Compounds from Cyanobacteria III

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 10712

Special Issue Editor


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Department of Chemistry, The University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, Gate 1 Knighton Road, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
Interests: natural products chemistry; application of spectral methods to structural determination; biologically active compounds and structure-activity relationships; chemical ecology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This is the third version of Special Issue “Compounds from Cyanobacteria”.

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are an ancient and successful group of organisms that are found in a wide range of marine and freshwater habitats and in conditions as extreme as the heat of volcanic regions to the colds of Antarctica. They have proven to be an excellent source of secondary metabolites, many of which possess biological activity. The most common class of compounds found in cyanobacteria are oligopeptides (predominantly cyclic peptides). These are synthesised by nonribosomal peptide synthetases and many contain unique or unusual amino acids. Some of the other compound classes that have been isolated from cyanobacteria include terpenes and alkaloids.
Many of the natural products produced by cyanobacteria may be ecologically significant and some of the toxic metabolites are a human health concern, especially when present in recreational water bodies or fisheries. Cyanobacteria often have the means to produce many more metabolites than are actually expressed, so an understanding of biosynthesis and genetics in these organisms is vitally important.
There is considerable overlap between metabolites produced by terrestrial and marine cyanobacteria, hence the scope of this Special Issue has been widened to include compounds from freshwater cyanobacteria, in addition to studies of marine species. However, manuscripts describing studies of freshwater cyanobacteria with no obvious relevance to marine species will not be considered.

Assoc. Prof. Michele R. Prinsep
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cyanobacteria
  • blue-green algae
  • algal bloom
  • oligopeptides
  • amino acids
  • non-ribosomal peptide synthesis
  • biological activity
  • biosynthesis
  • secondary metabolites
  • toxins

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1672 KiB  
Article
Antimalarial Peptide and Polyketide Natural Products from the Fijian Marine Cyanobacterium Moorea producens
by Anne Marie Sweeney-Jones, Kerstin Gagaring, Jenya Antonova-Koch, Hongyi Zhou, Nazia Mojib, Katy Soapi, Jeffrey Skolnick, Case W. McNamara and Julia Kubanek
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(3), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18030167 - 18 Mar 2020
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4991
Abstract
A new cyclic peptide, kakeromamide B (1), and previously described cytotoxic cyanobacterial natural products ulongamide A (2), lyngbyabellin A (3), 18E-lyngbyaloside C (4), and lyngbyaloside (5) were identified from an antimalarial [...] Read more.
A new cyclic peptide, kakeromamide B (1), and previously described cytotoxic cyanobacterial natural products ulongamide A (2), lyngbyabellin A (3), 18E-lyngbyaloside C (4), and lyngbyaloside (5) were identified from an antimalarial extract of the Fijian marine cyanobacterium Moorea producens. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited moderate activity against Plasmodium falciparum blood-stages with EC50 values of 0.89 and 0.99 µM, respectively, whereas 3 was more potent with an EC50 value of 0.15 nM. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 displayed moderate liver-stage antimalarial activity against P. berghei liver schizonts with EC50 values of 1.1, 0.71, and 0.45 µM, respectively. The threading-based computational method FINDSITEcomb2.0 predicted the binding of 1 and 2 to potentially druggable proteins of Plasmodium falciparum, prompting formulation of hypotheses about possible mechanisms of action. Kakeromamide B (1) was predicted to bind to several Plasmodium actin-like proteins and a sortilin protein suggesting possible interference with parasite invasion of host cells. When 1 was tested in a mammalian actin polymerization assay, it stimulated actin polymerization in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that 1 does, in fact, interact with actin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Compounds from Cyanobacteria III)
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Review

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29 pages, 3888 KiB  
Review
The Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology of Marine Natural Products from Leptolyngbya, a Chemically Endowed Genus of Cyanobacteria
by Yueying Li, C. Benjamin Naman, Kelsey L. Alexander, Huashi Guan and William H. Gerwick
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(10), 508; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18100508 - 6 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5278
Abstract
Leptolyngbya, a well-known genus of cyanobacteria, is found in various ecological habitats including marine, fresh water, swamps, and rice fields. Species of this genus are associated with many ecological phenomena such as nitrogen fixation, primary productivity through photosynthesis and algal blooms. As [...] Read more.
Leptolyngbya, a well-known genus of cyanobacteria, is found in various ecological habitats including marine, fresh water, swamps, and rice fields. Species of this genus are associated with many ecological phenomena such as nitrogen fixation, primary productivity through photosynthesis and algal blooms. As a result, there have been a number of investigations of the ecology, natural product chemistry, and biological characteristics of members of this genus. In general, the secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria are considered to be rich sources for drug discovery and development. In this review, the secondary metabolites reported in marine Leptolyngbya with their associated biological activities or interesting biosynthetic pathways are reviewed, and new insights and perspectives on their metabolic capacities are gained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Compounds from Cyanobacteria III)
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