Biotechnological and ecological potential of 'Micromonospora provocatoris' sp. nov., a gifted strain isolated from the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench

A Micromonospora strain, isolate MT25T, was recovered from a sediment collected from the Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench using a selective isolation procedure. The isolate produced two major metabolites, n-acetylglutaminyl glutamine amide and desferrioxamine B, the chemical structures of which were determined using 1D and 2D-NMR, including 1H-15N HSQC and 1H-15N HMBC 2D-NMR, as well as high resolution MS. A whole genome sequence of the strain showed the presence of ten natural product-biosynthetic gene clusters, including one responsible for the biosynthesis of desferrioxamine B. Whilst 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses showed that the isolate was most closely related to the type strain of Micromonospora chalcea, a whole genome sequence analysis revealed it to be most closely related to Micromonospora tulbaghiae 45142T. The two strains were distinguished using a combination of genomic and phenotypic features. Based on these data, it is proposed that strain MT25T (NCIMB 15245T, TISTR 2834T) be classified as Micromonospora provocatoris sp. nov. Analysis of the genome sequence of strain MT25T (genome size 6.1 Mbp) revealed genes predicted to responsible for its adaptation to extreme environmental conditions that prevail in deep-sea sediments

A detailed study of the volatile components of <i>Plectranthus asirensis</i> of Saudi Arabian origin

<p>Essential oil composition of <i>Plectranthus asirensis</i> grown in Saudi Arabia was chemically analysed for the first time by various gas chromatography techniques (GC–MS, GC–FID, Co–GC, LRI determination and database and literature searches) using two different stationary phase columns (polar and nonpolar). This analysis led to the characterisation of a total of 124 components representing 98.5% of the total oil composition. The results revealed that <i>P. asirensis</i> oil was mainly dominated by monoterpenoids (90.7%) in which most representative constituents were thymol (66.0 ± 0.36%), <i>γ</i>-terpinene (14.0 ± 0.18%), <i>p</i>-cymene (5.2 ± 0.06%) and <i>β</i>-caryophyllene (3.0 ± 0.03%). It is worth mentioning here that this is the first report on the phytochemical constituents of <i>P. asirensis.</i></p

Metabolic Profiling and In Vitro Assessment of the Biological Activities of the Ethyl Acetate Extract of Penicillium chrysogenum &ldquo;Endozoic of Cliona sp. Marine Sponge&rdquo; from the Red Sea (Egypt)

Marine sponge-derived endozoic fungi have been gaining increasing importance as promising sources of numerous and unique bioactive compounds. This study investigates the phytochemical profile and biological activities of the ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium chrysogenum derived from Cliona sp. sponge. Thirty-six compounds were tentatively identified from P. chrysogenum ethyl acetate extract along with the kojic acid (KA) isolation. The UPLC-ESI-MS/MS positive ionization mode was used to analyze and identify the extract constituents while 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy were used for kojic acid (KA) structure confirmation. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities were assessed in vitro. Both the extract and kojic acid showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC 250 &plusmn; 0.82 &micro;g/mL. Interestingly, the extract showed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 93.75 &plusmn; 0.55 and 19.53 &plusmn; 0.48 &micro;g/mL, respectively. Furthermore, KA showed the same potency against Fusarium oxysporum and Cryptococcus neoformans with MIC 39.06 &plusmn; 0.85 and 39.06 &plusmn; 0.98 &micro;g/mL, respectively. Ultimately, KA showed strong antioxidant activity with IC50 33.7 &plusmn; 0.8 &micro;g/mL. Moreover, the extract and KA showed strong cytotoxic activity against colon carcinoma (with IC50 22.6 &plusmn; 0.8 and 23.4 &plusmn; 1.4 &micro;g/mL, respectively) and human larynx carcinoma (with equal IC50 30.8 &plusmn; 1.3 and &plusmn; 2.1 &micro;g/mL, respectively), respectively. The current study represents the first insights into the phytochemical profile and biological properties of P. chrysoenum ethyl acetate extract, which could be a promising source of valuable secondary metabolites with potent biological potentials