Tracing the Journey of Actinomycetes: Past Insights and Current Advances

Abstract

Actinomycetes are Gram-positive, filamentous bacteria belonging to the phylum Actinomycetota (formerly Actinobacteria). They are widely distributed across various ecological niches, especially in soil, where they are commonly found. Actinomycetes are classified based on their morphology and possess diverse characteristics. Understanding their traits and mechanisms in organic waste degradation is crucial for developing sustainable waste management strategies. Methods such as conventional, chemotaxonomic, numerical taxonomic, and molecular techniques are routinely used to identify actinomycetes. These bacteria play important roles in cancer treatment, bioremediation, and the production of valuable antibiotics. Actinomycetes produce over 22,500 secondary metabolites, many of which have antibacterial and therapeutic properties. Their metabolites act as antimicrobial agents against a range of infections. Recent advances in actinobacteria research highlight the importance of rare genera (such as Micromonospora and Actinoplanes), the CRISPR-Cas system in actinomycetes, and synthetic biology approaches for drug discovery.