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Cancers Dec 2023Anticancer peptides are short and structurally heterogeneous aminoacidic chains, which display selective cytotoxicity mostly against tumor cells, but not healthy cells,... (Review)
Review
Anticancer peptides are short and structurally heterogeneous aminoacidic chains, which display selective cytotoxicity mostly against tumor cells, but not healthy cells, based on their different cell surface properties. Their anti-tumoral activity is carried out through interference with intracellular homeostasis, such as plasmalemma integrity, cell cycle control, enzymatic activities and mitochondrial functions, ultimately acting as angiogenesis-, drug resistance- and metastasis-inhibiting agents, immune stimulators, differentiation inducers and necrosis or extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis promoters. The marine environment features an ever-growing level of biodiversity, and seas and oceans are poorly exploited mines in terms of natural products of biomedical interest. Adaptation processes to extreme and competitive environmental conditions led marine species to produce unique metabolites as a chemical strategy to allow inter-individual signalization and ensure survival against predators, infectious agents or UV radiation. These natural metabolites have found broad use in various applications in healthcare management, due to their anticancer, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and regeneration abilities. The aim of this review is to pick selected studies that report on the isolation of marine animal-derived peptides and the identification of their anticancer activity in in vitro cultures of cancer cells, and list them with respect to the taxonomical hierarchy of the source organism.
PubMed: 38201464
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010036 -
PloS One 2024Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot and one of the richest geographical locations of marine sponges in the Indian ocean. However, the most extensive taxonomical study on...
Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot and one of the richest geographical locations of marine sponges in the Indian ocean. However, the most extensive taxonomical study on Sri Lankan sponge biodiversity dates back ~100 years and only a limited number of studies have been conducted on sponge natural products. In the current study, 35 marine sponge specimens (collected from 16 sponge habitats around Sri Lanka) were identified, microfractionated and evaluated for antibacterial and anticancer assays. In total, 30 species were characterized, of which 19 species gave extracts with antibacterial and/or cytotoxic activities. Microfractionated organic extract of Aciculites orientalis gave the most potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and strongest lymphoma cell toxicity was exhibited by the organic extract of Acanthella sp. Guided by the molecular ion peaks in the bioactive fractions, large-scale extraction of Stylissa massa led to the isolation of three bromopyrrole alkaloids, sceptrin, hymenin and manzacidin A/C. Of these, sceptrin exhibited broad spectrum antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and S. aureus (MIC of 62.5 μM against both species). Based on natural product literature, seven promising species were identified as understudied. Their further exploration may lead to the discovery of structurally novel compounds.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Sri Lanka; Staphylococcus aureus; Porifera; Alkaloids; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Biological Products; Escherichia coli
PubMed: 38190387
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296404 -
Nature Communications Jan 2024Metazoans use silicon traces but rarely develop extensive silica skeletons, except for the early-diverging lineage of sponges. The mechanisms underlying metazoan...
Metazoans use silicon traces but rarely develop extensive silica skeletons, except for the early-diverging lineage of sponges. The mechanisms underlying metazoan silicification remain incompletely understood, despite significant biotechnological and evolutionary implications. Here, the characterization of two proteins identified from hexactinellid sponge silica, hexaxilin and perisilin, supports that the three classes of siliceous sponges (Hexactinellida, Demospongiae, and Homoscleromorpha) use independent protein machineries to build their skeletons, which become non-homologous structures. Hexaxilin forms the axial filament to intracellularly pattern the main symmetry of the skeletal parts, while perisilin appears to operate in their thickening, guiding extracellular deposition of peripheral silica, as does glassin, a previously characterized hexactinellid silicifying protein. Distant hexaxilin homologs occur in some bilaterians with siliceous parts, suggesting putative conserved silicifying activity along metazoan evolution. The findings also support that ancestral Porifera were non-skeletonized, acquiring silica skeletons only after diverging into major classes, what reconciles molecular-clock dating and the fossil record.
Topics: Animals; Silicon Dioxide; Biomineralization; Silicon; Bandages; Porifera
PubMed: 38185711
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44226-7 -
Molecular Biology Reports Jan 2024The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) harbors a great diversity of Porifera. In particular, the Aplysina genus has acquired biotechnological and pharmacological importance....
BACKGROUND
The Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) harbors a great diversity of Porifera. In particular, the Aplysina genus has acquired biotechnological and pharmacological importance. Nevertheless, the ecological aspects of their species and populations have been poorly studied. Aplysina gerardogreeni is the most conspicuous verongid sponge from the ETP, where it is usually found on rocky-coralline ecosystems. We evaluated the polymorphism levels of 18 microsatellites obtained from next-generation sequencing technologies. Furthermore, we tested the null hypothesis of panmixia in A. gerardogreeni population from two Mexican-Pacific localities.
METHODS AND RESULTS
A total of 6,128,000 paired reads were processed of which primer sets of 18 microsatellites were designed. The loci were tested in 64 specimens from Mazatlan, Sinaloa (N = 32) and Isabel Island, Nayarit (N = 32). The microsatellites developed were moderately polymorphic with a range of alleles between 2 and 11, and Ho between 0.069 and 0.785. Fifteen loci displayed significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No linkage disequilibrium was detected. A strong genetic structure was confirmed between localities using hierarchical Bayesian analyses, principal coordinates analyses, and fixation indices (F = 0.108*). All the samples were assigned to their locality; however, there was a small sign of mixing between localities.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the moderate values of diversity in microsatellites, they showed a strong signal of genetic structure between populations. We suggest that these molecular markers can be a relevant tool to evaluate all populations across the ETP. In addition, 17 of these microsatellites were successfully amplified in the species A. fistularis and A. lacunosa, meaning they could also be applied in congeneric sponges from the Caribbean Sea. The use of these molecular markers in population genetic studies will allow assessment of the connectivity patterns in species of the Aplysina genus.
Topics: Bayes Theorem; Ecosystem; Alleles; Biotechnology; Microsatellite Repeats
PubMed: 38183556
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-09043-7 -
Current Biology : CB Jan 2024A hallmark of animals is the coordination of whole-body movement. Neurons and muscles are central to this, yet coordinated movements also exist in sponges that lack...
A hallmark of animals is the coordination of whole-body movement. Neurons and muscles are central to this, yet coordinated movements also exist in sponges that lack these cell types. Sponges are sessile animals with a complex canal system for filter-feeding. They undergo whole-body movements resembling "contractions" that lead to canal closure and water expulsion. Here, we combine live 3D optical coherence microscopy, pharmacology, and functional proteomics to elucidate the sequence and detail of shape changes, the tissues and molecular physiology involved, and the control of these movements. Morphometric analysis and targeted perturbation suggest that the movement is driven by the relaxation of actomyosin stress fibers in epithelial canal cells, which leads to whole-body deflation via collapse of the incurrent and expansion of the excurrent canal system. Thermal proteome profiling and quantitative phosphoproteomics confirm the control of cellular relaxation by an Akt/NO/PKG/PKA pathway. Agitation-induced deflation leads to differential phosphorylation of proteins forming epithelial cell junctions, implying their mechanosensitive role. Unexpectedly, untargeted metabolomics detect a concomitant decrease in antioxidant molecules during deflation, reflecting an increase in reactive oxygen species. Together with the secretion of proteinases, cytokines, and granulin, this indicates an inflammation-like state of the deflating sponge reminiscent of vascular endothelial cells experiencing oscillatory shear stress. These results suggest the conservation of an ancient relaxant-inflammatory response of perturbed fluid-carrying systems in animals and offer a possible mechanism for whole-body coordination through diffusible paracrine signals and mechanotransduction.
Topics: Animals; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Endothelial Cells; Epithelial Cells; Water; Porifera
PubMed: 38181793
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.021 -
Marine Drugs Nov 2023The majority of natural products utilized to treat a diverse array of human conditions and diseases are derived from terrestrial sources. In recent years, marine... (Review)
Review
Deep-Sea Sponges and Corals off the Western Coast of Florida-Intracellular Mechanisms of Action of Bioactive Compounds and Technological Advances Supporting the Drug Discovery Pipeline.
The majority of natural products utilized to treat a diverse array of human conditions and diseases are derived from terrestrial sources. In recent years, marine ecosystems have proven to be a valuable resource of diverse natural products that are generated to defend and support their growth. Such marine sources offer a large opportunity for the identification of novel compounds that may guide the future development of new drugs and therapies. Using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portal, we explore deep-sea coral and sponge species inhabiting a segment of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, specifically off the western coast of Florida. This area spans ~100,000 km, containing coral and sponge species at sea depths up to 3000 m. Utilizing PubMed, we uncovered current knowledge on and gaps across a subset of these sessile organisms with regards to their natural products and mechanisms of altering cytoskeleton, protein trafficking, and signaling pathways. Since the exploitation of such marine organisms could disrupt the marine ecosystem leading to supply issues that would limit the quantities of bioactive compounds, we surveyed methods and technological advances that are necessary for sustaining the drug discovery pipeline including in vitro aquaculture systems and preserving our natural ecological community in the future. Collectively, our efforts establish the foundation for supporting future research on the identification of marine-based natural products and their mechanism of action to develop novel drugs and therapies for improving treatment regimens of human conditions and diseases.
Topics: Animals; Anthozoa; Biological Products; Drug Discovery; Ecosystem; Florida; Porifera
PubMed: 38132936
DOI: 10.3390/md21120615 -
Marine Drugs Nov 2023Marine sponges are highly efficient in removing organic pollutants and their cultivation, adjacent to fish farms, is increasingly considered as a strategy for improving...
Marine sponges are highly efficient in removing organic pollutants and their cultivation, adjacent to fish farms, is increasingly considered as a strategy for improving seawater quality. Moreover, these invertebrates produce a plethora of bioactive metabolites, which could translate into an extra profit for the aquaculture sector. Here, we investigated the chemical profile and bioactivity of two Mediterranean species (i.e., and ) and we assessed whether cultivated sponges differed substantially from their wild counterparts. Metabolomic analysis of crude sponge extracts revealed species-specific chemical patterns, with and dominated by alkaloids and lipids, respectively. More importantly, farmed and wild explants of each species demonstrated similar chemical fingerprints, with the majority of the metabolites showing modest differences on a sponge mass-normalized basis. Furthermore, farmed sponge extracts presented similar or slightly lower antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant , compared to the extracts resulting from wild sponges. Anticancer assays against human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT-116) revealed marginally active extracts from both wild and farmed populations. Our study highlights that, besides mitigating organic pollution in fish aquaculture, sponge farming can serve as a valuable resource of biomolecules, with promising potential in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Porifera; Agelas; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Anti-Infective Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 38132933
DOI: 10.3390/md21120612 -
PloS One 2023The marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis is a globally distributed and invasive species with extensive filter-feeding characteristics. The symbiotic relationship fostered...
The marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis is a globally distributed and invasive species with extensive filter-feeding characteristics. The symbiotic relationship fostered between the sea sponge and the inhabiting microorganism is key in the production of metabolic enzymes which is the focus of this study. Sponge bacterial symbionts were grown on starch agar for 48hrs. Colourimetric analyses of amylase were conducted at 540nm using a spectrophotometric plate reader. Using an X-Bridge column (3.5μM, 4.6x150mm), 80/20 acetonitrile/water in 0.1% ammonium were the conditions used for the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses. Seven reducing sugars were used to optimise LC-MS to determine the presence of the crude enzyme formed. Not all the bacterial symbionts isolated from H perlevis produced alpha and beta amylases to break down starch. From the statistical mean of crude enzyme concentrations from the hydrolysis of starch by amylase, isolate seven had the highest optical density (OD) at 0.43475 while isolate twelve had the lowest OD at 0.141417. From the LC-MS analysis, out of the seven sugars, Glucose and maltose constituted > 65% of the reducing sugars formed from the hydrolysis of starch by the amylases. Isolates 3,6 and 7 produced 6.906 mg/l, 12.309 mg/l, and 5.909 mg/l of glucose, while isolates 3,4,5,6 and 7 produced 203.391 mg/l, 176.238 mg/l, 139.938 mg/l, 39.030 mg/l, and 18.809 mg/l of maltose, respectively. Isolate two had the highest amount of maltose at a concentration of 267.237 mg/l while isolate four had the highest amount of glucose concentration of 53.084 mg/l. Enzymes from marine sponge bacteria offer greater potential for a green and sustainable production process. Amylase extraction from bacterial symbionts in H perlevis is sustainable and should be supported. They can serve as reliable sources of revenue for enzyme industries, and applications in food industries and biotechnological processes.
Topics: Animals; Amylases; Maltose; Porifera; Bacteria; Glucose; Starch; alpha-Amylases
PubMed: 38127953
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294931 -
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental... 2023
PubMed: 38125877
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1320209 -
PeerJ 2023Marine sponges are prominent organisms of the benthic coral reef fauna, providing important ecosystem services. While there have been increasing reports that sponges are...
Marine sponges are prominent organisms of the benthic coral reef fauna, providing important ecosystem services. While there have been increasing reports that sponges are becoming one of the dominant benthic organisms in some locations and ecoregions (. Caribbean), they can be impacted by changing environmental conditions. This study presents the first documentation of a mass mortality event of the barrel sponge sp. in the lower Gulf of Thailand and its consequences on population dynamics and size distribution. Two anthropogenic impacted reefs (Haad Khom and Mae Haad) of the island Koh Phangan and two anthropogenic non-impacted reefs of the islands Koh Yippon and Hin Yippon within the Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine National Park were surveyed in the years 2015 and 2016. The results showed a strong shift in population densities at Koh Phangan. Fatal "bleaching" ending up in mass mortality was observed for these reefs in 2015. sp. abundance decreased from 2015 to 2016 by 80.6% at Haad Khom and by 98.4% at Mae Haad. Sponges of all sizes were affected, and mortality occurred regardless of the survey depth (4 and 6 m). However, population densities in the Marine Park were at a constant level during the surveys. The abundances in 2015 were 65% higher at the Marine Park than at Koh Phangan and 92% higher in 2016. The most likely causes of the mass mortality event was a local harmful algal bloom event, pathogens, undetected local higher water temperatures, or a combination of these factors, whereas sea surface temperature analyses showed no marine heatwave during the observed mass mortality event in 2015. Considering the ecological importance of sponges such as sp., long-term monitoring of reefs and their environmental parameters should be implemented to prevent such mass die-offs.
Topics: Animals; Porifera; Xestospongia; Ecosystem; Thailand; Population Dynamics
PubMed: 38107566
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16561