Phycosphere associated bacteria; a prospective source of bioactive compounds

Co-occurrence of bacteria and algae can be traced back to billions of years ago. Their coexistence for more than 200 million years in common habitat has fostered a multitude of promising interactions among these two groups over evolutionary time scales. These associated bacteria produce various biologically active secondary metabolites and play a pivotal role in algal growth and metabolism. Consequently, specific chemical microenvironment created by algal microbiome signifies a promising source of bioactive compounds. Although these associations may be of substantial importance, only limited knowledge on the chemical ecology of algal microhabitat is available. Thus, better insight into the metabolic capabilities of phycosphere microbiome could allow targeted isolation of novel bioactive compounds with manifold beneficial effects. Moreover, further research contributing towards the chemistry behind these interactions is needed for exploring phycosphere bacteria for desired industrial and biotechnological applications.