Synthetic biology approaches achieving the reconstruction of specific plant natural product biosynthetic pathways in dedicated microbial “chassis” have provided access to important industrial compounds (e.g., artemisinin, resveratrol, vanillin). However, the potential of such production systems to facilitate elucidation of plant biosynthetic pathways has been underexplored. Here we report on the application of a modular terpene production platform in the characterization of the biosynthetic pathway leading to the potent antioxidant carnosic acid and related diterpenes in Salvia pomifera and Rosmarinus officinalis. Four cytochrome P450 enzymes are identified (CYP76AH24, CYP71BE52, CYP76AK6, and CYP76AK8), the combined activities of which account for all of the oxidation events leading to the biosynthesis of the major diterpenes produced in these plants. This approach develops yeast as an efficient tool to harness the biotechnological potential of the numerous sequencing datasets that are increasingly becoming available through transcriptomic or genomic studies.

A significant number of halogenated low molecular weight metabolites have exhibited an impressive array of biological properties ranging from antimicrobial to insecticidal activities. Studies on the natural products chemistry of the red seaweeds were recently stimulated by the discovery of the acyclic monoterpene halomon, which exhibits selective antitumor activity in the National Cancer Institute's human tumor and disease oriented in vitro screen.The present review is a taxonomy based compilation of the available literature on the halogenated volatile metabolites (C 1 -C 10 ) produced by red seaweeds, with a short description of the reported ecological and pharmaceutical activities. The review begins with a presentation of simple halogenated hydrocarbons and phenols, showing their wide occurrence in rhodophyta, along with a description of simple halogenated lipids in some of the most frequently investigated red algae species and finally focuses on the chemical composition of individual red algae species.

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Abstract:In search of alternative and safer sources of collagen for biomedical applications, the marine demosponges Axinella cannabina and Suberites carnosus, collected from the Aegean and the Ionian Seas, respectively, were comparatively studied for their insoluble collagen, intercellular collagen, and spongin-like collagen content. The isolated collagenous materials were morphologically, physicochemically, and biophysically characterized. Using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy the fibrous morphology of the isolated collagens was confirmed, whereas the amino acid analysis, in conjunction with infrared spectroscopy studies, verified the characteristic for the collagen amino acid profile and its secondary structure. Furthermore, the isoelectric point and thermal behavior were determined by titration and differential scanning calorimetry, in combination with circular dichroism spectroscopic studies, respectively.

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