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Marine Drugs Jun 2024Sortase A (SrtA) is a cysteine transpeptidase that binds to the periplasmic membrane and plays a crucial role in attaching surface proteins, including staphylococcal...
Sortase A (SrtA) is a cysteine transpeptidase that binds to the periplasmic membrane and plays a crucial role in attaching surface proteins, including staphylococcal protein A (SpA), to the peptidoglycan cell wall. Six pentacyclic polyketides (-) were isolated from the marine sponge sp., and their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques and by comparing them to previously reported data. Among them, halenaquinol () was found to be the most potent SrtA inhibitor, with an IC of 13.94 μM (4.66 μg/mL). Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR data suggest that halenaquinol does not inhibit the transcription of and , while Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy images suggest that it blocks the cell wall surface anchoring of SpA by inhibiting the activity of SrtA. The onset and magnitude of the inhibition of SpA anchoring on the cell wall surface in that has been treated with halenaquinol at a value 8× that of the IC of SrtA are comparable to those for an -deletion mutant. These findings contribute to the understanding of the mechanism by which marine-derived pentacyclic polyketides inhibit SrtA, highlighting their potential as anti-infective agents targeting virulence.
Topics: Aminoacyltransferases; Cysteine Endopeptidases; Staphylococcus aureus; Cell Wall; Bacterial Proteins; Animals; Porifera; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Polyketides
PubMed: 38921577
DOI: 10.3390/md22060266 -
Marine Drugs May 2024Neurodegenerative diseases involve neuroinflammation and a loss of neurons, leading to disability and death. Hence, the research into new therapies has been focused on...
Neurodegenerative diseases involve neuroinflammation and a loss of neurons, leading to disability and death. Hence, the research into new therapies has been focused on the modulation of the inflammatory response mainly by microglia/macrophages. The extracts and metabolites of marine sponges have been presented as anti-inflammatory. This study evaluated the toxicity of an extract and purified compound from the Brazilian marine sponge as well as its neuroprotection against inflammatory damage associated with the modulation of microglia response. PC12 neuronal cells and neonatal rat microglia were treated with the methanolic extract of (AF-MeOH, 0.1-200 μg/mL) or with its purified dimethyl ketal of 3,5-dibromoverongiaquinol (AF-H1, 0.1-100 μM). Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT tetrazolium, Trypan blue, and propidium iodide; microglia were also treated with the conditioned medium (CM) from PC12 cells in different conditions. The microglia phenotype was determined by the expression of Iba-1 and CD68. AF-MeOH and AF-H1 were not toxic to PC12 or the microglia. Inflammatory damage with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 μg/mL) was not observed in the PC12 cells treated with AF-MeOH (1-10 μg/mL) or AF-H1 (1-10 μM). Microglia subjected to the CM from PC12 cells treated with LPS and AF-MeOH or AF-H1 showed the control phenotype-like (multipolar, low-CD68), highlighting the anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effect of components of this marine sponge.
Topics: Animals; Microglia; Rats; Porifera; Neuroprotective Agents; PC12 Cells; Brazil; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Hydrocarbons, Brominated; Inflammation
PubMed: 38921546
DOI: 10.3390/md22060235 -
Neural Development Jun 2024Nervous systems of bilaterian animals generally consist of two cell types: neurons and glial cells. Despite accumulating data about the many important functions glial... (Review)
Review
Nervous systems of bilaterian animals generally consist of two cell types: neurons and glial cells. Despite accumulating data about the many important functions glial cells serve in bilaterian nervous systems, the evolutionary origin of this abundant cell type remains unclear. Current hypotheses regarding glial evolution are mostly based on data from model bilaterians. Non-bilaterian animals have been largely overlooked in glial studies and have been subjected only to morphological analysis. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of conservation of the bilateral gliogenic genetic repertoire of non-bilaterian phyla (Cnidaria, Placozoa, Ctenophora, and Porifera). We overview molecular and functional features of bilaterian glial cell types and discuss their possible evolutionary history. We then examine which glial features are present in non-bilaterians. Of these, cnidarians show the highest degree of gliogenic program conservation and may therefore be crucial to answer questions about glial evolution.
Topics: Animals; Neuroglia; Biological Evolution; Cnidaria; Ctenophora; Placozoa
PubMed: 38907299
DOI: 10.1186/s13064-024-00184-4 -
Microbial Biotechnology Jun 2024Carboxylic ester hydrolases with the capacity to degrade polyesters are currently highly sought after for their potential use in the biological degradation of PET and...
Carboxylic ester hydrolases with the capacity to degrade polyesters are currently highly sought after for their potential use in the biological degradation of PET and other chemically synthesized polymers. Here, we describe MarCE, a carboxylesterase family protein identified via genome mining of a Maribacter sp. isolate from the marine sponge Stelligera stuposa. Based on phylogenetic analysis, MarCE and its closest relatives belong to marine-associated genera from the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides taxonomic group and appear evolutionarily distinct to any homologous carboxylesterases that have been studied to date in terms of structure or function. Molecular docking revealed putative binding of BHET, a short-chain PET derivative, onto the predicted MarCE three-dimensional structure. The synthetic ester-degrading activity of MarCE was subsequently confirmed by MarCE-mediated hydrolysis of 2 mM BHET substrate, indicated by the release of its breakdown products MHET and TPA, which were measured, respectively, as 1.28 and 0.12 mM following 2-h incubation at 30°C. The findings of this study provide further insight into marine carboxylic ester hydrolases, which have the potential to display unique functional plasticity resulting from their adaptation to complex and fluctuating marine environmentsw.
Topics: Carboxylesterase; Phylogeny; Animals; Porifera; Esters; Gene Expression; Molecular Docking Simulation; Aquatic Organisms
PubMed: 38881500
DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14479 -
Bioinspiration & Biomimetics Jun 2024In order to enhance energy absorption, this study draws inspiration from the diagonal bilinear robust square lattice structure found in deep-sea glass sponges, proposing...
In order to enhance energy absorption, this study draws inspiration from the diagonal bilinear robust square lattice structure found in deep-sea glass sponges, proposing a design for thin-walled structures with superior folding capabilities and high strength-to-weight ratio. Firstly, the crashworthiness of bionic glass sponge tube (BGSTO) is compared with that of equal-wall-thickness equal-mass four-X tube through both experiments and simulations, and it is obtained that the specific energy absorption of BGSTO is increased by 78.64%. And the crashworthiness of BGSTO is also most significant compared to that of multicellular tubes with the similar number of crystalline cells. Additionally, we found that the double-line spacing of the glass sponge can be freely adjusted without changing the material amount. Therefore, based on BGSTO, we designed two other double-line structures, BGSTA and BGSTB. Then with equal wall thickness and mass as a prerequisite, this study proceeds to design and compare the energy absorption properties of three bilinear thin-walled tubes in both axial and lateral cases. The deformation modes and crashworthiness of the three types of tubes with variable bilinear spacing () are comparatively analysed. The improved complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) synthesis decision is used to obtain that BGSTO exhibits superior crashworthiness over the remaining two kinds of tubes. Finally, a surrogate model is established to perform multi-objective optimization on the optimal bilinear configuration BGSTO selected by the COPRAS method.
Topics: Porifera; Animals; Bionics; Biomimetic Materials; Computer Simulation; Glass; Biomimetics
PubMed: 38870926
DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ad580a -
The Journal of Organic Chemistry Jun 2024Cyclolithistide A is a peptide lactone isolated from marine lithistid sponges. Its entire structure, including absolute configurations, has been reported except the...
Cyclolithistide A is a peptide lactone isolated from marine lithistid sponges. Its entire structure, including absolute configurations, has been reported except the relative and absolute configurations of its characteristic residue, 4-chloroisoleucine (4-CIle). We synthesized four isomers of 4-CIle from furfural-derived -Boc imine and propionaldehyde. Analysis of the acid hydrolysate of cyclolithistide A and the synthetic samples of 4-CIle after derivatization with l- and d-FDAA permitted us to propose the absolute configuration of the 4-chloroisoleucine residue in cyclolithistide A as 2,3,4.
Topics: Porifera; Animals; Lactones; Antifungal Agents; Stereoisomerism; Peptides, Cyclic; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 38860861
DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.4c00913 -
Journal of Natural Products Jun 2024Nematode infections affect a fifth of the human population, livestock, and crops worldwide, imposing a burden to global public health and economies, particularly in...
Nematode infections affect a fifth of the human population, livestock, and crops worldwide, imposing a burden to global public health and economies, particularly in developing nations. Resistance to commercial anthelmintics has increased over the years in livestock infections and driven the pursuit for new drugs. We herein present a rapid, cost-effective, and automated assay for nematicide discovery using the free-living nematode to screen a highly diverse natural product library enriched in bioactive molecules. Screening of 10,240 fractions obtained from extracts of various biological sources allowed the identification of 7 promising hit fractions, all from marine sponges. These fractions were further assayed for nematicidal activity against the sheep nematode parasite and for innocuity in zebrafish. The most active extracts against parasites and innocuous toward vertebrates belong to two chemotypes. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) revealed that the most abundant compound in one chemotype is halaminol A, an aminoalcohol previously identified in a small screen against . Terpene-nucleotide hybrids known as agelasines predominate in the other chemotype. This study reinforces the power of for nematicide discovery from large collections and the potential of the chemical diversity derived from marine invertebrate biota.
Topics: Animals; Porifera; Antinematodal Agents; Caenorhabditis elegans; Molecular Structure; Zebrafish; Haemonchus; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
PubMed: 38853528
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c01212 -
Heliyon Jun 2024Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem especially in the marine environment. Plastic items once fragmented into microplastics (MPs), can be captured by different...
Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem especially in the marine environment. Plastic items once fragmented into microplastics (MPs), can be captured by different marine species. Benthic filter feeders like sponges and polychaetas, due to their trophic strategy, are highly exposed to MPs pollution. Herein a simple but effective method to digest the fan worm and the calcareous sponge is presented: a solution with KOH and HO was able to remove quantitatively (more than 98 %) the organic matter in 3 h while an acid treatment dissolved most of spicules and chaetes in less than 30 min. MPs were easily identified both microscopically and spectroscopically on filters. Quantification in animals collected from the same environment showed that, on average, sponges accumulate fewer MPs than polychaetes (66 ± 31 and 117 ± 46 particles/g dry weight, respectively). The plastic recovery of the method was validated using three different approaches (spiking of standard PS microspheres, of common-use plastic objects, and of microplastics already weathered in marine environment). This procedure can make it easier and cost-effective to process biota in monitoring studies, providing information about bioindicator/bioremediation species.
PubMed: 38845917
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31796 -
Nature Jun 2024Sponges are the most basal metazoan phylum and may have played important roles in modulating the redox architecture of Neoproterozoic oceans. Although molecular clocks...
Sponges are the most basal metazoan phylum and may have played important roles in modulating the redox architecture of Neoproterozoic oceans. Although molecular clocks predict that sponges diverged in the Neoproterozoic era, their fossils have not been unequivocally demonstrated before the Cambrian period, possibly because Precambrian sponges were aspiculate and non-biomineralized. Here we describe a late-Ediacaran fossil, Helicolocellus cantori gen. et sp. nov., from the Dengying Formation (around 551-539 million years ago) of South China. This fossil is reconstructed as a large, stemmed benthic organism with a goblet-shaped body more than 0.4 m in height, with a body wall consisting of at least three orders of nested grids defined by quadrate fields, resembling a Cantor dust fractal pattern. The resulting lattice is interpreted as an organic skeleton comprising orthogonally arranged cruciform elements, architecturally similar to some hexactinellid sponges, although the latter are built with biomineralized spicules. A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis resolves H. cantori as a crown-group sponge related to the Hexactinellida. H. cantori confirms that sponges diverged and existed in the Precambrian as non-biomineralizing animals with an organic skeleton. Considering that siliceous biomineralization may have evolved independently among sponge classes, we question the validity of biomineralized spicules as a necessary criterion for the identification of Precambrian sponge fossils.
Topics: Animals; Bayes Theorem; China; Fossils; Phylogeny; Porifera
PubMed: 38839967
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07520-y -
Physical Review Letters May 2024We analyze the flow physics inside the body cavity and downstream the deep-sea glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum. We provide evidence that the helical skeletal motifs...
We analyze the flow physics inside the body cavity and downstream the deep-sea glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum. We provide evidence that the helical skeletal motifs of the sponge give rise to a rich fluid dynamic field, allowing the organism to scavenge flow from the bottom of the sea and promoting a spontaneous, organized vertical flow within its body cavity toward the osculum. Our analysis points at a functional adaptation of the organism, which can passively divert flow through the osculum in unfavorable, low ambient currents, with no need for active pumping, with potential repercussions in functional ecology, as well as the design of chemical reactors, air-treatment units, and civil and aeronaval structures.
Topics: Porifera; Animals; Models, Biological; Adaptation, Physiological; Hydrodynamics; Oceans and Seas
PubMed: 38829072
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.208402