Building a Discovery Partnership with Sarawak Biodiversity Centre: A Gateway to Access Natural Products from the Rainforests

Yeo, Tiong Chia; Naming, Margarita; Manurung, Rita

doi:10.2174/1386207317666140109114553

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…The jungles of Sarawak are considered un-mined treasure-troves of plant species with medicinal properties that are freely available to the animal species living there, including the macaque reservoir of P . knowlesi [ 49 ]. Selection at Plasmodium loci, that have evolved to eliminate natural toxins, then assumes biological relevance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasmodium knowlesi Genome Sequences from Clinical Isolates Reveal Extensive Genomic Dimorphism

et al. 2015

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Plasmodium knowlesi is a newly described zoonosis that causes malaria in the human population that can be severe and fatal. The study of P. knowlesi parasites from human clinical isolates is relatively new and, in order to obtain maximum information from patient sample collections, we explored the possibility of generating P. knowlesi genome sequences from archived clinical isolates. Our patient sample collection consisted of frozen whole blood samples that contained excessive human DNA contamination and, in that form, were not suitable for parasite genome sequencing. We developed a method to reduce the amount of human DNA in the thawed blood samples in preparation for high throughput parasite genome sequencing using Illumina HiSeq and MiSeq sequencing platforms. Seven of fifteen samples processed had sufficiently pure P. knowlesi DNA for whole genome sequencing. The reads were mapped to the P. knowlesi H strain reference genome and an average mapping of 90% was obtained. Genes with low coverage were removed leaving 4623 genes for subsequent analyses. Previously we identified a DNA sequence dimorphism on a small fragment of the P. knowlesi normocyte binding protein xa gene on chromosome 14. We used the genome data to assemble full-length Pknbpxa sequences and discovered that the dimorphism extended along the gene. An in-house algorithm was developed to detect SNP sites co-associating with the dimorphism. More than half of the P. knowlesi genome was dimorphic, involving genes on all chromosomes and suggesting that two distinct types of P. knowlesi infect the human population in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. We use P. knowlesi clinical samples to demonstrate that Plasmodium DNA from archived patient samples can produce high quality genome data. We show that analyses, of even small numbers of difficult clinical malaria isolates, can generate comprehensive genomic information that will improve our understanding of malaria parasite diversity and pathobiology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasmodium knowlesi Genome Sequences from Clinical Isolates Reveal Extensive Genomic Dimorphism

et al. 2015

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“…The discovery of novel species of microbes from unique ecosystems with rich biodiversity contributes significantly to scientific knowledge of natural products. Capitalizing on the abundant and diverse biological resources available, the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre has been building a natural product library for the discovery of novel compounds (Yeo et al , 2014). A strategy undertaken is the exploration of unique ecosystems in Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo.…”

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confidence: 99%

Luteipulveratus halotolerans sp. nov., an actinobacterium (Dermacoccaceae) from forest soil

Juboi

Basik

Shamsul

et al. 2015

International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology

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The taxonomic position of an actinobacterium strain, C296001 T , isolated from a soil sample collected in Sarawak, Malaysia, was established using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetically, strain C296001 T was closely associated with the genus Luteipulveratus and formed a distinct monophyletic clade with the only described species, Luteipulveratus mongoliensis NBRC 105296 T. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain C296001 T and L. mongoliensis was 98.7 %. DNA-DNA hybridization results showed that the relatedness of strain C296001 T to L. mongoliensis was only 21.5 %. The DNA G+C content of strain C296001 T was 71.7 mol%. Using a PacBio RS II system, whole genome sequences for strains C296001 T and NBRC 105296 T were obtained. The genome sizes of 4.5 Mbp and 5.4 Mbp determined were similar to those of other members of the family Dermacoccaceae. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained lysine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and serine, representing the peptidoglycan type A4a L-Lys-L-Ser-D-Asp. The major menaquinones were MK-8(H 4), MK-8 and MK-8(H 2). Phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphoglycolipid were the polar lipids, while the whole-cell sugars were glucose, fucose and lesser amounts of ribose and galactose. The major fatty acids were iso-C 16 : 0 , anteiso-C 17 : 0 , iso-C 16 : 1 H, anteiso-C 17 : 1 v9c, iso-C 18 : 0 and 10-methyl C 17 : 0 .Chemotaxonomic analyses showed that C296001 T had typical characteristics of members of the genus Luteipulveratus, with the main differences occurring in phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic evidence, it is proposed that strain C296001 T be classified as a representative of a novel species in the genus Luteipulveratus, for which the name Luteipulveratus halotolerans sp. nov. is recommended. The type strain is C296001 T (5ATCC TSD-4 T 5JCM 30660 T).

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“…However, few studies have been conducted scientifically to prove the efficacy and safety of these traditional remedies. On a mission to decode the biodiversity in Sarawak rainforest, we (Sarawak Biodiversity Center) have been collecting samples to establish a plant extract library that contains both local plant species and microbial extracts for collaborators all around the world to uncover the chemical and scientific principles behind their purported medical and health-promoting benefits ( 8 ). As such, we have developed high throughput assays to study the starch hydrolase inhibitory potentials of the plant extracts ( 9 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inhibition Effect of Extract of Psychotria viridiflora Stem on α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase and Its Application in Lowering the Digestibility of Noodles

et al. 2021

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A collection of tropical medicinal plants from East Malaysia's rainforests are used by indigenous tribes for their curative properties. Despite their purported healing properties, these forest plant species are largely unexplored and hence remain virtually unknown to the outside world. In this study, antidiabetic properties of Psychotria viridiflora, a plant used to treat diabetes by a local community in Sarawak, Malaysia were investigated. Ethyl acetate (EA) extract of P. viridiflora stem was found to exhibit high starch hydrolase inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 15.4 ± 2.1 μg/ml against porcine α-amylase and an IC50 value of 32.4 ± 3.7 μg/ml against rat intestinal α-glucosidase. A complex mixture of A-type oligomeric proanthocyanidins containing (epi)fisetinidol, (epi)afzelechin, (epi)guibourtinidol, and (epi)catechin were found. These compounds may be responsible for the starch hydrolase inhibition activity. Ethyl acetate (EA) extract of P. viridiflora stem was incorporated into wheat and rice flour to reformulate noodles with slow digestibility and was assessed under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions. A dose-dependent effect on digestibility was observed for both noodles upon incorporation of 1-6% (w/w) of EA extract, with noodles containing 6% (w/w) extract exhibiting the greatest reduction in digestibility. As compared to rice noodles containing 6% extract (31.16% inhibition), wheat noodles with the same extract concentration had a smaller decline in digestibility (27.25% inhibition) after 180 min. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of P. viridiflora in the prevention of postprandial hyperglycaemia.

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Building a Discovery Partnership with Sarawak Biodiversity Centre: A Gateway to Access Natural Products from the Rainforests

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Plasmodium knowlesi Genome Sequences from Clinical Isolates Reveal Extensive Genomic Dimorphism

Plasmodium knowlesi Genome Sequences from Clinical Isolates Reveal Extensive Genomic Dimorphism

Luteipulveratus halotolerans sp. nov., an actinobacterium (Dermacoccaceae) from forest soil

Inhibition Effect of Extract of Psychotria viridiflora Stem on α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase and Its Application in Lowering the Digestibility of Noodles

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