Role of bioactive metabolites from Acremonium camptosporum associated with the marine sponge Aplysina fulva

Acremonium camptosporum, a fungus associated with the marine sponge Aplysina fulva, was collected from the isolated mid-Atlantic Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, Brazil, and was found to produce secondary metabolites that displayed antibacterial activities. Mass spectra data obtained by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses of these extracts were compared to several databases and revealed the presence of several different cytotoxic acremonidins and acremoxanthones. The close association between the sponge and the fungi with its compounds could be of strategic importance in defending both from the high predation pressure and spatial competition in the warm-water scarps of the islands. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The fungus Acremonium camptosporum associated with the marine sponge Aplysina fulva was found to produce antibacterial secondary metabolites. Analysis of mass spectra data revealed the presence of cytotoxic compounds, indicating a close association between the sponge and the fungus with its compounds.