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Letters in Applied Microbiology May 2024In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of bacteria isolated from the marine sponges Hymeniacidon perlevis and Halichondria panicea against seven...
In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of bacteria isolated from the marine sponges Hymeniacidon perlevis and Halichondria panicea against seven Acinetobacter baumannii strains, the majority of which were clinically relevant carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains. We observed the inhibitory activity of 18 (out of 114) sponge-isolated bacterial strains against all A. baumanii strains using medium-throughput solid agar overlay assays. These inhibitory strains belonged to the genera Lactococcus, Pseudomonas, and Vagococcus. In addition, this antimicrobial activity was validated through a liquid co-cultivation challenge using an inhibitory strain of each genus and a green fluorescent protein-tagged A. baumanii strain. Fluorescence measurements indicated that the growth of A. baumanii was inhibited by the sponge isolates. In addition, the inability of A. baumanii to grow after spreading the co-cultures on solid medium allowed us to characterize the activity of the sponge isolates as bactericidal. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that marine sponges are a reservoir of bacteria that deserves to be tapped for antibiotic discovery against A. baumanii.
Topics: Animals; Acinetobacter baumannii; Porifera; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Carbapenems; Antibiosis
PubMed: 38684470
DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovae035 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2024Transcription factors (TFs) play a pivotal role as regulators of gene expression, orchestrating the formation and maintenance of diverse animal body plans and...
Transcription factors (TFs) play a pivotal role as regulators of gene expression, orchestrating the formation and maintenance of diverse animal body plans and innovations. However, the precise contributions of TFs and the underlying mechanisms driving the origin of basal metazoan body plans, particularly in ctenophores, remain elusive. Here, we present a comprehensive catalog of TFs in 2 ctenophore species, Pleurobrachia bachei and Mnemiopsis leidyi, revealing 428 and 418 TFs in their respective genomes. In contrast, morphologically simpler metazoans have a reduced TF representation compared to ctenophores, cnidarians, and bilaterians: the sponge Amphimedon encodes 277 TFs, and the placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens encodes 274 TFs. The emergence of complex ctenophore tissues and organs coincides with significant lineage-specific diversification of the zinc finger C2H2 (ZF-C2H2) and homeobox superfamilies of TFs. Notable, the lineages leading to Amphimedon and Trichoplax exhibit independent expansions of leucine zipper (BZIP) TFs. Some lineage-specific TFs may have evolved through the domestication of mobile elements, thereby supporting alternative mechanisms of parallel TF evolution and body plan diversification across the Metazoa.
Topics: Animals; Transcription Factors; Evolution, Molecular; Phylogeny; Ctenophora; Genome; Placozoa
PubMed: 38668980
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3642-8_20 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2024The emergence and development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) techniques enable researchers to perform large-scale analysis of the transcriptomic profiling at...
The emergence and development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) techniques enable researchers to perform large-scale analysis of the transcriptomic profiling at cell-specific resolution. Unsupervised clustering of scRNA-seq data is central for most studies, which is essential to identify novel cell types and their gene expression logics. Although an increasing number of algorithms and tools are available for scRNA-seq analysis, a practical guide for users to navigate the landscape remains underrepresented. This chapter presents an overview of the scRNA-seq data analysis pipeline, quality control, batch effect correction, data standardization, cell clustering and visualization, cluster correlation analysis, and marker gene identification. Taking the two broadly used analysis packages, i.e., Scanpy and MetaCell, as examples, we provide a hands-on guideline and comparison regarding the best practices for the above essential analysis steps and data visualization. Additionally, we compare both packages and algorithms using a scRNA-seq dataset of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, which is representative of one of the earliest animal lineages, critical to understanding the origin and evolution of animal novelties. This pipeline can also be helpful for analyses of other taxa, especially prebilaterian animals, where these tools are under development (e.g., placozoan and Porifera).
Topics: Single-Cell Analysis; Software; Animals; Algorithms; Gene Expression Profiling; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Computational Biology; Cluster Analysis; Transcriptome
PubMed: 38668977
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3642-8_17 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2024Ctenophores are the descendants of the earliest surviving lineage of ancestral metazoans, predating the branch leading to sponges (Ctenophore-first phylogeny). Emerging... (Review)
Review
Ctenophores are the descendants of the earliest surviving lineage of ancestral metazoans, predating the branch leading to sponges (Ctenophore-first phylogeny). Emerging genomic, ultrastructural, cellular, and systemic data indicate that virtually every aspect of ctenophore biology as well as ctenophore development are remarkably different from what is described in representatives of other 32 animal phyla. The outcome of this reconstruction is that most system-level components associated with the ctenophore organization result from convergent evolution. In other words, the ctenophore lineage independently evolved as high animal complexities with the astonishing diversity of cell types and structures as bilaterians and cnidarians. Specifically, neurons, synapses, muscles, mesoderm, through gut, sensory, and integrative systems evolved independently in Ctenophora. Rapid parallel evolution of complex traits is associated with a broad spectrum of unique ctenophore-specific molecular innovations, including alternative toolkits for making an animal. However, the systematic studies of ctenophores are in their infancy, and deciphering their remarkable morphological and functional diversity is one of the hot topics in biological research, with many anticipated surprises.
Topics: Ctenophora; Animals; Phylogeny; Biological Evolution
PubMed: 38668961
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3642-8_1 -
Marine Drugs Apr 2024Polyene macrolactams are a special group of natural products with great diversity, unique structural features, and a wide range of biological activities. Herein, a...
Polyene macrolactams are a special group of natural products with great diversity, unique structural features, and a wide range of biological activities. Herein, a cryptic gene cluster for the biosynthesis of putative macrolactams was disclosed from a sponge-associated bacterium, sp. DSS69, by genome mining. Cloning and heterologous expression of the whole biosynthetic gene cluster led to the discovery of weddellamycin, a polyene macrolactam bearing a 23/5/6 ring skeleton. A negative regulator, WdlO, and two positive regulators, WdlA and WdlB, involved in the regulation of weddellamycin production were unraveled. The fermentation titer of weddellamycin was significantly improved by overexpression of and and deletion of . Notably, weddellamycin showed remarkable antibacterial activity against various Gram-positive bacteria including MRSA, with MIC values of 0.10-0.83 μg/mL, and antifungal activity against , with an MIC value of 3.33 μg/mL. Weddellamycin also displayed cytotoxicity against several cancer cell lines, with IC values ranging from 2.07 to 11.50 µM.
Topics: Streptomyces; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Humans; Lactams, Macrocyclic; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Multigene Family; Polyenes; Candida albicans; Cell Line, Tumor; Antarctic Regions; Animals; Porifera; Antifungal Agents
PubMed: 38667806
DOI: 10.3390/md22040189 -
Marine Drugs Apr 2024Two new meroterpenoids, hyrtamide A () and hyrfarnediol A (), along with two known ones, 3-farnesyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester () and dictyoceratin C (), were...
Two new meroterpenoids, hyrtamide A () and hyrfarnediol A (), along with two known ones, 3-farnesyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester () and dictyoceratin C (), were isolated from a South China Sea sponge sp. Their structures were elucidated by NMR and MS data. Compounds - exhibited weak cytotoxicity against human colorectal cancer cells (HCT-116), showing IC values of 41.6, 45.0, and 37.3 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compounds and significantly suppressed the invasion of HCT-116 cells while also downregulating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR-1) and vimentin proteins, which are key markers associated with angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our findings suggest that compounds and may exert their anti-invasive effects on tumor cells by inhibiting the expression of VEGFR-1 and impeding the process of EMT.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Porifera; Colorectal Neoplasms; Terpenes; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; HCT116 Cells; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; Vimentin; Cell Line, Tumor; China
PubMed: 38667800
DOI: 10.3390/md22040183 -
Marine Drugs Apr 2024In this study, Antarctic sponge-derived discorhabdin G was considered a hit for developing potential lead compounds acting as cholinesterase inhibitors. The hypothesis...
In this study, Antarctic sponge-derived discorhabdin G was considered a hit for developing potential lead compounds acting as cholinesterase inhibitors. The hypothesis on the pharmacophore moiety suggested through molecular docking allowed us to simplify the structure of the metabolite. ADME prediction and drug-likeness consideration provided valuable support in selecting 5-methyl-2H-benzo[h]imidazo[1,5,4-de]quinoxalin-7(3H)-one as a candidate molecule. It was synthesized in a four-step sequence starting from 2,3-dichloronaphthalene-1,4-dione and evaluated as an inhibitor of electric eel acetylcholinesterase (eeAChE), human recombinant AChE (hAChE), and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), together with other analogs obtained by the same synthesis. The candidate molecule showed a slightly lower inhibitory potential against eeAChE but better inhibitory activity against hAChE than discorhabdin G, with a higher selectivity for AChEs than for BChE. It acted as a reversible competitive inhibitor, as previously observed for the natural alkaloid. The findings from the in vitro assay were relatively consistent with the data available from the AutoDock Vina and Protein-Ligand ANTSystem (PLANTS) calculations.
Topics: Cholinesterase Inhibitors; Animals; Molecular Docking Simulation; Acetylcholinesterase; Alkaloids; Butyrylcholinesterase; Humans; Electrophorus; Porifera; Structure-Activity Relationship; Horses
PubMed: 38667790
DOI: 10.3390/md22040173 -
Marine Drugs Apr 2024A new tetramic acid glycoside, aurantoside L (), was isolated from the sponge collected at Tsushima Is., Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The structure of aurantoside L ()...
A new tetramic acid glycoside, aurantoside L (), was isolated from the sponge collected at Tsushima Is., Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The structure of aurantoside L () composed of a tetramic acid bearing a chlorinated polyene system and a trisaccharide part was elucidated using spectral analysis. Aurantoside L () showed anti-parasitic activity against with an IC value of 0.74 µM.
Topics: Porifera; Animals; Glycosides; Leishmania; Antiprotozoal Agents; Pyrrolidinones; Japan; Inhibitory Concentration 50
PubMed: 38667788
DOI: 10.3390/md22040171 -
Marine Drugs Mar 2024Nicotine binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that are overexpressed in different cancer cells, promoting tumor growth and resistance to chemotherapy. In...
Nicotine binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that are overexpressed in different cancer cells, promoting tumor growth and resistance to chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of APS7-2 and APS8-2, synthetic analogs of a marine sponge toxin, to inhibit nicotine-mediated effects on A549 human lung cancer cells. Our electrophysiological measurements confirmed that APS7-2 and APS8-2 act as α7 nAChR antagonists. APS8-2 showed no cytotoxicity in A549 cells, while APS7-2 showed concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in A549 cells. The different cytotoxic responses of APS7-2 and APS8-2 emphasize the importance of the chemical structure in determining their cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Nicotine-mediated effects include increased cell viability and proliferation, elevated intracellular calcium levels, and reduced cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species production (ROS) in A549 cells. These effects of nicotine were effectively attenuated by APS8-2, whereas APS7-2 was less effective. Our results suggest that APS8-2 is a promising new therapeutic agent in the chemotherapy of lung cancer.
Topics: Humans; alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; A549 Cells; Nicotine; Lung Neoplasms; Reactive Oxygen Species; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Survival; Animals; Nicotinic Antagonists; Cell Proliferation; Cisplatin; Calcium; Porifera
PubMed: 38667764
DOI: 10.3390/md22040147 -
Marine Drugs Mar 2024Hypertension, a major health concern linked to heart disease and premature mortality, has prompted a search for alternative treatments due to side effects of existing... (Review)
Review
Hypertension, a major health concern linked to heart disease and premature mortality, has prompted a search for alternative treatments due to side effects of existing medications. Sustainable harvesting of low-trophic marine organisms not only enhances food security but also provides a variety of bioactive molecules, including peptides. Despite comprising only a fraction of active natural compounds, peptides are ideal for drug development due to their size, stability, and resistance to degradation. Our review evaluates the anti-hypertensive properties of peptides and proteins derived from selected marine invertebrate phyla, examining the various methodologies used and their application in pharmaceuticals, supplements, and functional food. A considerable body of research exists on the anti-hypertensive effects of certain marine invertebrates, yet many species remain unexamined. The array of assessments methods, particularly for ACE inhibition, complicates the comparison of results. The dominance of in vitro and animal in vivo studies indicates a need for more clinical research in order to transition peptides into pharmaceuticals. Our findings lay the groundwork for further exploration of these promising marine invertebrates, emphasizing the need to balance scientific discovery and marine conservation for sustainable resource use.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Antihypertensive Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Biological Products; Dietary Supplements; Functional Food; Hypertension; Invertebrates; Peptides
PubMed: 38667757
DOI: 10.3390/md22040140