Antiproliferative effects of the natural oxadiazine nocuolin A are associated with impairment of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation

Natural products are interesting sources for drug discovery. The natural product oxadiazine Nocuolin A (NocA) was previously isolated from the cyanobacterial strain Nodularia sp. LEGE 06071 and here we examined its cytotoxic effects against different strains of the colon cancer cell line HCT116 and the immortalized epithelial cell line hTERT RPE-1. NocA was cytotoxic against colon cancer cells and immortalized cells under conditions of exponential growth but was only weakly active against non-proliferating immortalized cells. NocA induced apoptosis by mechanism(s) resistant to overexpression of BCL family members. Interestingly, NocA affected viability and induced apoptosis of HCT116 cells grown as multicellular spheroids. Analysis of transcriptome profiles did not match signatures to any known compounds in CMap but indicated stress responses and induction of cell starvation. Evidence for autophagy was observed, and a decrease in various mitochondrial respiration parameter within 1h of treatment. These results are consistent with previous findings showing that nutritionally compromised cells in spheroids are sensitive to impairment of mitochondrial energy production due to limited metabolic plasticity. We conclude that the antiproliferative effects of NocA are associated with effects on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.This research was supported by the Structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR - Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, Research Line NOVELMAR), funded by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project was additionally supported the project CYANCAN - Uncovering the cyanobacterial chemical diversity: the search for novel anticancer compounds (reference PTDC/MEDQUI/30944/2017) co-financed by NORTE 2020, Portugal 2020, and the European Union through the ERDF, and by Foundation for Science and Technology through national funds. RU was supported by the FCT postdoc grant SFRH/BPD/112287/2015 and MS by the FCT PhD grant SFRH/BD/108314/2015

Application of Bioactive Thermal Proteome Profiling to Decipher the Mechanism of Action of the Lipid Lowering 132-Hydroxy-pheophytin Isolated from a Marine Cyanobacteria

The acceleration of the process of understanding the pharmacological application of new marine bioactive compounds requires identifying the compound protein targets leading the molecular mechanisms in a living cell. The thermal proteome profiling (TPP) methodology does not fulfill the requirements for its application to any bioactive compound lacking chemical and functional characterization. Here, we present a modified method that we called bTPP for bioactive thermal proteome profiling that guarantees target specificity from a soluble subproteome. We showed that the precipitation of the microsomal fraction before the thermal shift assay is crucial to accurately calculate the melting points of the protein targets. As a probe of concept, the protein targets of 132-hydroxy-pheophytin, a compound previously isolated from a marine cyanobacteria for its lipid reducing activity, were analyzed on the hepatic cell line HepG2. Our improved method identified 9 protein targets out of 2500 proteins, including 3 targets (isocitrate dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, phosphoserine aminotransferase) that could be related to obesity and diabetes, as they are involved in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and energy metabolism. This study demonstrated that the bTPP method can accelerate the field of biodiscovery, revealing protein targets involved in mechanisms of action (MOA) connected with future applications of bioactive compounds.This project received funding from the ERA-NET Marine Biotechnology project CYANOBESITY that it is cofounding from FORMAS, Sweden grant nr. 2016-02004 (SC), FCT Foundation of Science and Technology, Portugal, grant number ERA-MBT/0001/2015 (RU). This work has also been funded by IKERBASQUE (SC), Basque Government grant IT-971-16 (SC and OF), and FCT grants SFRH/BPD/112287/2015, SFRH/BD/116009/2016, FCT strategic fund (UID/Multi/04423/2019) (RU and SF)

Ermittlung der Futterqualität verschiedener Wintererbsengenotypen in Rein- und Gemengesaat zur Nutzung als nachwachsender Rohstoff, als Grünfutter und als Druschfrucht

Normalblättrige Wintererbsen sind in Reinsaat eine rohproteinreiche Winterzwischenfrucht für die Nutzung als Grünfutter oder als nachwachsender Rohstoff zur Energiegewinnung im Rahmen von Zweikulturnutzungssystemen. Zum Korndrusch im Gemengeanbau stellen sie bei mindestens vergleichbaren Kornerträgen und Qualitäten eine Alternative zu Sommererbsen dar. Dabei können Anbauprobleme von Sommererbsen besonders hinsichtlich der Unkrautregulierung reduziert werden

Obesity: The metabolic disease, advances on drug discovery and natural product research

Obesity is a global health threat. OECD reported that more than half (52%) of the adult population in the European Union is overweight or obese. Obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities have deep negative effects on morbidity, mortality, professional and personal quality of life. Healthcare costs represent a negative impact of this disease, with an associated economic cost of 100 billion US$ per year in the United States. The most prescribed drugs for obesity treatment worldwide are orlistat, and phentermine/topiramate extended release, while the major prescribed drug for the same disease in the US are exenatide and dapagliflozin. The so far developed drugs, targeting weight loss, have a long history of malignant secondary effects. There is still a lack of efficient and safe drugs to treat obesity and related metabolic complications since in many cases cure cannot be reached by bariatric surgery or healthy lifestyle habits. Terrestrial and aquatic organisms are a promising source of valuable, bioactive compounds, often with interest for human health. Some of the natural compounds or organisms have been used for centuries by humans as traditional medicine foods. In this review, we give insights into the adipose tissue function and development, and the progress in traditional anti-obesity pharmacotherapy. A major focus is to highlight the state of the art of natural compounds with anti-obesity properties and their potential as candidates for drug development; an overview is given about natural compounds derived from different marine animal sources, cyanobacteria, marine phytoplankton, fungus or plants. © 2016 Bentham Science Publishers.This study was funded by the Project MARBIOTECH (reference NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000047) within the SR&TD Integrated Program MARVALOR - Building research and innovation capacity for improved management and valorization of marine resources, supported by ON.2 Program and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme and NOVOMAR (reference 0687-NOVOMAR- 1-P), and national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, through the project UID/Multi/04423/2013. Ralph Urbatzka was supported by grant SFRH/BPD/112287/2015 (FCT)

Diversity and bioactive potential of actinobacteria isolated from a coastal marine sediment in Northern Portugal

Natural compounds have had increasing applications in the biotechnological sector, with a large fraction of these substances being channeled to the pharmaceutical industry due to their important pharmacological properties. The discovery of new bioactive molecules with novel mechanisms of action constitutes a promising solution for the design of alternative therapeutic solutions. Actinobacteria are a large group of morphologically and physiologically diverse bacteria well known for their production of biotechnologically relevant compounds. The Portuguese coast is scantly explored in terms of Actinobacteria diversity and respective bioactive potential, offering a good opportunity to find new Actinobacteria taxa and bioactive natural products. In this study, we investigated the Actinobacteria diversity associated with a sediment sample collected from the intertidal zone of a beach in northern Portugal, through a cultivation-dependent approach, and screened its antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential. A total of 52 Actinobacteria strains were recovered from the marine sediment, with the largest fraction of the isolates belonging to the genus Micromonospora. Bioactivity screening assays identified crude extracts of six Streptomyces strains active against C. albicans, exhibiting minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values in the range of 3.90–125 μg mL−1. Twenty-five Actinobacteria crude extracts (obtained from strains of the genera Micromonospora, Streptomyces and Actinomadura) exhibited significant effects on the viability of at least one tested cancer cell line (breast ductal carcinoma T-47D and liver hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2). The Actinobacteria extracts demonstrating activity in the antimicrobial and/or cytotoxic assays were subjected to metabolomic analysis (Mass spectrometry (MS)-based dereplication and molecular networking analyses), indicating the presence of four clusters that may represent new natural products. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of bioprospecting underexplored environments, like the Portuguese coast, for enhancing the discovery of new natural products, and call attention to the relevance of preserving the natural genetic diversity of coastal environments.This work was funded by the structured program of R&D&I ATLANTIDA - Platform for the monitoring of the North Atlantic Ocean and tools for the sustainable exploitation of the marine resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000040), supported by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It was also supported by the strategic funding UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 through national funds provided by FCT

Hierridin B Isolated from a Marine Cyanobacterium Alters VDAC1, Mitochondrial Activity, and Cell Cycle Genes on HT-29 Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells

Background: Hierridin B was isolated from a marine cyanobacterium Cyanobium sp. strain and induced cytotoxicity selectively in HT-29 adenocarcinoma cells. The underlying molecular mechanism was not yet elucidated. Methods: HT-29 cells were exposed to the IC50concentration of hierridin B (100.2 μM) for 48 h. Non-targeted proteomics was performed using 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. The mRNA expression of apoptotic and cell cycle genes were analyzed by real-time PCR. Automated quantification of 160 cytoplasm and mitochondrial parameter was done by fluorescence microscopy using CellProfiler software. Results: Proteomics identified 21 significant different proteins, which belonged to protein folding/synthesis and cell structure amongst others. Increase of VDAC1 protein responsible for formation of mitochondrial channels was confirmed by mRNA expression. A 10-fold decrease of cytoskeleton proteins (STMN1, TBCA) provided a link to alterations of the cell cycle. CCNB1 and CCNE mRNA were decreased two-fold, and P21CIP increased 10-fold, indicative of cell cycle arrest. Morphological analysis of mitochondrial parameter confirmed a reduced mitochondrial activity. Conclusion: Hierridin B is a potential anticancer compound that targets mitochondrial activity and function.This research was partially supported by FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology under the project UID/Multi/04423/2013 and by the Structured Program of R & D & I INNOVMAR—Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, Research Line NOVELMAR), funded by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Ralph Urbatzka was supported by the FCT scholarship SFRH/BPD/112287/2015, and Pedro N. Leão by FCT grant IF/01358/2014

Bioactivities and extract dereplication of actinomycetales isolated from marine sponges

In the beginning of the twenty-first century, humanity faces great challenges regarding diseases and health-related quality of life. A drastic rise in bacterial antibiotic resistance, in the number of cancer patients, in the obesity epidemics and in chronic diseases due to life expectation extension are some of these challenges. The discovery of novel therapeutics is fundamental and it may come from underexplored environments, like marine habitats, and microbial origin. Actinobacteria are well-known as treasure chests for the discovery of novel natural compounds. In this study, eighteen Actinomycetales isolated from marine sponges of three Erylus genera collected in Portuguese waters were tested for bioactivities with the main goal of isolating and characterizing the responsible bioactive metabolites. The screening comprehended antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-cancer and anti-obesity properties. Fermentations of the selected strains were prepared using ten different culturing media. Several bioactivities against the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and the human liver cancer cell line HepG2 were obtained in small volume cultures. Screening in higher volumes showed consistent anti-fungal activity by strain Dermacoccus sp. #91-17 and Micrococcus luteus Berg02-26. Gordonia sp. Berg02-22.2 showed anti-parasitic (Trypanosoma cruzi) and anti-cancer activity against several cell lines (melanoma A2058, liver HepG2, colon HT29, breast MCF7 and pancreatic MiaPaca). For the anti-obesity assay, Microbacterium foliorum #91-29 and #91-40 induced lipid reduction on the larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Dereplication of the extracts from several bacteria showed the existence of a variety of secondary metabolites, with some undiscovered molecules. This work showed that Actinomycetales are indeed good candidates for drug discovery.This research was partially supported by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the programme PT2020, the EU H2020-TWINN-2015, BLUEandGREEN – Boosting scientific excellence and innovation capacity in biorefineries based on marine resources (Project No. 692419) and the European ERA-NET Marine Biotechnology project CYANOBESITY (ERA-MBT/0001/2015), financed by national funds through FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal). Ralph Urbatzka was supported by a FCT postdoc grant (SFRH/BPD/112287/2015). The MEDINA authors disclosed the receipt of financial support from Fundación MEDINA, a public-private partnership of Merck Sharp & Dohme de España S.A./Universidad de Granada/Junta de Andalucía. Moreover, some of the equipment used in this work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and the European Union (Grant INP-2011-0016-PCT-010000-ACT6)

Cytotoxicity of portoamides in human cancer cells and analysis of the molecular mechanisms of action

Portoamides are cyclic peptides produced and released by the cyanobacterial strain Phormidium sp. presumably to interfere with other organisms in their ecosystems ("allelopathy"). Portoamides were previously demonstrated to have an antiproliferative effect on human lung carcinoma cells, but the underlying mechanism of this activity has not been described. In the present work, the effects of portoamides on proliferation were examined in eight human cancer cell lines and two non-carcinogenic cell lines, and major differences in sensitivities were observed. To generate hypotheses with regard to molecular mechanisms of action, quantitative proteomics using 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF were performed on the colon carcinoma cell line HT-29. The expression of proteins involved in energy metabolism (mitochondrial respiratory chain and pentose phosphate pathway) was found to be affected. The hypothesis of altered energy metabolism was tested in further experiments. Exposure to portoamides resulted in reduced cellular ATP content, likely due to decreased mitochondrial energy production. Mitochondrial hyperpolarization and reduced mitochondrial reductive capacity was observed in treated cells. Furthermore, alterations in the expression of peroxiredoxins (PRDX4, PRDX6) and components of proteasome subunits (PSB4, PSA6) were observed in portoamide-treated cells, but these alterations were not associated with detectable increases in oxidative stress. We conclude that the cytotoxic activity of portoamides is associated with disturbance of energy metabolism, and alterations in mitochondrial structure and function. © 2017 Ribeiro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This research was supported by the Structured Program of R&D&I INNOVMAR—Innovation and Sustainability in the Management and Exploitation of Marine Resources (reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000035, Research Line NOVELMAR), funded by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project was additionally supported by national funds (FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology) with the reference UID/Multi/04423/2013, UID/BIM/04501/2013, UID/IC/00051/2013 and RNEM (National Mass Spectrometry Network). PNL was supported by grant IF/01358/2014 (FCT), and Ralph Urbatzka by grant SFRH/BPD/112287/2015 (FCT). We thank Dr. Jonathan Mark Wilson (Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada) for the correction of the English in the manuscript

Identification strategy for unknown pollutants using high-resolution mass spectrometry: Androgen-disrupting compounds identified through effect-directed analysis

Effect-directed analysis has been applied to a river sediment sample of concern to identify the compounds responsible for the observed effects in an in vitro (anti-)androgenicity assay. For identification after non-target analysis performed on a high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap, we developed a de novo identification strategy including physico-chemical parameters derived from the effect-directed analysis approach. With this identification strategy, we were able to handle the immense amount of data produced by non-target accurate mass analysis. The effect-directed analysis approach, together with the identification strategy, led to the successful identification of eight androgen-disrupting compounds belonging to very diverse compound classes: an oxygenated polyaromatic hydrocarbon, organophosphates, musks, and steroids. This is one of the first studies in the field of environmental analysis dealing with the difficult task of handling the large amount of data produced from non-target analysis. The combination of bioassay activity assessment, accurate mass measurement, and the identification and confirmation strategy is a promising approach for future identification of environmental key toxicants that are not included as priority pollutants in monitoring programs

Bioactivities and Extract Dereplication of Actinomycetales Isolated From Marine Sponges

In the beginning of the twenty-first century, humanity faces great challenges regarding diseases and health-related quality of life. A drastic rise in bacterial antibiotic resistance, in the number of cancer patients, in the obesity epidemics and in chronic diseases due to life expectation extension are some of these challenges. The discovery of novel therapeutics is fundamental and it may come from underexplored environments, like marine habitats, and microbial origin. Actinobacteria are well-known as treasure chests for the discovery of novel natural compounds. In this study, eighteen Actinomycetales isolated from marine sponges of three Erylus genera collected in Portuguese waters were tested for bioactivities with the main goal of isolating and characterizing the responsible bioactive metabolites. The screening comprehended antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-cancer and anti-obesity properties. Fermentations of the selected strains were prepared using ten different culturing media. Several bioactivities against the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and the human liver cancer cell line HepG2 were obtained in small volume cultures. Screening in higher volumes showed consistent anti-fungal activity by strain Dermacoccus sp. #91-17 and Micrococcus luteus Berg02-26. Gordonia sp. Berg02-22.2 showed anti-parasitic (Trypanosoma cruzi) and anti-cancer activity against several cell lines (melanoma A2058, liver HepG2, colon HT29, breast MCF7 and pancreatic MiaPaca). For the anti-obesity assay, Microbacterium foliorum #91-29 and #91-40 induced lipid reduction on the larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Dereplication of the extracts from several bacteria showed the existence of a variety of secondary metabolites, with some undiscovered molecules. This work showed that Actinomycetales are indeed good candidates for drug discovery