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(1 - 5 of 5)
- Title
- Eryloside E from an Atlantic sponge Erylus goffrilleri.
- Creator
- Gulavita, N. K., Wright, Amy E., Kelly-Borges, M., Longley, Ross E., Yarwood, Donna, Sills, Matthew A.
- Date Issued
- 1994
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00007261
- Subject Headings
- Sponges, Terpenes, Glycosides, Chemical structure
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Terpene Biosynthesis in the Octocorals Erythropodium caribaeorum and Plexaurella spp.
- Creator
- Frenz, Jamie L., Kerr, Russell G., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
The marine environment is a prolific source of novel compounds for therapeutic use due to the complex biological and chemical diversity. Throughout the past 30-40 years, over 15,000 natural products have been discovered from the oceans, many of which display a broad range of potential clinical and commercial applications. Many marine invertebrates are sessile organisms that lack physical protection, and which chemical defense may be a possible explanation for these secondary metabolites....
Show moreThe marine environment is a prolific source of novel compounds for therapeutic use due to the complex biological and chemical diversity. Throughout the past 30-40 years, over 15,000 natural products have been discovered from the oceans, many of which display a broad range of potential clinical and commercial applications. Many marine invertebrates are sessile organisms that lack physical protection, and which chemical defense may be a possible explanation for these secondary metabolites. Despite the promise marine natural products have as potent pharmaceutical agents, one of the major factors delaying clinical use is the supply issue. These bioactive compounds are often found in trace amounts in the host organism, which makes harvesting from the reefs unfeasible. A general goal in our lab was to investigate the biosynthesis of secondary metabolite terpenes to ultimately provide a production method of these potent marine derived compounds. Eleutherobin and desmethyleleutherobin are diterpenes isolated from the Caribbean soft coral Erythropodium caribaeorum. These extremely valuable anticancer agents disrupt cell division by polymerizing and stabilizing microtubules, and have demonstrated tumor tissue selectivity toward selected breast, renal, ovarian and lung cancer cell lines. Determining the first intermediate in terpene biosynthesis is the initial step in developing a biotechnological production method of these cytotoxic agents. We investigated the complex chemistry of this coral using a radioactivity-guided isolation procedure, and isolated and partially characterized a diterpene hydrocarbon from E. caribaeorum. The close association between marine invertebrates, zooxanthellae and numerous bacteria gives rise to the question of the identity of the producer of secondary metabolites in marine organisms. If the symbiont produces these therapeutic agents, cell culture methods could be employed to supply the compounds rather than obtaining them from coral reefs. Sesquiterpenes have been isolated from the gorgonian Plexaurella spp., however, no investigations concerning host/symbiont contribution of the sesquiterpenes have been reported. We investigated the biosynthetic source of terpenes in this coral, and experimental evidence indicates that bacteria are responsible for sesquiterpene production. We also examined sesquiterpene variation of Plexaurella spp. from various locations, and found sesquiterpene content to vary within and between species, identifying Plexaurella as a chemically indistinguishable genus.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000853
- Subject Headings
- Coral reef ecology, Terpenes--Synthesis, Marine pharmacology, Pharmacognosy
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Exploration of Methods to Identify Biosynthetic Genes and the Origin of Biosynthesis in Marine Octocorals.
- Creator
- Ranzer, Llanie Karen, Florida Atlantic University, Kerr, Russell G., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Abstract/Description
-
The overall goal of this research was to isolate key genes involved in the diterpene biosynthesis from Euniceafusca and Erythropodium caribaeorum using molecular biology techniques. The initial goal was to use fuscol induced cell cultures of Symbiodinium sp. isolated from E. fusca and to develop an approach based on differential display of mRNA-reverse transcription-PeR. Together with inverse PCR, these techniques ultimately provided a full-length farnesyl diphosphate synthase sequence....
Show moreThe overall goal of this research was to isolate key genes involved in the diterpene biosynthesis from Euniceafusca and Erythropodium caribaeorum using molecular biology techniques. The initial goal was to use fuscol induced cell cultures of Symbiodinium sp. isolated from E. fusca and to develop an approach based on differential display of mRNA-reverse transcription-PeR. Together with inverse PCR, these techniques ultimately provided a full-length farnesyl diphosphate synthase sequence. Functional expression of this enzyme was demonstrated with the addition of appropriate substrates and confirmed by chromatography. From this data, degenerate primer based PCR was used to isolate putative geranylgeranyl diphosphate biosynthetic genes from E. caribaeorum. Both chemical and genetic examinations of Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae eggs and their associated Symbiodinium sp. were employed to identify the biosynthetic origin of their diterpenes. Terpene content and biosynthetic capabilities of azooxanthellae eggs demonstrated the presence of pseudopterosins but also indicated that the eggs were not capable of producing these compounds. Likewise, no correlation could be observed for the phylogenetic relationships inferred for the Symbiodinium sp., with that of the terpene chemistry present in P. elisabethae. This finding leads us to speculate about an additional source of terpene production within this coral. Based on these and other recent findings suggesting symbiotic bacteria as the source of secondary metabolites from marine invertebrates, bacterial assemblages from E. caribaeorum were examined. This study revealed considerable phylogenetic bacterial diversity within this coral and the identification of several bacteria known to produce terpenes in other organisms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000874
- Subject Headings
- Coral reef ecology, Diterpenes, Biosynthesis, Terpenes--Synthesis
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Origin and mechanism of terpene biosynthesis in Pseudopterogorgia spp.
- Creator
- Boehnlein, Jennifer M., Florida Atlantic University, Kerr, Russell G.
- Abstract/Description
-
The goal of this work was to investigate the biosynthetic origins of diterpene natural products (pseudopterosins, kallolides, bipinnatins, and cembrenes) from corals of the genus Pseudopterogorgia as well as the biosynthetic pathways by which they are produced. These studies have shown that the pseudopterosins from Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae are biosynthesized within the algal symbiont (or possibly a bacterium or fungus associated with the symbiont), are not inducible by manipulation of...
Show moreThe goal of this work was to investigate the biosynthetic origins of diterpene natural products (pseudopterosins, kallolides, bipinnatins, and cembrenes) from corals of the genus Pseudopterogorgia as well as the biosynthetic pathways by which they are produced. These studies have shown that the pseudopterosins from Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae are biosynthesized within the algal symbiont (or possibly a bacterium or fungus associated with the symbiont), are not inducible by manipulation of light levels, and do not change as a result of transplantation to new locations. Studies on Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata revealed that only one chemotype is capable of biosynthesizing the kallolide family of diterpenes. The biosynthetic pathway which gives rise to the kallolides has been shown to involve members of another family of diterpenes, the bipinnatins, which coexist within the coral holobiont. Two diterpene cyclase products have been discovered within P. bipinnata chemotype A, cembrene and neocembrene, and it has been shown that neocembrene gives rise to the kallolides. Finally, the enzymatic conversion of bipinnatin J to kallolide A has shown for the first time that these compounds are in fact biogenetically related.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12205
- Subject Headings
- Terpenes--Synthesis, Marine pharmacology, Alcyonacea, Biosynthesis, Anti-inflammatory agents
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Isolation and biosynthesis of terpenes in Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae and Leptogorgia minimata.
- Creator
- von Saalfeld, Silke., Florida Atlantic University, Kerr, Russell G.
- Abstract/Description
-
The marine environment has proven to be an extremely rich source of novel natural products with activities in a variety of biological assays. The field of marine natural products chemistry has enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past 40 years and currently there are marine-derived metabolites in clinical trials for cancer, analgesia, allergy and cognitive diseases. Even with this tremendous development, it is clear that chemists and pharmacologists are only beginning to scratch the...
Show moreThe marine environment has proven to be an extremely rich source of novel natural products with activities in a variety of biological assays. The field of marine natural products chemistry has enjoyed an explosion of growth over the past 40 years and currently there are marine-derived metabolites in clinical trials for cancer, analgesia, allergy and cognitive diseases. Even with this tremendous development, it is clear that chemists and pharmacologists are only beginning to scratch the surface of the biomedical potential of marine organisms. One problem with this source of new pharmaceuticals is that the supply of such compounds can be problematic. The thesis describes projects directed at fundamental biosynthetic questions regarding terpenes from marine corals. In a general sense, these projects are directed as addressing the supply issue identified above. One project examined the origin of terpene building blocks in the coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae. A second project focused on the characterization of terpenes from Leptogorgia minimata. Here, a new cembranoid diterpene was isolated. Experiments were also conducted to identify a microbial source of terpene biosynthesis in this system. Data strongly supported a bacterial origin of these compounds.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13325
- Subject Headings
- Natural products--Synthesis, Marine pharmacology, Aquaculture, Terpenes, Marine chemical ecology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
