By Ashley Stender | October 29, 2026

Many microorganisms are invisible to the naked eye, but they are everywhere and able to survive in even the harshest environments. The extraordinary variety of chemical compounds microorganisms can produce allows them to adapt to extreme conditions and shape their interactions with other organisms. The same compounds may also have applications in medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture.

For Professor Tae-Jin Oh of Sun Moon University in South Korea, the question guiding his research is “Why does this microorganism produce this compound?”

From studying Antarctic microorganisms to investigating the genes and enzymes behind natural products, Professor Oh has built his work around finding the “why.” Within C-SPIRIT, Oh brings his expertise to an international effort to better understand plant defense and resilience.

Discovering Chemistry in Extreme Environments

The polar ice caps may seem an unlikely place to find biological diversity, but its severe conditions support communities of microorganisms with remarkable ways of surviving and adapting. For Oh, these organisms offer a chance to explore the chemistry behind those abilities and learn what else they may be capable of.

His team studies the microbes’ genetic information, along with the enzymes and other chemicals they make. The presence of specific genes can suggest what types of chemical reactions happen inside the cell.For Oh, one of the most exciting parts of the research is seeing whether those predictions hold up in the lab and what the results reveal about how microbes function in extreme environments.

Using Microorganisms to Produce Natural Compounds

The Oh Lab’s research also extends to using microorganisms to produce valuable natural compounds for agricultural purposes. Plants can also produce many of these compounds, but obtaining them directly requires lengthy cultivation and harvesting processes. Yields can vary with climate and growing conditions, and when a plant produces only trace amounts of a molecule, collecting enough just for research purposes can be difficult.

Microorganisms may offer a more controlled way to produce these compounds. By studying the genes and enzymes involved in producing a molecule, researchers can investigate whether a microbe can perform the reactions needed to make it. They can then explore ways to increase production or create related compounds with different structures.

Producing plant-derived compounds in microorganisms and optimizing the conditions involved could make natural products easier to study without relying entirely on plant cultivation and extraction.

Exploring Coumarins Through C-SPIRIT

Within C-SPIRIT, Oh’s team is studying coumarins, a family of natural compounds that can contribute to plant defense and influence how plants interact with microorganisms. Understanding these functions could help researchers learn more about the chemistry behind plant resilience.

Depending on their chemical structures, coumarins may differ in how they influence interactions between plants and microorganisms, potentially offering clues about how plants adapt to environmental conditions. Oh’s team wants to understand which structural differences are involved in these changes.

As part of C-SPIRIT’s Aim 4, the team is working to use microorganisms and enzymes to produce or modify coumarin-related compounds. These compounds can then be provided to collaborators, who test and compare their biological effects. By connecting those results with differences in chemical structure, researchers can determine which features matter and identify promising molecules for further study.

“What I find particularly interesting is how the work of producing compounds connects with the work of understanding their biological roles,” Oh says.

Turning Genetic Clues into Testable Compounds

“Even when we identify a promising gene or enzyme, producing enough of the desired compound and evaluating its function requires several stages of optimization,” Oh explains.

Turning that discovery into a reliable production method involves testing multiple approaches. His lab investigates which microorganisms are best suited to producing the desired molecules, how cultivation affects the process, and whether adjusting enzyme reaction conditions can improve production. Finding the right combination can require considerable experimentation, particularly when researchers need sufficient quantities for biological testing.

These decisions are also shaped by the needs of C-SPIRIT collaborators. By discussing the target compounds and testing conditions before production begins, Oh’s team can tailor their production efforts to the experiments collaborators plan to conduct.

Collaboration and Agricultural Impact

As one of C-SPIRIT’s country leads for South Korea, Oh values how the project connects expertise across the research process, from studying biological resources, genes, and enzymes, to producing compounds and testing their effects in plants.

“I also value the opportunities for students and early-career researchers to participate in international collaboration and see their research from a broader perspective,” Oh says. He hopes the trust built across institutions and countries will support future work together.

Looking ahead, the compounds his team produces could reveal more about interactions between plants and microorganisms and ways to improve plant resilience. Reaching agricultural applications, however, will require reliable production and careful evaluation.

“This requires us to understand not only their effectiveness, but also their safety, production feasibility, and behavior in the environment,” Oh emphasizes.

By understanding why microorganisms make these molecules and learning how to produce and evaluate them, C-SPIRIT researchers may uncover new possibilities for sustainable agriculture.