, many of which are probably yet unknown. Current advances in genome sequencing, making it faster and cheaper, should see a great increase in the number of completed cyanobacterial genomes, which promises many interesting discoveries in the near future.