Industrial Applications of Dinoflagellate Phycotoxins Based on Their Modes of Action: A Review.

Dinoflagellates are an important group of phytoplanktons, characterized by two dissimilar flagella and distinctive features of both plants and animals. Dinoflagellate-generated harmful algal blooms (HABs) and associated damage frequently occur in coastal areas, which are concomitant with increasing eutrophication and climate change derived from anthropogenic waste and atmospheric carbon dioxide, respectively. The severe damage and harmful effects of dinoflagellate phycotoxins in the fishing industry have been recognized over the past few decades, and the management and monitoring of HABs have attracted much attention, leaving aside the industrial application of their valuable toxins. Specific modes of action of the organisms' toxins can effectively be utilized for producing beneficial materials, such as Botox and other therapeutic agents. This review aims to explore the potential industrial applications of marine dinoflagellate phycotoxins; furthermore, this review focuses on their modes of action and summarizes the available knowledge on them.

Characterization of a Novel Mannose-Binding Lectin with Antiviral Activities from Red Alga, Grateloupia chiangii.

Lectins have the ability to bind specific carbohydrates and they have potential applications as medical and pharmacological agents. The unique structure and usefulness of red algal lectin have been reported, but these lectins are limited to a few marine algal groups. In this study, a novel mannose-binding lectin from Grateloupia chiangii (G. chiangii lectin, GCL) was purified using antiviral screens and affinity chromatography. We characterized the molecular weight, agglutination activity, hemagglutination activity, and heat stability of GCL. To determine the carbohydrate specificity, a glycan microarray was performed. GCL showed strong binding affinity for Maltohexaose-ß-Sp1 and Maltoheptaose-ß-Sp1 with weak affinity for other monosaccharides and preferred binding to high-mannan structures. The N-terminal sequence and peptide sequence of GCL were determined using an Edman degradation method and LC-MS/MS, and the cDNA and peptide sequences were deduced. GCL was shown to consist of 231 amino acids (24.9 kDa) and the N-terminus methionine was eliminated after translation. GCL possessed a tandem repeat structure of six domains, similar to the other red algal lectins. The mannose binding properties and tandem repeat structure of GCL may confer it the potential to act as an antiviral agent for protection against viral infection.

Characterization of Capsicum annuum recombinant alpha- and beta-tubulin.

There are several conditions which might modulate polymerization to produce polymers having normal lattice structure. In the absence of 1 mM MgCl(2) the assembly was reduced by 36% in Capsicum annuum tubulin (CAnm tubulin). There was no significant difference in the final assembly formation in the presence of 5% to 10% glycerol. However, nucleation rate was slow and apparent study state was achieved lately in the presence of 10% glycerol. Taxol at 100 microM concentration increased 23% tubulin assembly. One millimolar CaCl(2), >or=1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and physiologically low temperature reduced CAnm tubulin assembly. A value of 0.089 mg/ml was obtained as critical concentration for polymerization. Benomyl significantly reduced the number of cysteine residues accessible to 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid); there were 4.77 +/- 0.21 and 3.49 +/- 0.35 residues accessible per tubulin dimer in the presence of 50 and 100 microM benomyl respectively.

Cloning, purification, and polymerization of Capsicum annuum recombinant alpha and beta tubulin.

Alpha and beta tubulin genes were cloned from the Capsicum annuum leaves using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that 1,353 bp Capsicum annuum alpha/beta-tubulin (CAnm alpha/beta-TUB) encodes a protein of 450 amino acids (aa) each. The recombinant alpha/beta tubulin was overexpressed mainly as an inclusion body in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), upon induction with 0.2 mM isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), and its content was as high as 50% of the total protein content. Effective fusion protein purification and refolding are described. The average yields of alpha and beta tubulin were 2.0 and 1.3 mg/l of culture respectively. The apparent molecular weight of each tubulin was estimated to be 55 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The tubulin monomers were found to be assembly competent using a standard dimerization assay, and also retained antigenicity with anti-His/T7 antibodies. The purified tubulins were polymerized to microtubule-like structures in the presence of 2 mM guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP).