Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ekaterina Kozuharova, Daniela Batovska, Kristina Stoycheva, Adrien Favre
Summary: We found a significant reduction in fruit set in certain Gentiana species due to predation by insect larvae. Some species showed phytochemical defense as an adaptation to predation, while others did not. By examining the available literature, we aimed to investigate how fruit and seed predation is influenced by phenological and ecological factors, as well as species-specific metabolites. Our review identified the most studied secondary metabolites in Gentiana and highlighted gaps in data, providing a foundation for further investigations on the complex interactions between seed predation and chemical defense.
BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATICS AND ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Xia Yan, Jing Liu, Xue Leng, Han Ouyang
Summary: Sinularia is a widely distributed soft coral species with diverse secondary metabolites that exhibit potent biological activities. A review of compounds isolated from Sinularia from 2013 to March 2021 shows their vital role in drug development and innovation of lead compounds. The structures, names, and pharmacological activities of these compounds have been summarized in this review.
Article
Microbiology
Heiko T. Kiesewalter, Carlos N. Lozano-Andrade, Mario Wibowo, Mikael L. Strube, Gergely Maroti, Dan Snyder, Tue Sparholt Jorgensen, Thomas O. Larsen, Vaughn S. Cooper, Tilmann Weber, Akos T. Kovacs
Summary: The study isolated Bacillus subtilis strains from multiple sampling sites, compared their nonribosomal peptide production, and found variations in production among strains from the same soil sample. It also revealed the varying biocontrol properties of B. subtilis isolates in inhibiting plant pathogenic fungi.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sojeong Kim, Eun-Young Lee, Prima F. Hillman, Jaeyoung Ko, Inho Yang, Sang-Jip Nam
Summary: Salicornia europaea L. is a salt-tolerant plant that is used as both traditional medicine and an edible vegetable, containing diverse secondary metabolites with therapeutic properties such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects. This review summarizes the chemical structure and biological activities of these secondary metabolites isolated from Salicornia europaea L.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Meng-Jun Wu, Baofu Xu, Yue-Wei Guo
Summary: Mangrove ecosystems contain abundant secondary metabolites with diverse bioactivities and chemical structures. Studying these metabolites helps to understand the importance and potential applications of mangrove ecosystems.
Article
Microbiology
Bin Wang, Xuejie Li, Jioji Tabudravu, Shan Wang, Hai Deng, Li Pan
Summary: In this study, overexpression of LaeA in A. niger FGSC A1279 variant activated 14 secondary metabolites, leading to the identification of three pure compounds. Through genetic and chemical analysis, the biosynthetic pathways of these secondary metabolites were further elucidated, and a biosynthetic model for fungal flaviolin was proposed.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ludovico Formenti, Veronica Caggia, Jeremy Puissant, Tim Goodall, Gaetan Glauser, Robert Griffiths, Sergio Rasmann
Summary: This research found that while climatic conditions predominantly influenced plant growth, root-associated microbes (RAMs) could also affect biomass accumulation and chemical defence expression. In low elevation areas, RAMs enhanced both plant biomass accumulation and the production of toxic secondary metabolites.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Shiqin Zhao, Juan Li, Jinping Liu, Shaoyujia Xiao, Sumei Yang, Jiahui Mei, Mengyao Ren, Shuzhe Wu, Hongyuan Zhang, Xiliang Yang
Summary: Fungi, especially Alternaria species, are rich sources of bio-metabolites with diverse pharmacological activities. These secondary metabolites have the potential for applications in pharmaceutical, industrial, biotechnological, and medicinal fields. A comprehensive catalog of 216 newly described metabolites from Alternaria fungi is provided, including their chemical structures, pharmacological activities, and possible biosynthetic pathways. Insights, avenues, and challenges for future research and development of Alternaria are also discussed.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fauzia Izzati, Mega Ferdina Warsito, Asep Bayu, Anggia Prasetyoputri, Akhirta Atikana, Linda Sukmarini, Siti Irma Rahmawati, Masteria Yunovilsa Putra
Summary: Marine invertebrates from Indonesia are reported to have a high chemical diversity and broad spectrum of biological activities. This review summarizes the exploration of bioactive compounds from Indonesian marine invertebrates between 2007-2020, highlighting their antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, and antiviral properties, and suggests further investigation of novel compounds.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Hiba Sanad, Zahira Belattmania, Ahmed Nafis, Meryem Hassouani, Noureddine Mazoir, Abdeltif Reani, Lahcen Hassani, Vitor Vasconcelos, Brahim Sabour
Summary: Volatile compounds from the marine cyanolichen Lichina pygmaea collected from the Moroccan Atlantic coast were mainly composed of sesquiterpenes compounds, with gamma-himachalene, beta-himachalene, (2E,4E)-2,4 decadienal, and alpha-himachalene as the most abundant constituents. These compounds exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against various strains and showed strong antioxidant effects.
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Yun Hwan Park, Sang-Il Han, Byeolnim Oh, Hyun Soo Kim, Min Seo Jeon, Sok Kim, Yoon-E Choi
Summary: There is a growing interest in utilizing microalgae for industrial purposes due to concerns about petroleum depletion and sustainable energy sources. Despite the advantages of high biomass productivity and short culture periods, barriers such as high unit price need to be addressed. Co-producing primary and secondary metabolites from microalgae is essential, with induction methods available to promote the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites for industrial applications.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Bruno A. Ribeiro, Thiara B. da Mata, Gisele A. B. Canuto, Eliane O. Silva
Summary: Endophytes are microorganisms living inside plant tissues without harming the host, and their wide biosynthetic capacity in producing bioactive secondary metabolites is related to gene activation. Brazilian biodiversity has inspired research on endophytic bioprospecting, with studies focusing on natural products from endophytic fungi cultures and classifying them into three chemical classes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA) were used to evaluate chemical variation in the Brazilian endophyte dataset, identifying main endophytic clusters and guiding researchers in designing microbial culture strategies.
CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Anne D. Jungblut, Frederic Raymond, Moira B. Dion, Sylvain Moineau, Vani Mohit, Guillaume Quang Nguyen, Maxime Deraspe, Elina Francovic-Fontaine, Connie Lovejoy, Alexander I. Culley, Jacques Corbeil, Warwick F. Vincent
Summary: This study conducted the first genomic analysis of the Nostoc commune morphotype in the Arctic, revealing higher diversity of secondary metabolites and diverse interactions with viruses in polar Nostoc.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rajat Dhyani, Santosh Kumar Srivastava, Krishna Shankar, Tamoghna Ghosh, Arun Beniwal, Naveen Kumar Navani
Summary: Plant secondary metabolites are being explored as potential alternatives for treating infectious and chronic diseases, particularly in therapeutics showing toxicity against bacterial pathogens and viruses. Terpenoid and phenylpropanoid plant metabolites have known antibacterial and antiviral properties, but also pose toxicity risks to eukaryotic cells. There is a need for sensing methods that can accurately report the dosage and accumulation of these compounds. Full-cell reporters are cost-effective and easy to maintain.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Dan Xu, Mengyao Xue, Zhen Shen, Xiaowei Jia, Xuwen Hou, Daowan Lai, Ligang Zhou
Summary: Fungal phytotoxic secondary metabolites are toxic substances produced by fungi through biochemical reactions, with a high level of diversity in their properties. These metabolites are mainly isolated from phytopathogenic fungal species, with aromatic polyketides and sesquiterpenoids being the main phytotoxic compounds.
Article
Plant Sciences
Valentine Bouju, Kathrin Feldberg, Ulla Kaasalainen, Alfons Schaefer-Verwimp, Lars Hedenas, William R. Buck, Bo Wang, Vincent Perrichot, Alexander R. Schmidt
Summary: Researchers have discovered diverse bryophytes and lichens in Miocene Ethiopian amber, providing a unique opportunity to fill gaps in the fossil record of African terrestrial biota. This finding supports a tropical to subtropical origin of Ethiopian amber and adds to the global understanding of plant diversity in amber deposits.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hanna Rosti, Henry Pihlstrom, Norbert Rottcher, Simon Bearder, Lucas Mwangala, Marianne Maghenda, Jouko Rikkinen
Summary: We conducted a survey on tree hyrax populations in different habitats in coastal Kenya to determine the species and assess the threat level they face. Using passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), we recorded the vocalizations of tree hyraxes for a total of 84 hours in January and February 2022. We also documented their behavior with thermal imaging camera and captured photographs of individuals. It is crucial to implement conservation measures to prevent the extinction of these isolated D. validus populations in Kenya due to human pressures.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ulla Kaasalainen, Paul M. Kirika, Neduvoto P. Mollel, Andreas Hemp, Jouko Rikkinen
Summary: A study was conducted on the Sticta species in East Africa using genetic barcoding marker nuITS and morphological characters. 14 Sticta species were confirmed, including 5 new species. The study highlights the need for further taxonomic studies of lichenized fungi in the region.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sila Arsin, Endrews Delbaje, Jouni Jokela, Matti Wahlsten, Zoe M. Farrar, Perttu Permi, David Fewer
Summary: Two structurally distinct MAAs were identified in the lichen symbiont strain Nostoc sp. UHCC0926, and their biosynthesis in cyanobacteria was found to occur through a branched pathway. The presence of similar gene clusters in other cyanobacterial genomes suggests rapid evolutionary processes leading to chemical diversity in this family of microbial sunscreens.
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Tania Keiko Shishido, Endrews Delbaje, Matti Wahlsten, Inkeri Vuori, Jouni Jokela, Muriel Gugger, Marli F. Fiore, David P. Fewer
Summary: This study reports the isolation of a harmful cyanobacterium (Kamptonema sp. UHCC 0994) from a benthic microbial mat collected in shallow water on the coast of Helsinki. Genome sequencing analysis revealed similarities between this harmful cyanobacterial strain and strains isolated from the Baltic Sea, all of which contain the biosynthetic genes for the production of the harmful compound cylindrospermopsin. These findings suggest that these toxic cyanobacteria may exhibit a tychoplanktic lifestyle in the Baltic Sea and could be a potential source of environmental toxins.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maria Christodoulou, Matti Wahlsten, Kaarina Sivonen
Summary: Cyanobacteria found in both aquatic and terrestrial environments have been extensively studied in Finland, but the diversity of terrestrial rock-inhabiting cyanobacteria is often ignored. In this study, two Pseudanabaena-like cyanobacterial strains were isolated and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analyses using both 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S ITS region revealed better resolution of species relationships, and based on these analyses, two new species were described. The study also highlighted the need for taxonomic revision in the poorly studied cyanobacterial genus Pseudanabaena.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Xiaodan Ouyang, Paul M. D'Agostino, Matti Wahlsten, Endrews Delbaje, Jouni Jokela, Perttu Permi, Greta Gaiani, Antti Poso, Piia Bartos, Tobias A. M. Gulder, Hannu Koistinen, David P. Fewer
Summary: In this study, a comparative bioinformatic analysis was used to identify radiosumin biosynthetic gene clusters in the genomes of 13 filamentous cyanobacteria. The entire biosynthetic gene cluster was captured and expressed in Escherichia coli. High-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and chemical degradation analysis revealed the chemical structure of novel radiosumins produced by cyanobacteria. Radiosumin C was found to inhibit human trypsin isoforms selectively.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ulla Kaasalainen, Lea Biermann, Neduvoto P. Mollel, Alexander R. Schmidt, Andreas Hemp
Summary: Tropical mountain forests, hotspots of biodiversity, are threatened by human pressure and climate change. This study focuses on the poorly understood biodiversity of tropical African lichens, specifically the genus Peltigera in East Africa. The study found 8 Peltigera species, including a newly discovered species P. alkalicola, on Mt Kilimanjaro. The presence of this species in other extreme mountain environments suggests a potential global distribution.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Claudia Clemente, Nicholas Johnson, Xiaodan Ouyang, Rafael Popin, Sergio Dall'Angelo, Matti Wahlsten, Jouni Jokela, Alessandro Colombano, Brunello Nardone, David P. Fewer, Wael E. Houssen
Summary: The prenyl-D-Arg-containing autum-nalamide A is identified as a member of the cyanobactin family, and the AutF prenyltransferase can target the guanidinium moiety in arginine and homoarginine, making it a useful tool for biotechnological applications.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
L. M. P. Heinila, J. Jokela, M. N. Ahmed, M. Wahlsten, S. Kumar, P. Hrouzek, P. Permi, H. Koistinen, D. P. Fewer, K. Sivonen
Summary: This study reports the discovery of novel natural products called varlaxins, members of the aeruginosin family. The chemical structures of varlaxins 1046A and 1022A were determined, and they were found to strongly inhibit human serine proteases.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)