Marine Cellulases and their Biotechnological Significance from Industrial Perspectives.

Marine microorganisms represent virtually unlimited sources of novel biological compounds and can survive extreme conditions. Cellulases, a group of enzymes that are able to degrade cellulosic materials, are in high demand in various industrial and biotechnological applications, such as in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, food, fuel, agriculture, and single-cell protein, and as probiotics in aquaculture. The cellulosic biopolymer is a renewable resource and is a linearly arranged polysaccharide of glucose, with repeating units of disaccharide connected via ß-1,4-glycosidic bonds, which are broken down by cellulase. A great deal of biodiversity resides in the ocean, and marine systems produce a wide range of distinct, new bioactive compounds that remain available but dormant for many years. The marine environment is filled with biomass from known and unknown vertebrates and invertebrate microorganisms, with much potential for use in medicine and biotechnology. Hence, complex polysaccharides derived from marine sources are a rich resource of microorganisms equipped with enzymes for polysaccharides degradation. Marine cellulases' extracts from the isolates are tested for their functional role in degrading seaweed and modifying wastes to low molecular fragments. They purify and renew environments by eliminating possible feedstocks of pollution. This review aims to examine the various types of marine cellulase producers and assess the ability of these microorganisms to produce these enzymes and their subsequent biotechnological applications.

Altered Expression of MBNL Family of Alternative Splicing Factors in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Colorectal cancer is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths and recently, alternative splicing has risen as its important regulator and potential treatment target. In the present study, we analyzed gene expression of the MBNL family of regulators of alternative splicing in various stages of colorectal cancer development, together with the MBNL-target splicing events in FOXP1 and EPB41L3 genes and tumor-related CD44 variants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of tumor tissue and non-malignant mucosa from 108 patients were collected. After RNA isolation and reverse transcription, the relative gene expression of a selected gene panel was tested by quantitative real-time PCR, followed by statistical analysis. RESULTS: MBNL expression was decreased in tumor tissue compared to non-tumor mucosa. In addition, lower expression was observed for the variants of FOXP1 and EPB41L3, while higher expression in tumor tissue was detected both for total CD44 and its cancer-related variants 3 and 6. Transcript levels of the MBNL genes were not found to be related to any of the studied clinicopathological characteristics. Multiple significant associations were identified in the target gene panel, including higher transcript levels of FOXP1 and CD44v3 in patients with distant metastases and connections between recurrence-free survival and altered levels of FOXP1 and CD44v3. CONCLUSION: Our results identified for the first-time deregulation of MBNL genes in colorectal cancer. Down-regulation of their transcripts in tumor tissue compared to matched non-tumor mucosa can lead to transition of alternative splicing patterns towards a less differentiated phenotype, which highlights the importance of alternative splicing regulation for tumor growth and propagation.

In vitro study of the scolicidal effects of Echinometra mathaei spine and shell extracts on hydatid cyst protoscolices.

Hydatid cyst is a zoonotic parasitic infection caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Such infections are of considerable public health and economic concern, and new effective treatments are intensely sought. Sea urchin (Salmacis virgulata) shell extracts have potent antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, and spines of several species of echinoderms also show antimicrobial activity. In the present in vitro study, we investigated the scolicidal effect of spines and shells extractions from Echinometra mathaei obtained from the Persian Gulf. Spines and shells from the sea urchin, Echinometra mathaei were used in the tests. Spines and shells from 800 specimens were extracted with dibasic sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.5). Procedures used protoscolices of E. granulosus were obtained aseptically from hydatid cyst in naturally infected sheep's liver and goats and viable protoscolices exposed with spine and shell extractions. The apoptosis was assessed by measuring the caspase 3 activity of the extract-treated protoscolices, using ELISA-based commercial kits to determine caspase activity. The scolicidal effects of shells were also showed, 20 µg/ml of shell extracts after 60 min exposure, the viability of protoscolices were 21.99 ±â€¯0.01. The results showed that 20 µg/ml of spines gave maximum scolicidal activity (p < 0.05). This study represents the first attempt at combatting echinoid parasites by natural compounds with high efficiency, and may provide a base for future treatment of hydatid cysts.