Mayamycin, a cytotoxic polyketide from a Streptomyces strain isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea

Monacyclinones, New Angucyclinone Metabolites Isolated from Streptomyces sp. M7_15 Associated with the Puerto Rican Sponge Scopalina ruetzleri

During an investigation of new actinomycete species from Caribbean sponges for novel bioactive natural products, frigocyclinone (1), dimethyldehydrorabelomycin (3) and six new angucyclinone derivatives were isolated from Streptomyces sp. strain M7_15 associated with the sponge Scopalina ruetzleri. Of these, monacyclinones A–B (4–5) contain the core ring structure of dehydrorabelomycin (2) with the aminodeoxysugar found in frigocyclinone (1). Monacyclinone C (6) is a hydroxylated variant of frigocyclinone (1) and monacyclinone D (7) is a Baeyer Villiger derivative of (6) which also exists as the open chain hydrolysis product monacyclinone E (8). Monacyclinone F (9) contains two unique epoxide rings attached to the angucyclinone moiety and an additional aminodeoxysugar attached through an angular oxygen bond. All structures were confirmed through spectral analyses. Activity against rhabdomycosarcoma cancer cells (SJCRH30) after 48 h of treatment was observed with frigocyclinone (1; EC₅₀ = 5.2 µM), monacyclinone C (6; 160 µM), monacyclinone E (8; 270 µM), and monacyclinone F (9; 0.73 µM). The strongest bioactivity against rhabdomycosarcoma cancer cells and gram-positive bacteria was exhibited by compound 9, suggesting that the extra aminodeoxysugar subunit is important for biological activity.

Marine actinobacteria associated with marine organisms and their potentials in producing pharmaceutical natural products

Actinobacteria are ubiquitous in the marine environment, playing an important ecological role in the recycling of refractory biomaterials and producing novel natural products with pharmic applications. Actinobacteria have been detected or isolated from the marine creatures such as sponges, corals, mollusks, ascidians, seaweeds, and seagrass. Marine organism-associated actinobacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences, i.e., 3,003 sequences, deposited in the NCBI database clearly revealed enormous numbers of actinobacteria associated with marine organisms. For example, RDP classification of these sequences showed that 112 and 62 actinobacterial genera were associated with the sponges and corals, respectively. In most cases, it is expected that these actinobacteria protect the host against pathogens by producing bioactive compounds. Natural products investigation and functional gene screening of the actinobacteria associated with the marine organisms revealed that they can synthesize numerous natural products including polyketides, isoprenoids, phenazines, peptides, indolocarbazoles, sterols, and others. These compounds showed anticancer, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, neurological, antioxidant, and anti-HIV activities. Therefore, marine organism-associated actinobacteria represent an important resource for marine drugs. It is an upcoming field of research to search for novel actinobacteria and pharmaceutical natural products from actinobacteria associated with the marine organisms. In this review, we attempt to summarize the present knowledge on the diversity and natural products production of actinobacteria associated with the marine organisms, based on the publications from 1991 to 2013.

Dereplication strategies for targeted isolation of new antitrypanosomal actinosporins A and B from a marine sponge associated-Actinokineospora sp. EG49

High resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry (HRFTMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were employed as complementary metabolomic tools to dereplicate the chemical profile of the new and antitrypanosomally active sponge-associated bacterium Actinokineospora sp. EG49 extract. Principal Component (PCA), hierarchical clustering (HCA), and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to evaluate the HRFTMS and NMR data of crude extracts from four different fermentation approaches. Statistical analysis identified the best culture one-strain-many-compounds (OSMAC) condition and extraction procedure, which was used for the isolation of novel bioactive metabolites. As a result, two new O-glycosylated angucyclines, named actinosporins A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the broth culture of Actinokineospora sp. strain EG49, which was cultivated from the Red Sea sponge Spheciospongia vagabunda. The structures of actinosporins A and B were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, as well as high resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Testing for antiparasitic properties showed that actinosporin A exhibited activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei with an IC₅₀ value of 15 µM; however no activity was detected against Leishmania major and Plasmodium falciparum, therefore suggesting its selectivity against the parasite Trypanosoma brucei brucei; the causative agent of sleeping sickness.

Diversity, abundance and natural products of marine sponge-associated actinomycetes

This review discusses the diversity, abundance and natural products repertoire of actinomycetes associated with marine sponges. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis was carried out and qPCR data on actinomycete abundances in sponge ecosystems are presented.

Saquayamycins G-K, cytotoxic angucyclines from Streptomyces sp. Including two analogues bearing the aminosugar rednose

Streptomyces sp. KY40-1, a strain isolated from the Kentucky Appalachian foothills, is the producer of moromycins A (18) and B (19). Further investigations of this strain led to the isolation and structure elucidation of the five new saquayamycins G-K (1-5), along with known compounds. Two of the new compounds bear the unusual aminosugar rednose, which was found here for the first time in angucyclines. The different attachment positions of this aminosugar in these two compounds indicate a high acceptor substrate flexibility of the responsible glycosyl transferase or alternatively the involvement of multiple glycosyl transferases. The cytotoxic activity of the isolated compounds was determined using human prostate cancer (PC-3) and non-small-cell lung cancer (H460) cell lines. Cell viability assays showed that saquayamycins J (4), K (5), A (7), and B (8) were most active in PC3 cells, with saquayamycin B (8) showing the highest activity (GI(50) = 0.0075 μM). The aminosugar-containing saquayamycins H (2) and saquayamycin B (8) showed the highest activity against H460 cells, with a GI(50) of 3.3 and 3.9 μM, respectively. The results presented here provide more insights into the structure-activity relationship of saquayamycins with respect to the nature, number, and linkage of sugar residues.

Langkolide, a 32-membered macrolactone antibiotic produced by Streptomyces sp. Acta 3062

A new 32-membered macrolactone antibiotic, named langkolide, was isolated from the mycelium of Streptomyces sp. Acta 3062. The langkolide structure was determined by HR-MS and 1D and 2D NMR as a 32-membered macrolactone connected from an overhanging polyketide tail to a naphthoquinone unit mediated by two carbohydrate moieties. The producing strain was isolated from a rhizosphere soil of Clitorea sp. collected at Burau Bay, Langkawi, Malaysia, and was characterized by its morphological and chemotaxonomic features in addition to its 16S rRNA gene sequence. It was identified as a member of the Streptomyces galbus clade. Langkolide exhibited various bioactivities including antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities. Furthermore, langkolide inhibited human recombinant phosphodiesterase 4 with an IC(50) value of 0.48 μM.

Biologically active secondary metabolites from Actinomycetes

Secondary metabolites obtained from Actinomycetales provide a potential source of many novel compounds with antibacterial, antitumour, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic and other properties. The majority of these compounds are widely used as medicines for combating multidrug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Members of the genus Streptomyces are profile producers of previously-known secondary metabolites. Actinomycetes have been isolated from terrestrial soils, from the rhizospheres of plant roots, and recently from marine sediments. This review demonstrates the diversity of secondary metabolites produced by actinomycete strains with respect to their chemical structure, biological activity and origin. On the basis of this diversity, this review concludes that the discovery of new bioactive compounds will continue to pose a great challenge for scientists.

Woodylides A-C, new cytotoxic linear polyketides from the South China Sea sponge Plakortis simplex

Three new polyketides, woodylides A–C (1–3), were isolated from the ethanol extract of the South China Sea sponge Plakortis simplex. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data (IR, 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS). The absolute configurations at C-3 of 1 and 3 were determined by the modified Mosher’s method. Antifungal, cytotoxic, and PTP1B inhibitory activities of these polyketides were evaluated. Compounds 1 and 3 showed antifungal activity against fungi Cryptococcus neoformans with IC₅₀ values of 3.67 and 10.85 µg/mL, respectively. In the cytotoxicity test, compound 1 exhibited a moderate effect against the HeLa cell line with an IC₅₀ value of 11.2 µg/mL, and compound 3 showed cytotoxic activity against the HCT-116 human colon tumor cell line and PTP1B inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 9.4 and 4.7 µg/mL, respectively.

Angucyclines: Biosynthesis, mode-of-action, new natural products, and synthesis

Covering: 1997 to 2010. The angucycline group is the largest group of type II PKS-engineered natural products, rich in biological activities and chemical scaffolds. This stimulated synthetic creativity and biosynthetic inquisitiveness. The synthetic studies used five different strategies, involving Diels-Alder reactions, nucleophilic additions, electrophilic additions, transition-metal mediated cross-couplings and intramolecular cyclizations to generate the angucycline frames. Biosynthetic studies were particularly intriguing when unusual framework rearrangements by post-PKS tailoring oxidoreductases occurred, or when unusual glycosylation reactions were involved in decorating the benz[a]anthracene-derived cores. This review follows our previous reviews, which were published in 1992 and 1997, and covers new angucycline group antibiotics published between 1997 and 2010. However, in contrast to the previous reviews, the main focus of this article is on new synthetic approaches and biosynthetic investigations, most of which were published between 1997 and 2010, but go beyond, e.g. for some biosyntheses all the way back to the 1980s, to provide the necessary context of information.

Marine natural products

Covering: 2010. Previous review: Nat. Prod. Rep., 2011, 28, 196. This review covers the literature published in 2010 for marine natural products, with 895 citations (590 for the period January to December 2010) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1003 for 2010), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.

Cytotoxic activity of extracts of marine sponges from NW Spain on a neuroblastoma cell line

Six species of marine sponges collected at intertidal and sublittoral sites of the coast of Galicia (NW Spain) were screened for potential cytotoxic properties on Neuroblastoma BE(2)-M17 cell line. Exposure to Halichondria panicea, Pachymatisma johnstonia, Ophlitaspongia seriata and Haliclona sp. aqueous extracts strongly affected cell appearance, inducing loss of neuron-like morphology and the formation of clumps. Extracts from these species also caused significant rates of cell detachment and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential. Incubation with P. johnstonia, O. seriata and Suberites massa extracts also decreased the rate of cell proliferation. The increase of incubation time enhanced propidium iodide uptake by neuroblastoma cells. Toxic responses triggered by sponge extracts are compatible with apoptotic phenomena in neuroblastoma cells, even though increasing propidium uptake at long periods of exposure might indicate the induction of secondary necrosis. The cytotoxic properties of the tested extracts suggest the presence of compounds with potential pharmacological or biotechnological applications in the screened sponge species.

Atacamycins A-C, 22-membered antitumor macrolactones produced by Streptomyces sp. C38

Three new 22-membered macrolactone antibiotics, atacamycins A-C, were produced by Streptomyces sp. C38, a strain isolated from a hyper-arid soil collected from the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. The metabolites were discovered in our HPLC-diode array screening and isolated from the mycelium by extraction and chromatographic purification steps. The structures were determined by mass spectrometry and NMR experiments. Atacamycins A, B and C exhibited moderate inhibitory activities against the enzyme phosphodiesterase (PDE-4B2), whereas atacamycin A showed a moderate antiproliferative activity against adeno carcinoma and breast carcinoma cells.

Szentiamide, an N-formylated Cyclic Depsipeptide from Xenorhabdus szentirmaii DSM 16338T

Szentiamide (1) a new cyclic hexadepsipeptide was isolated from the culture broth of the entomopathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus szentirmaii DSM 16338T. The structure was elucidated by analysis of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra and high resolution mass spectrometry. The amino acids were determined to be D-leucine, L-threonine, D-phenylalanine, D-valine, L-tyrosine and L-tryptophane after hydrolysis and derivatization with D-FDVA [ Nα-(2,4-dinitro-5-fluorophenyl)-D-valinamide].

Phylogenetic identification of fungi isolated from the marine sponge Tethya aurantium and identification of their secondary metabolites

Fungi associated with the marine sponge Tethya aurantium were isolated and identified by morphological criteria and phylogenetic analyses based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. They were evaluated with regard to their secondary metabolite profiles. Among the 81 isolates which were characterized, members of 21 genera were identified. Some genera like Acremonium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, Phoma, and Trichoderma are quite common, but we also isolated strains belonging to genera like Botryosphaeria, Epicoccum, Parasphaeosphaeria, and Tritirachium which have rarely been reported from sponges. Members affiliated to the genera Bartalinia and Volutella as well as to a presumably new Phoma species were first isolated from a sponge in this study. On the basis of their classification, strains were selected for analysis of their ability to produce natural products. In addition to a number of known compounds, several new natural products were identified. The scopularides and sorbifuranones have been described elsewhere. We have isolated four additional substances which have not been described so far. The new metabolite cillifuranone (1) was isolated from Penicillium chrysogenum strain LF066. The structure of cillifuranone (1) was elucidated based on 1D and 2D NMR analysis and turned out to be a previously postulated intermediate in sorbifuranone biosynthesis. Only minor antibiotic bioactivities of this compound were found so far.

Eutypoids B-E produced by a Penicillium sp. strain from the North Sea

Crude extracts of the Penicillium sp. strain KF620 isolated from the North Sea showed antimicrobial activities against Xanthomonas campestris and Candida glabrata. Purification of the extracts led to the isolation of the new aromatic butenolides eutypoids B (1), C (2), D (3), and E (4). Their structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and supported by HRESIMS and UV data. The antibacterial activity of the crude extracts was due to the presence of the known diketopiperazine fellutanine (cyclo(Trp-Trp)). The eutypoids were neither cytotoxic nor antibacterial, but inhibited the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3β.

Nocapyrones A-D, gamma-pyrones from a Nocardiopsis strain isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea

Four new gamma-pyrones, nocapyrones A-D (1-4), were isolated from an organic extract of the Nocardiopsis strain HB383, which was isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria panicea. These are the first gamma-pyrones reported from a Nocardiopsis strain. The structures were elucidated on the basis of one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments and supported by HPLC-UV/MS and HRESIMS analyses. The biosynthesis of nocapyrone A was investigated by feeding experiments with (13)C-labeled compounds. In addition, one diketopiperazine, which was only known as a synthetic compound before, was isolated. The bioactivies of 1, 2, and the diketopiperazine were evaluated in a panel of assays.