Microplastic pollution in the gastrointestinal tract of giant river catfish Sperata seenghala (Sykes, 1839) from the Meghna River, Bangladesh.

Freshwater rivers are considered the major route for microplastics (MPs), yet limited studies have been reported on MPs in freshwater river fish, especially in Bangladesh. This research reveals the intake of MPs by the giant river catfish Sperata seenghala, collected from the Meghna River, which is the only outlet of the Ganges-Brahmaputra River. Three locations, namely, Chandpur Sadar, Bhola Sadar, and Char Fasson, along the Meghna River, were selected in order to investigate the gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) of the fish. Ninety percent (n=27) of fish (n=30) were contaminated, with fragment-shaped MPs (65%) as the most abundant among the four types. A total of 179 MP particles were detected using micro-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (µ-FTIR), with an average of 5.96 ± 1.32 MP particles per fish. Among the four size groups, the highest proportion of MPs (54%) occurred in the 45-100 µm group; the dominant color among the seven color groups was white (30%). The highest quantity of MPs was found in the relatively densely populated Chandpur Sadar region. Polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer (PP-PE, 23%) was proportionally dominant among the 15 types. No significant relationship was found between the total number of observed MPs and the GIT weight. This study will help us to understand MP pollution in S. seenghala that may transmit to the human body through the food chain.

New dihydronaphthothiophene derivatives by the biological transformation of seriniquinone using marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces albogriseolus OM27-12.

Seriniquinone was originally isolated as a melanoma-selective anti-cancer agent from a culture broth of marine bacteria. Pharmacological studies on its selectivity and unique target are ongoing. A new dihydronaphthothiophene (1) was synthesized by the biological transformation of seriniquinone using marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces albogriseolus OM27-12, and its derivatives (2-4) were chemically synthesized. Compounds 1-4 exhibited selective cytotoxic activity against melanoma and improved solubility.

Development of an in vivo-mimic silkworm infection model with Mycobacterium avium complex.

In vivo-mimic silkworm infection models with Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare were newly established to evaluate the therapeutic effects of anti-M. avium complex (MAC) antibiotics. Silkworms raised at 37°C died within 72 hours of an injection of M. avium or M.intracellulare (2.5 × 107 colony-forming unit (CFU)/larva·g) into the hemolymph. Clinical anti-mycobacterial (tuberculosis) antibiotics were evaluated under these conditions. Clarithromycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin exerted therapeutic effects in a dose-dependent manner, which was consistent with those in the mouse model. Furthermore, three effective actinomycete culture broths were selected in the screening program of our microbial broth library using the silkworm model, and four active metabolites, ohmyungsamycins A and B (1 and 2), chartreusin (3), and griseoviridin (4), were identified. Among these compounds, 1 showed the lowest 50% effective dose (ED50) value (8.5 µg/larva·g), while 3 had the best ED50/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio (7.4). These results indicate that silkworm models are a useful tool for identifying anti-MAC antibiotics candidates with veritable therapeutic effects.

Streptomyces otsuchiensis sp. nov., a biosurfactant-producing actinobacterium isolated from marine sediment.

A novel actinobacterium producing biosurfactant, designated OTB305T, was isolated from marine sediment sampled at Otsuchi Bay, Iwate Prefecture, Japan and its taxonomic position was examined using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences exhibited that strain OTB305T was closely related to Streptomyces bohaiensis JCM 19630T (98.8 %) and Streptomyces lonarensis DSM 42084T (98.8 %). The chemotaxonomic characteristics of strain OTB305T corresponded to those of the genus Streptomyces as follows: the diamino acid of the cell-wall peptidoglycan was ll-diaminopimelic acid; whole-cell hydrolysates contained glucose and lacked characteristic major sugars; the predominant isoprenoid quinones were MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6); the polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and an unidentified phospholipid; the major cellular fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0, C16 : 0 and C16 : 1 ω7c; and the genomic DNA G+C content was 72.83 mol%. However, genomic relatedness analysis based on the average nucleotide identity and some phenotypic characteristics revealed that strain OTB305T was distinguished from closely related Streptomyces species. Therefore, strain OTB305T represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces otsuchiensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is OTB305T (=NBRC 113255T=TBRC 9682T).

Akazamicin, a cytotoxic aromatic polyketide from marine-derived Nonomuraea sp.

In our screening program on marine-derived actinomycetes, Nonomuraea sp. AKA32 isolated from deep-sea water collected from a depth of 800 m in Sagami Bay, Japan was found to produce compounds cytotoxic to cancer cells. Activity-guided purification led to the isolation of a new aromatic polyketide, akazamicin (1), along with two known compounds, actinofuranone C (2) and N-formylanthranilic acid (3). Structures of these compounds were elucidated through the interpretation of NMR and MS spectroscopic data. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 displayed cytotoxicity against murine B16 melanoma cell line with the IC50 value of 1.7, 1.2, and 25 µM, respectively.

Lysinimicrobium sediminis sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from estuary sediment.

A novel Gram-stain-positive actinobacterium, designated HT7-17T, was isolated from a sediment sample collected from the estuary of the Tama River, Japan, and its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons revealed that strain HT7-17T was closely related to members of the genus Lysinimicrobium, with a similarity range of 97.1-98.2 %. The peptidoglycan type of strain HT7-17T was A4α, the predominant menaquinone was demethylmenaquinone DMK-9(H4) and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, C16 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 69.9 mol%. These chemotaxonomic features corresponded to those of the genus Lysinimicrobium. Meanwhile, the differences in some phenotypic characteristics, along with the result of DNA-DNA hybridization, indicated that strain HT7-17T should be distinguished from the recognized species of the genus Lysinimicrobium. Therefore, strain HT7-17T represents a novel species of the genus Lysinimicrobium, for which the name Lysinimicrobium sediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is HT7-17T (=NBRC 112286T=TBRC 7037T).

Hyaluromycin, a new hyaluronidase inhibitor of polyketide origin from marine Streptomyces sp.

Hyaluromycin (1), a new member of the rubromycin family of antibiotics, was isolated from the culture extract of a marine-derived Streptomyces sp. as a HAase inhibitor on the basis of HAase activity screening. The structure of 1 was elucidated through the interpretation of NMR data for the compound and its 3″-O-methyl derivative in combination with an incorporation experiment with [1,2-13C2]acetate. The compound's absolute configuration was determined by the comparison of its circular dichroism (CD) spectrum with those of other rubromycins. Hyaluromycin (1) consists of a γ-rubromycin core structure possessing a 2-amino-3-hydroxycyclopent-2-enone (C5N) unit as an amide substituent of the carboxyl function; both structural units have been reported only from actinomycetes. Hyaluromycin (1) displayed approximately 25-fold more potent hyaluronidase inhibitory activity against hyaluronidase than did glycyrrhizin, a known inhibitor of plant origin.