Comparative genomics uncovers the prolific and distinctive metabolic potential of the cyanobacterial genus Moorea

Significance The genus Moorea has yielded more than 40% of all reported marine cyanobacterial natural products. Preliminary genomic data suggest that many more natural products are yet to be discovered. However, incomplete genomic information has hampered the discovery of novel compounds using genome-mining approaches. Here, we report a complete genome of a filamentous marine tropical cyanobacterium, Moorea producens PAL, along with the improvement of other three Moorea draft genomes. Our analyses revealed a vast and distinctive natural product metabolic potential in these strains, highlighting that they are still an excellent source of unique metabolites despite previous extensive studies.