Antiretroviral activity in a marine red alga: reverse transcriptase inhibition by an aqueous extract of Schizymenia pacifica.

An aqueous extract from the marine red alga, Schizymenia pacifica has been tested in a cell free system for its effect on reverse transcriptase from avian retrovirus (avian myeloblastosis virus), and mammalian retrovirus (Rauscher murine leukemia virus). The extract inhibited reverse transcriptase from both these retroviruses but showed almost no effect, if any, on the activity of cellular DNA polymerase alpha and RNA polymerase II in vitro. Consequently it is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the growth of cultured cell. The inhibitory activity of the extract was stable over a relatively wide pH range (pH 1-11) and was not lost after pronase digestion. Inhibitory activity of the extract was lost after boiling at 100 degrees C in 0.67 N HCl, and after treatment with 100 mM NaIO4. The active principle in the extract has an apparent molecular weight in excess of 100,000 daltons. This new reverse transcriptase inhibitor is probably a polysaccharide.

REPRODUCTION IN ZONARIA FARLOWII II. CYTOLOGY AND ULTRASTRUCTURE(1).

The development of spores and eggs of Zonaria farlowii was studied with light and electron microscopy. Oogonia require a lunar month to develop and are produced in periodic crops. The sporangia, on the other hand, are longer in developing and on a particular plant do not become mature all at the same time. Differences in size, content, and products of sporangia and oogonia have been found. One of the quantifiable differences is in the amount of osmiophilic substance, presumably oil, present in the 2 cells. This substance is more abundant in the sporangium, a cell which produces 8 reproductive spores. These differences are particularly interesting since the embryology of sporic and zygotic germlings has been found to be identical, while ontogeny of spores and eggs differs. The findings of this study are discussed in view of possible relationships between microstrtrclitral features of spores and fertilized eggs and their subsequent development.

Purification and characterization of an avian myeloblastosis and human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase inhibitor, sulfated polysaccharides extracted from sea algae.

A new reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor was extracted and purified from the red alga Schizymenia pacifica. The chromatographic behavior and chemical properties of this sea algal extract (SAE) suggest that it is a sulfated polysaccharide having a molecular weight of approximately 2,000,000. SAE is composed of galactose (73%), sulfonate (20%), and 3,6-anhydrogalactose (0.65%). SAE is a member of the lambda-carrageenan family, based on its infrared spectrum and products of hydrolysis. SAE selectively inhibited human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RT and replication in vitro. When MT-4 cells were treated with more than 10(4) inhibitory units (IU) of SAE per ml after HIV infection, significant inhibition of viral antigen synthesis was observed. Furthermore, more than 90% of cells were viable in the cultures exposed to 4 X 10(4) to 8 X 10(4) IU of SAE per ml, while almost all the MT-4 cells in the control culture had died by 10 days after HIV infection. The inhibitory effect of SAE on HIV replication was confirmed by plaque reduction assays. The 50% inhibitory dose of SAE was 9.5 x 10(3) IU/ml. Chondroitin sulfate A, dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate, keratan polysulfate, and heparin also inhibited the RT of avian myeloblastosis virus. SAE immediately inhibited RT activity when added to an assay mixture after the start of the reaction.