Viridamides are bio-active lipodepsipeptides made by marine cyanobacteria. [1]
Viridamides are bio-active lipodepsipeptides made by marine cyanobacteria. [1]
Lyngbya is a genus of cyanobacteria, unicellular autotrophs that form the basis of the oceanic food chain.
Oscillatoria is a genus of filamentous cyanobacterium which is often found in freshwater environments, such as hot springs, and appears blue-green. Its name refers to the oscillating motion of its filaments as they slide against each other to position the colony facing a light source. Oscillatoria reproduces by fragmentation, facilitated by dead cells which separate a filament into separate sections, or hormogonia, which then grow. Oscillatoria uses photosynthesis to survive and reproduce. Each filament of oscillatoria consists of trichome which is made up of rows of cells. The tip of the trichome oscillates like a pendulum. In reproduction, it takes place by vegetative means only. Usually the filament breaks into a number of fragments called hormogonia. Each hormogonium consist of one or more cells and grow into a filament by cell division in one direction.
Moorea producens is a species of filamentous cyanobacteria in the genus Moorea, including tropical marine strains formerly classified as Lyngbya majuscula due to morphological resemblance but separated based on genetic evidence. Moorea producens grows on seagrass and is one of the causes of the human skin irritation seaweed dermatitis. It is known as fireweed in Australia and stinging limu in Hawaii.
Symplocamide A is a newly discovered (2008) 3-amino-6-hydroxy-2-piperidone (Ahp) cyclodepsipeptide that has been isolated from a marine cyanobacteria in Papua New Guinea, which has only been identified at the genus level (Symploca). Cyanobacteria, both freshwater and marine, are known as producers of diverse protease inhibitors that may be used to treat diseases, such as HIV, and some forms of cancer. Research on symplocamide A has shown that it is a strong serine protease inhibitor and has a high level of cytotoxicity to cancer cells when used in vitro. As of the time of this writing, its use as a treatment on human participants has not been done and future study will have to be done before any human testing can be commenced.
Lyngbyatoxin-a is a cyanotoxin produced by certain cyanobacteria species, most notably Moorea producens. It is produced as defense mechanism to ward off any would-be predators of the bacterium, being a potent blister agent as well as carcinogen. Low concentrations cause a common skin condition known as seaweed dermatitis.
Lyngbya majuscula is a species of filamentous cyanobacteria in the genus Lyngbya. It is named after the Dane Hans Christian Lyngbye.
Serinolamide A is a naturally occurring eicosanoid derivative related to anandamide, which has been isolated from the marine cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula and related species in the Oscillatoria family.
Petalonema alatum is a cyanobacterium. It was first described and drawn by the Scottish author Dugald Carmichael under the taxonomic name Oscillatoria allata in 1826. In 1833, Miles Joseph Berkeley re-published it under its current name Petalonema alatum. P. alatum produces a slime-like mucopolysaccharide in the form of interlocking slime funnels. The structure looks like a quill under the light microscope, which is where the species gets its name "alatum", meaning quill. These slime envelopes are up to 270 μm wide in diameter and are therefore visible by the naked eye as filiform formations. The habitats for this filamentous cyanobacterium are mainly wet limestone walls and creates together with other bacteria, microalgae, bryophytes and micromycets gray or gray-brown biofilms. Populations of P. alatum have specialized cells - yellow heterocytes to bind atmospheric nitrogen which are in colour contrast to vegetative blue-green/turquoise cells in filamentous thallus.
Dragomabin is a bio-active isolate of marine cyanobacteria, Lyngbya majuscula, which has been shown to have good antimalarial activity.
Oscillatoria princeps is the type species (lectotype) of the cyanobacterial genus Oscillatoria.
Curacin A is a hybrid polyketide synthase (PKS)/nonribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) derived natural product produced isolated from the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. Curacin A belongs to a family of natural products including jamaicamide, mupirocin, and pederin that have an unusual terminal alkene. Additionally, Curacin A contains a notable thiazoline ring and a unique cyclopropyl moiety, which is essential to the compound's biological activity. Curacin A has been characterized as potent antiproliferative cytotoxic compound with notable anticancer activity for several cancer lines including renal, colon, and breast cancer. Curacin A has been shown to interact with colchicine binding sites on tubulin, which inhibits microtubule polymerization, an essential process for cell division and proliferation.
Antillatoxin (ATX) is a potent lipopeptide neurotoxin produced by the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. ATX activates voltage-gated sodium channels, which can cause cell depolarisation, NMDA-receptor overactivity, excess calcium influx and neuronal necrosis.
The microviridins are a class of serine protease inhibitors produced by various genera of cyanobacteria. Recent genome mining has shown that the biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for microviridin biosynthesis is much more prevalent, found in many species of Pseudomonadota and Bacteriodota.
Coibamide A is an antiproliferative depsipeptide which was isolated from a marine Leptolyngbya cyanobacterium. Testing of coibamide A in the National Cancer Institute in vitro 60 human tumor cell line panel (NCI-60) revealed potent anti-proliferative activity and a unique selectivity profile. Similarities between coibamide A- and apratoxin A-induced changes in cell morphology, decreases in VEGFR2 expression and macroautophagy signaling in HUVECs raise the possibility that both cyanobacterial natural products share a common mechanism of action. Wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts were more vulnerable to coibamide A than cells lacking autophagy-related protein 5 (Atg5) that suggest coibamide A as a compound with characteristics that may utilize autophagy for pro-death signaling.
Trichodesmium thiebautii is a cyanobacteria that is often found in open oceans of tropical and subtropical regions and is known to be a contributor to large oceanic surface blooms. This microbial species is a diazotroph, meaning it fixes nitrogen gas (N2), but it does so without the use of heterocysts. T. thiebautii is able to simultaneously perform oxygenic photosynthesis. T. thiebautii was discovered in 1892 by M.A. Gomont. T. thiebautii are important for nutrient cycling in marine habitats because of their ability to fix N2, a limiting nutrient in ocean ecosystems.
Oscillatoria brevis, is a species of the genus Oscillatoria first identified in 1892. It is a blue-green filamentous cyanobacterium, which can be found in brackish and fresh waterways. O. brevis can also be isolated from soil.
Oscillatoria limnetica is a species of freshwater cyanobacteria in the genus Oscillatoria. It is a facultative anaerobic organism, so it uses hydrogen sulfide for a hydrogen source in photosynthesis when it is abundant or when in anaerobic conditions; in aerobic conditions, it uses water instead. It is of interest in phylogeny of cyanobacteria because its usage of aerobic and anaerobic hydrogen sources shows that both are compatible. It is being studied as evidence of species' changes from using hydrogen sulfide to water.
Laucysteinamide A (LcA) is a marine natural product isolated from a cyanobacterium, Caldora penicillata.
Gallinamide A is potent and selective inhibitor of the human cysteine protease cathepsin L that was first used as a moderate antimalarial agent. Gallinamide A is produced by marine cyanobacteria from Schizothrix species and Symploca sp. which have also shown to have possible anticancer agent, infectious diseases like leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and possible uses in Alzheimer's disease, among others.
Jamaicamide A is a lipopeptide isolated from the cyanobacterium Moorea producens, formerly known as Lyngbya majuscula. Jamaicamide A belongs to a family of compounds collectively called jamaicamides, which are sodium channel blockers with potent neurotoxicity in a cellular model. Jamaicamide A has several unusual functionalities, including an alkynyl bromide, vinyl chloride, β-methoxy eneone system, and pyrrolinone ring.