Bioactive molecules from protists: Perspectives in biotechnology

Vallesi, Adriana; Pucciarelli, Sandra; Buonanno, Federico; Fontana, Angelo; Mangiagalli, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2020.125720

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Organisms from Antarctic seawater are investigated as sources of materials and biomolecules for application in biotechnology and health care [11][12][13][14][15]. In this frame, we studied Antarctic bacteria and unicellular eukaryotes sampled at Terranova Bay to obtain cold-active enzymes and antifreeze proteins [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endolysins from Antarctic Pseudomonas Display Lysozyme Activity at Low Temperature

2020

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Organisms specialized to thrive in cold environments (so-called psychrophiles) produce enzymes with the remarkable ability to catalyze chemical reactions at low temperature. Cold activity relies on adaptive changes in the proteins’ sequence and structural organization that result in high conformational flexibility. As a consequence of flexibility, several such enzymes are inherently heat sensitive. Cold-active enzymes are of interest for application in a number of bioprocesses, where cold activity coupled with easy thermal inactivation can be of advantage. We describe the biochemical and functional properties of two glycosyl hydrolases (named LYS177 and LYS188) of family 19 (GH19), identified in the genome of an Antarctic marine Pseudomonas. Molecular evolutionary analysis placed them in a group of characterized GH19 endolysins active on lysozyme substrates, such as peptidoglycan. Enzyme activity peaks at about 25–35 °C and 40% residual activity is retained at 5 °C. LYS177 and LYS188 are thermolabile, with Tm of 52 and 45 °C and half-lives of 48 and 12 h at 37 °C, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses suggest that low heat stability may be associated to temperature-driven increases in local flexibility occurring mainly in a specific region of the polypeptide that is predicted to contain hot spots for aggregation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endolysins from Antarctic Pseudomonas Display Lysozyme Activity at Low Temperature

2020

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“…However, some bioactive compounds have been identified as having enzymatic potential in industrial applications and food supplements, and secondary metabolites with potential in drug discovery. There is mounting evidence about the potential discovery of interesting molecules in protists [97]. One such example comes from social amoebae, where Dictyostelium discoideum produces terpene cyclases [98].…”

Section: Other Microorganismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Past to Present: Biotechnology in Mexico Using Algae and Fungi

Valle

Scheckhuber

2021

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Algae and fungi share a rich history in the fields of basic and applied natural science. In biotechnology, in particular, algae and fungi are of paramount importance, due to the production and development of valuable compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, enzymes, and biofuels. They are also used in waste fermentation, biocontrol of pathogens, and food processing and improvement, among other fields. Although a substantial number of different microorganisms are utilized for these purposes, there lies tremendous potential in uncharacterized microbial species. For this reason, biodiversity hotspots offer a wealth of potential in the discovery of new products and processing strategies based on these microorganisms. This review presents an overview of the use of algae and fungi in pre-Hispanic times/modern-day Mexico for the benefits of mankind. One of our objectives is to raise awareness about the potential of developing research projects for identification and biotechnological utilization of algae and fungi in a megadiverse country, such as Mexico.

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“…In addition, microbes sometimes secrete ice-nucleating proteins and antifreeze-like proteins which impair ice crystal formation in the cells [6]. Most importantly, psychrophiles synthesize enzymes that efficiently work at low temperature [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the last decades, research on enzymes produced by psychrophiles has exploded, as they constitute a tremendous potential in industrial application [7,8]. Psychrophilic enzymes are often characterized by high activities and reaction rates at low temperatures, and by decreased temperature stability compared to their mesophilic and thermophilic counterparts [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An In-Silico Comparative Study of Lipases from the Antarctic Psychrophilic Ciliate Euplotes focardii and the Mesophilic Congeneric Species Euplotes crassus: Insight into Molecular Cold-Adaptation

et al. 2021

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Cold-adapted enzymes produced by psychrophilic organisms have elevated catalytic activities at low temperatures compared to their mesophilic counterparts. This is largely due to amino acids changes in the protein sequence that often confer increased molecular flexibility in the cold. Comparison of structural changes between psychrophilic and mesophilic enzymes often reveal molecular cold adaptation. In the present study, we performed an in-silico comparative analysis of 104 hydrolytic enzymes belonging to the family of lipases from two evolutionary close marine ciliate species: The Antarctic psychrophilic Euplotes focardii and the mesophilic Euplotes crassus. By applying bioinformatics approaches, we compared amino acid composition and predicted secondary and tertiary structures of these lipases to extract relevant information relative to cold adaptation. Our results not only confirm the importance of several previous recognized amino acid substitutions for cold adaptation, as the preference for small amino acid, but also identify some new factors correlated with the secondary structure possibly responsible for enhanced enzyme activity at low temperatures. This study emphasizes the subtle sequence and structural modifications that may help to transform mesophilic into psychrophilic enzymes for industrial applications by protein engineering.

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Bioactive molecules from protists: Perspectives in biotechnology

Cited by 12 publications

References 102 publications

Endolysins from Antarctic Pseudomonas Display Lysozyme Activity at Low Temperature

Endolysins from Antarctic Pseudomonas Display Lysozyme Activity at Low Temperature

From Past to Present: Biotechnology in Mexico Using Algae and Fungi

An In-Silico Comparative Study of Lipases from the Antarctic Psychrophilic Ciliate Euplotes focardii and the Mesophilic Congeneric Species Euplotes crassus: Insight into Molecular Cold-Adaptation

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