Probing the in vivo biosynthesis of scytonemin, a cyanobacterial ultraviolet radiation sunscreen, through small scale stable isotope incubation studies and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Robust natural ultraviolet filters from marine ecosystems for the formulation of environmental friendlier bio-sunscreens

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has detrimental effects on human health. It induces oxidative stress, deregulates signaling mechanisms, and produces DNA mutations, factors that ultimately can lead to the development of skin cancer. Therefore, reducing exposure to UVR is of major importance. Among available measures to diminish exposure is the use of sunscreens. However, recent studies indicate that several of the currently used filters have adverse effects on marine ecosystems and human health. This situation leads to the search for new photoprotective compounds that, apart from offering protection, are environmentally friendly. The answer may lie in the same marine ecosystems since molecules such as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) and scytonemin can serve as the defense system of some marine organisms against UVR. This review will discuss the harmful effects of UVR and the mechanisms that microalgae have developed to cope with it. Then it will focus on the biological distribution, characteristics, extraction, and purification methods of MAAs and scytonemin molecules to finally assess its potential as new filters for sunscreen formulation.

The Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology of Marine Natural Products from Leptolyngbya, a Chemically Endowed Genus of Cyanobacteria

Leptolyngbya, a well-known genus of cyanobacteria, is found in various ecological habitats including marine, fresh water, swamps, and rice fields. Species of this genus are associated with many ecological phenomena such as nitrogen fixation, primary productivity through photosynthesis and algal blooms. As a result, there have been a number of investigations of the ecology, natural product chemistry, and biological characteristics of members of this genus. In general, the secondary metabolites of cyanobacteria are considered to be rich sources for drug discovery and development. In this review, the secondary metabolites reported in marine Leptolyngbya with their associated biological activities or interesting biosynthetic pathways are reviewed, and new insights and perspectives on their metabolic capacities are gained.

Mass spectrometric detection of chlorophyll a and the tetrapyrrole secondary metabolite tolyporphin A in the filamentous cyanobacterium HT-58-2. Approaches to high-throughput screening of intact cyanobacteria

Tolyporphins are unusual tetrapyrrole macrocycles produced by the filamentous cyanobacterium–microbial community HT-58-2, the only known source to date. Numerous cyanobacterial samples have been collected worldwide but most have not been screened for secondary metabolites. Identification of tolyporphins typically has entailed lipophilic extraction followed by chromatographic fractionation and spectroscopic and/or mass spectrometric analysis. For quantitation, lengthy lipophilic extraction, sample processing and HPLC separation are needed. Examination by MALDI-TOF-MS (with the matrix 1,5-diaminonaphthalene) of lipophilic crude extracts of small-scale HT-58-2 samples (2 mL) without chromatographic fractionation enabled semi-quantitation of tolyporphin A over a 41-day growth period. Screening for tolyporphin A in intact or slightly sheared and vortexed HT-58-2 samples (no lipophilic extraction), and confirmation of identity by tandem MS, were carried out by IR-MALDESI-FTMS. Tolyporphin A was identified by the molecular ion and four characteristic fragments. The molecular ion of chlorophyll [Formula: see text] also was observed. The sheared and vortexed sample contained substantial numbers of intact cells as demonstrated by regrowth of the filamentous cyanobacterium–microbial culture. The semi-quantitative and rapid qualitative methods developed herein should facilitate examination of other tolyporphin-producing organisms among the vast worldwide strains of cyanobacteria as well as investigation of the biosynthesis of tolyporphins.

Unique marine derived cyanobacterial biosynthetic genes for chemical diversity

Cyanobacteria are a prolific source of structurally unique and biologically active natural products that derive from intriguing biochemical pathways. Advancements in genome sequencing have accelerated the identification of unique modular biosynthetic gene clusters in cyanobacteria and reveal a wealth of unusual enzymatic reactions involved in their construction. This article examines several interesting mechanistic transformations involved in cyanobacterial secondary metabolite biosynthesis with a particular focus on marine derived modular polyketide synthases (PKS), nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) and combinations thereof to form hybrid natural products. Further, we focus on the cyanobacterial genus Moorea and the co-evolution of its enzyme cassettes that create metabolic diversity. Progress in the development of heterologous expression systems for cyanobacterial gene clusters along with chemoenzymatic synthesis makes it possible to create new analogs. Additionally, phylum-wide genome sequencing projects have enhanced the discovery rate of new natural products and their distinctive enzymatic reactions. Summarizing, cyanobacterial biosynthetic gene clusters encode for a large toolbox of novel enzymes that catalyze unique chemical reactions, some of which may be useful in synthetic biology.