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Marine Drugs Feb 2020The search for and isolation of marine biologically active compounds, as well as relevant studies on their structure and properties are important for the adding...
The search for and isolation of marine biologically active compounds, as well as relevant studies on their structure and properties are important for the adding knowledge about molecular diversity in nature and creation of medicines and other useful products on this basis [...].
Topics: Biological Products; Biological Science Disciplines; Congresses as Topic; Humans; Marine Biology
PubMed: 32085392
DOI: 10.3390/md18020117 -
Natural Product Reports Feb 2011The years 2000 through mid-2010 marked a transformational period in understanding of the biosynthesis of marine natural products. During this decade the field emerged... (Review)
Review
The years 2000 through mid-2010 marked a transformational period in understanding of the biosynthesis of marine natural products. During this decade the field emerged from one largely dominated by chemical approaches to understanding biosynthetic pathways to one incorporating the full force of modern molecular biology and bioinformatics. Fusion of chemical and biological approaches yielded great advances in understanding the genetic and enzymatic basis for marine natural product biosynthesis. Progress was particularly pronounced for marine microbes, especially actinomycetes and cyanobacteria. During this single decade, both the first complete marine microbial natural product biosynthetic gene cluster sequence was released as well as the first entire genome sequence for a secondary metabolite-rich marine microbe. The decade also saw tremendous progress in recognizing the key role of marine microbial symbionts of invertebrates in natural product biosynthesis. Application of genetic and enzymatic knowledge led to genetic engineering of novel “unnatural” natural products during this time, as well as opportunities for discovery of novel natural products through genome mining. The current review highlights selected seminal studies from 2000 through to June 2010 that illustrate breakthroughs in understanding of marine natural product biosynthesis at the genetic, enzymatic, and small-molecule natural product levels. A total of 154 references are cited.
Topics: Biological Products; Marine Biology; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 21170424
DOI: 10.1039/c0np90032j -
Marine Drugs 2011In several recent reports related to biocatalysis the enormous pool of biodiversity found in marine ecosystems is considered a profitable natural reservoir for acquiring... (Review)
Review
In several recent reports related to biocatalysis the enormous pool of biodiversity found in marine ecosystems is considered a profitable natural reservoir for acquiring an inventory of useful biocatalysts. These enzymes are characterized by well-known habitat-related features such as salt tolerance, hyperthermostability, barophilicity and cold adaptivity. In addition, their novel chemical and stereochemical characteristics increase the interest of biocatalysis practitioners both in academia and research industry. In this review, starting from the analysis of these featuring habitat-related properties, important examples of marine enzymes in biocatalysis will be reported. Completion of this report is devoted to the analysis of novel chemical and stereochemical biodiversity offered by marine biocatalysts with particular emphasis on current or potential applications of these enzymes in chemical and pharmaceutical fields. The analysis of literature cited here and the many published patent applications concerning the use of marine enzymes supports the view that these biocatalysts are just waiting to be discovered, reflecting the importance of the marine environment. The potential of this habitat should be thoroughly explored and possibly the way to access useful biocatalysts should avoid destructive large-scale collections of marine biomass for enzyme production. These two aspects are day by day increasing in interest and a future increase in the use of marine enzymes in biocatalysis should be expected.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Biocatalysis; Biodiversity; Humans; Marine Biology; Patents as Topic
PubMed: 21731544
DOI: 10.3390/md9040478 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2017People have an enduring fascination with the biology of the oceans. When the BBC's 'Blue Planet' series first aired on British television almost a quarter of the nation...
People have an enduring fascination with the biology of the oceans. When the BBC's 'Blue Planet' series first aired on British television almost a quarter of the nation tuned in. As the diversity of science in this special issue of Current Biology attests, the ocean presents a challenging environment for study while also exhibiting some of the most profound and disruptive symptoms of global change. Marine science has made major advances in the past few decades, which were primarily made possible through important technological innovations. This progress notwithstanding, there are persistent challenges in achieving an understanding of marine processes at appropriate scales and delivering meaningful insights to guide ocean policy and management. Naturally, the examples chosen below betray my ecological leanings, but I hope that many of the issues raised resonate with readers in many different disciplines.
Topics: Animals; Climate Change; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Marine Biology; Oceanography; Oceans and Seas; Population Dynamics; Spacecraft
PubMed: 28586671
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.049 -
PloS One 2011Recent advances in deep-sea exploration technology coupled with an increase in worldwide biotic surveys, biological research, and underwater photography in shallow water... (Review)
Review
Recent advances in deep-sea exploration technology coupled with an increase in worldwide biotic surveys, biological research, and underwater photography in shallow water marine regions such as coral reefs, has allowed for a relatively rapid expansion of our knowledge in the global diversity of many groups of marine organisms. This paper is part of the PLoS ONE review collection of WoRMS (the Worldwide Register of Marine Species), on the global diversity of marine species, and treats the pennatulacean octocorals, a group of cnidarians commonly referred to as sea pens or sea feathers. This also includes sea pansies, some sea whips, and various vermiform taxa. Pennatulaceans are a morphologically diverse group with an estimated 200 or more valid species, displaying worldwide geographic and bathymetric distributions from polar seas to the equatorial tropics and from intertidal flats to over 6100 m in depth. The paper treats new discoveries and taxa new to science, and provides greater resolution in geographic and bathymetric distributions data than was previously known, as well as descriptions of life appearances in life and in situ observations at diverse depth.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Cnidaria; Marine Biology
PubMed: 21829500
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022747 -
Marine Drugs Oct 2016The twenty-first century's greatestmedical challenge is degenerative disease. [...].
The twenty-first century's greatestmedical challenge is degenerative disease. [...].
Topics: Biological Products; Humans; Marine Biology; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Plants
PubMed: 27735831
DOI: 10.3390/md14100178 -
Marine Drugs Nov 2017Oceans have shown to be a remarkable source of natural products. The biological properties of many of these compounds have helped to produce great advances in medicinal... (Review)
Review
Oceans have shown to be a remarkable source of natural products. The biological properties of many of these compounds have helped to produce great advances in medicinal chemistry. Within them, marine natural products containing an oxepanyl ring are present in a great variety of algae, sponges, fungus and corals and show very important biological activities, many of them possessing remarkable cytotoxic properties against a wide range of cancer cell lines. Their rich chemical structures have attracted the attention of many researchers who have reported interesting synthetic approaches to these targets. This review covers the most prominent examples of these types of compounds, focusing the discussion on the isolation, structure determination, medicinal properties and total synthesis of these products.
Topics: Animals; Biological Products; Humans; Marine Biology
PubMed: 29140270
DOI: 10.3390/md15110361 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2023Using LIBS for the analysis of archaeological and geological marine mollusc shells is a growing research area that relies on customised instrumentation and specific...
Using LIBS for the analysis of archaeological and geological marine mollusc shells is a growing research area that relies on customised instrumentation and specific workflows that can accommodate the variety and precision of the required sampling parameters. However, the increased efficiency offered by LIBS, which enables the study of a larger quantity of shell samples for temperature variation, ecological parameters, and human consumption practices, outweighs the initial efforts required to develop customised instrumentation and workflows. In this work, we present detailed specifications and parameters for the development of a LIBS system capable of generating Mg/Ca images on marine shells that directly correlate with seasonal sea temperatures. Our main objective was to develop specifications that enable easy adaptation of LIBS systems to existing laboratories for studying hard-tissue samples. These specifications were used to develop a customised micro-LIBS system and apply it to a real-world example of an archaeological study to better understand its efficiency on the marine mollusc shells and demonstrate its potential for broader applications in interdisciplinary research. In total 101 shell specimens have been analysed within a time frame of approximately 71 h of machine time, producing 234 images (100 µm resolution: 100 images, 30 µm resolution: 134 images). SEM analysis of the irradiated sections of the shell revealed a primary ablated area of 10-15 µm in diameter, while a secondary affected area of the shell's crystal fabric extended to 30-50 µm after repeated shots. Overall, this new customised system reliably and efficiently analysed marine mollusc specimens without major destructive effects, enabling additional analyses for other proxies to be carried out. This study highlights the potential of the LIBS method for interdisciplinary research, encompassing applications in paleoclimatology, marine ecology, and archaeology.
Topics: Humans; Archaeology; Spectrum Analysis; Diagnostic Imaging; Marine Biology; Lasers
PubMed: 37957200
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46453-w -
Marine Drugs Aug 2017In this review, a comprehensive overview about the antifouling compounds from marine invertebrates is described. In total, more than 198 antifouling compounds have been... (Review)
Review
In this review, a comprehensive overview about the antifouling compounds from marine invertebrates is described. In total, more than 198 antifouling compounds have been obtained from marine invertebrates, specifically, sponges, gorgonian and soft corals.
Topics: Animals; Anthozoa; Biofouling; Invertebrates; Marine Biology; Porifera
PubMed: 28846623
DOI: 10.3390/md15090263 -
Annals of the New York Academy of... Jul 2017Environmental conservation initiatives, including marine protected areas (MPAs), have proliferated in recent decades. Designed to conserve marine biodiversity, many MPAs... (Review)
Review
Environmental conservation initiatives, including marine protected areas (MPAs), have proliferated in recent decades. Designed to conserve marine biodiversity, many MPAs also seek to foster sustainable development. As is the case for many other environmental policies and programs, the impacts of MPAs are poorly understood. Social-ecological systems, impact evaluation, and common-pool resource governance are three complementary scientific frameworks for documenting and explaining the ecological and social impacts of conservation interventions. We review key components of these three frameworks and their implications for the study of conservation policy, program, and project outcomes. Using MPAs as an illustrative example, we then draw upon these three frameworks to describe an integrated approach for rigorous empirical documentation and causal explanation of conservation impacts. This integrated three-framework approach for impact evaluation of governance in social-ecological systems (3FIGS) accounts for alternative explanations, builds upon and advances social theory, and provides novel policy insights in ways that no single approach affords. Despite the inherent complexity of social-ecological systems and the difficulty of causal inference, the 3FIGS approach can dramatically advance our understanding of, and the evidentiary basis for, effective MPAs and other conservation initiatives.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Biodiversity; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Environmental Policy; Humans; Marine Biology; Models, Theoretical; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 28719737
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13428