Expertise: Isolation and structure characterization of marine natural products; algal toxin monitoring; secondary metabolite biosynthesis Access to molecular diversity from unusual biological sources is important to developing new natural products in the therapeutic realm. The Bertin Lab is addressing this access gap by discovering new metabolites from cyanobacterial blooms of Trichodesmium collected from the Gulf of Mexico. We have discovered dozens of new molecules from these blooms using traditional bioassay-guided isolation procedures and innovative mass spectrometry-based approaches such as MS/MS-based molecular networking. We are also interested in investigating the chemistry of bacteria, algae, and invertebrates in Narragansett Bay, RI. As part of our RI Sea Grant project with the Jenkins Lab at URI, we are monitoring the concentrations of the neurotoxin domoic acid at select sites throughout Narragansett Bay. This toxin is produced by certain diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia and can affect shellfish in the Bay and cause amnesiac shellfish poisoning in humans. As part of an effort to introduce independent research in upper division undergraduate student laboratory classes, we have been building an extract library from specimens in the College of Pharmacy’s Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Garden. Students extract specimens from the garden and identify potential bioactive compounds with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties. This research has found promising lead compounds against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and we are now exploring phytochemicals that can reverse E. coli quiescence, and important area for potentially treating recurrent urinary tract infections. *corresponding author at URI Dr. Matthew Bertin – Dr. Bertin began his appointment at URI in July of 2016. He completed his Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina under the guidance of Peter Moeller. He completed his postdoctoral training under the supervision of William H. Gerwick at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Dr. Bertin contributes teaching effort to BPS 136, BPS 451, BPS 445, BPS 552, BPS 525, BPS 551, BPS 633 and other courses including those in the Certificate in Cannabis Studies (BPS 312 and BPS 316). When he’s not looking at mass spec and NMR data, Dr. Bertin enjoys hiking and reading science fiction. Image shows: Dr. Matt Bertin at the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine Chris grew up in the hill towns of western/central Massachusetts and earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Rhode Island in 2017. He was an undergraduate researcher in the Bertin Lab and stayed on to begin graduate school in the Fall of 2017. Chris’s Ph.D. research centers on the isolation of new secondary metabolites from Trichodesmium blooms and metabolite comparisons of blooms over time. Chris enjoys cooking and exploring restaurants. Image shows: Chris presenting his research at the 2018 national meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy in Lexington, KY. Riley grew up in Maine and received her undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire. She cultivates her interest in pharmacognosy by foraging, extracting, and utilizing traditional medicinal plants and fungi that thrive in the Northeast. Her main interest in natural products is unvieling the biological function of secondary metabolites created by marine bacteria and terrestrial fungi, with the goal of determining how these compounds can be used to further the scope of medicine. Her favorite indoor activity is reading books with her cat asleep on her feet. Image Shows: Riley examining a water sample from Narragansett Bay under the microscope in order to isolate Pseudo-nitzschia cells Andrew grew up in New Jersey and received his undergraduate degree at Purdue University. He has a strong interest in medicinal chemistry and has a background in synthetic organic chemistry from his undergraduate research which focused on methodology and multi-step synthesis. Andrew’s main interest is in utilizing natural products to discover its biological properties and optimize compounds for potential drug leads. Andrew enjoys playing a variety of sports such as weight lifting and fencing. Image Shows: Andrew at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Terra grew up in coastal Rhode Island and earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Rhode Island in 2019. While her undergraduate research was in physical organic chemistry, Terra transitioned to natural products chemistry for her graduate studies. Her master’s research centers on the identification of novel compounds capable of reversing E. coli bacteria quiescence. When she is not on campus, she enjoys going on long walks and scoping out new coffee shops. Image Shows: Terra in the Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Garden outside of the College of Pharmacy. Overview
Follow our lab on Instagram @bertbertbertlab and Twitter @MattBertin2
Research
Projects
New chemistry from cyanobacterial blooms
Our research group and our collaborators have been isolating and characterizing new molecules from Trichodesmium blooms collected from the Gulf of Mexico. We have isolated diverse metabolites such as polyketides, peptides, and hybrid polyketide-peptide molecules. We have used MS/MS-based molecular networking to provide a ‘metabolite map’ to ease our isolation efforts. Currently, we are investigating the biological activity of these molecules focusing on cytotoxicity to cancer cell lines and their ability to reduce inflammation in microglia cells.
Domoic acid concentrations in Narragansett Bay
Developing the Principle Rhode Island Secondary Metabolite (PRISM) Library
Publications
Research Team
Dr. Matthew Bertin
Christopher Via (Ph.D. student)
Riley Kirk (Ph.D. student)
Andrew Kim (Ph.D. student)
Terra Marie Jouaneh (M.S. student)
Matthew J. Bertin, Ph.D.