SCREENING FOR ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES IN SOME MARINE ALGAE FROM THE FUJIAN COAST OF CHINA WITH THREE DIFFERENT SOLVENTS

Three different solvents viz ethanol, acetone and methanol-toluene (3:1) were used to extract antibiotics from 23 species of marine algae belonging to the Chlomphyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta. Their crude extracts were tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Among them, the ethanol extract showed the strongest activity against the bacteria and fungi tested. Four species of the Rhodophyta (Laurenc/a okamurai, Dasya scoparia, Grateloupia filicina and plocamium telfairiae ) showed a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity. Every solvent extract from the four species was active against all the bacteria tested. The test bacterium Pseudomonas solancearum and the fungus Penicilium citrinum were most sensitive to the extracts of marine algae. In general, the extracts of seaweeds inhibited bacteria more strongly than fungi and species of the Rhodophyta showed the greatest activity against the bacteria and fungi tested.     

SCREENING OF AGGLUTININS IN MARINE ALGAE FROM FUJIAN COAST OF CHINA

Thirty-three species of marine algae belonging to Rhodophyta, Phaeophyta and Chlorophyta from the Fujian coast were examined for agglutinins with different animal and human erythrocytes. Protein extracts from 26 species were active against at least one type of the erythrocytes tested. There were 3 species (Grateloupia imbricata, lshigefoliacea and Entermorpha prolifera) whose extracts could agglutinate all the erythrocytes used. The lowest protein concentration required to produce erythrocyte agglutination varied remarkably, from 3.1μg/ml to 500μg/ml . The strongest activity was found in the agglutina-tion of rabbit erythrocytes by Gloiopeltis furcata extract. Inhibition assays performed with nine mono- and bisaccharides indicated that agglutinations of rabbit erythrocytes by extracts of 7 species were inhibited by one or more types of the sugars assayed. The agglutinating activity shown by extracts of most species wasnot affected when the test solution was heated to 90℃, but was lost at 95℃ - 100℃. A few extracts losttheir activity at 60 RS, 65 RS and 75 RS, respectively.     

TOXICITY OF CHLORINATED BENZENES TO MARINE ALGAE

Towhomcorrespondenceshouldbeaddressed.ImODUcr0NMarinealgaearethemosttwortantprimaryproducersandplayanimPortantroleindetenniningthefateofpersistenthydrophobicorganicchdricaIs(HOCs)inthernarineeresySteIn.TheirhydrophobicnatureresultsinanenhanedassociationwithH0Csintheanwatercolurnn(Swackhameretal.,l993).HOCfateisdowhnatalbytwoproanes,verti-caltransporttobottomsedimentSbydeadCellsandtIansportintothefood-webbyrooplanktongraring.TherelativetoortanceofthetwoproassesdependsonprharyproduCtion…     

The isolation of prophyra-334 from marine algae and its UV-absorption behavior

1 INTRODUCTIONSolar ultraviolet radiation on the earth's surfaceincreases with the depletion of stratospheric ozone(Crutzen, 1992; Kerr and McElroy, 1993; Mad-ronich et al., 1998). Ultraviolet radiation is a highlyactive component of solar spectrum. The excessiveUV radiation has deleterious effects on all plant,animal and microbial groups exposed to solar radia-tion, including the destruction of DNA, proteins andother molecules (Harm, 1980), inhibition of photo-synthesis and growth (W…     

The auxin concentration in sixteen Chinese marine algae

1 INTRODUCTION Auxins are plant hormones. They play impor- tant roles in regulating plant activities, including phototropism, fruit development, root initiation and so on. In early 1940, Thirmann and Scoog (1940) found that auxin was present in more than …     

EFFECTS OF DCMU ON CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE RATIO F685/F735 IN MARINE RED,BROWN AND GREEN ALGAE

The chorophyll fluorescence ratio F685/F735 in vivo can be a useful indicator for stress detection inhigher plants and seaweed. DCMU [3 - (3, 4 - dichlorophenyl ) - 1, 1 - dimethylurea] treatment influencesthis ratio. Th effects of DCMU on F685/F735 of marine red, brown and green algae under excitationlight of different wavelengths were investigted. In the brown algae, Laminaria japonica and Undariapinnatifida,DCMU did not increase this ratio under blue light excitation but increased the ratio slightlyunder excitation by green light. For the red algea, Halymenia sinensis, DCMU increased the ratiomarkedly under both blue and green ligh excitation. The percentage increase could reach 50% (undergreen light excitation) and was due to unequal enhancement at the two emission maxima by DCMU. Afraction of chlorophyll which contributed to fluorescence in the 735 nm region was less sensitive toDCMU and was likely from photosystem I of red algae. In the green alga, Ulva pertusa, DCMU causeda slight increase in F685     

A review of heavy metal adsorption by marine algae

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Antifouling potential of bacteria isolated from a marine biofilm

Marine microorganisms are a new source of natural antifouling compounds. In this study, two bacterial strains, Kytococcus sedentarius QDG-B506 and Bacillus cereus QDG-B509, were isolated from a marine biofilm and identified. The bacteria fermentation broth could exert inhibitory effects on the growth of Skeletonema costatum and barnacle larvae. A procedure was employed to extract and identify the antifouling compounds. Firstly, a toxicity test was conducted by graduated pH and liquid-liquid extraction to determine the optimal extraction conditions. The best extraction conditions were found to be pH 2 and 100% petroleum ether. The EC50 value of the crude extract of K. sedentarius against the test microalgae was 236.7 ± 14.08 μg mL-1, and that of B. cereus was 290.6 ± 27.11 μg mL-1. Secondly, HLB SPE columns were used to purify the two crude extracts. After purification, the antifouling activities of the two extracts significantly increased: the EC50 of the K. sedentarius extract against the test microalgae was 86.4 ± 3.71 μg mL-1, and that of B. cereus was 92.6 ± 1.47 μg mL-1. These results suggest that the metabolites produced by the two bacterial strains are with high antifouling activities and they should be fatty acid compounds. Lastly, GC-MS was used for the structural elucidation of the compounds. The results show that the antifouling compounds produced by the two bacterial strains are myristic, palmitic and octadecanoic acids.     

THE AVAILABILITY OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS TO MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON

The availability of three dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) compounds as nutrient sources for experimentalcultare of three algae was studied. Results indicated that these compounds could be utilized byalgae, and that dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) was first to be uptaken when various forms ofphosphorus (DIP and DOP) co-existed. Dicrateria zhanjiangensis' uptake of sodium glycerophosphatewas faster than that of D-ribose-5-phosphate. The increase of sodium glycerphosphate had little effecton the maximum uptake rate(V_(max)) of Chlorella sp., but increased the semisaturation constant(K_s) remarkably;the photosynthesis rates(PR) of Dicrateria zhanjiangensis and Chlorella sp. were rarely affected byusing various forms of phosphorus in the culture experiments. The possible DOP pathways utilizedby algae are discussed.     

Polyclonal antibodies to light-harvesting CHL-protein of PSII (LHC II) in marine green algaeBryopsis corticulans

Polyc·lonal antibodies raised against LHC II isolated from SDS-solubilizedBryopsis corticulans thylakiod membranes by SDS-PAGE, were characterised by double immunodiffusion, Rocket immunoelectrophoresis and antigen-antibody crossed immunoelectro-phoresis assays showed the antibodies had strong cross-reaction with allB. corticulans LHC II components (even with those which were incubated in boiling water) and showed immunological cross-reactivity with LHC II polypeptides of spinach and the marine green algaCodium fragile. The results suggested that LHC II of different species had similar antigenic determinants and also conservation of amino acid sequences of the polypeptides during evolution, and that the antibodies could cross react with apoproteins of D₂ proteins (which contain P₆₈₀) fromB. corticulans, spinach andC. fragile, but not with apoproteins of P₇₀₀ Chl-proteins. Our results indicated some similarities in primary structure between LHC II of different species, and between LHC II and D₂ proteins of marine green algae and spinach. Our finding that D₂ and P₇₀₀ Chl-proteins are not immunologically related suggested that P₇₀₀ Chl-proteins and D₂ proteins pass through independent evolutionary pathways. Contribution No 1717 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica, This subject was supported by the National Science Foundation of China.     

Antifouling activities of marine bacteria associated with sponge (Sigmadocia sp.)

The present study aimed at assessing the antifouling activity of bacteria associated with marine sponges. A total of eight bacterial strains were isolated from the surface of sponge Sigmadocia sp., of them, SS02, SS05 and SS06 showed inhibitory activity against biofilm-forming bacteria. The extracts of these 3 strains considerably affected the extracellular polymeric substance producing ability and adhesion of biofilm-forming bacterial strains. In addition to disc diffusion assay, microalgal settlement assay was carried out with the extracts mixed with polyurethane wood polish and coated onto stainless steel coupons. The extract of strain SS05 showed strong microalgal settlement inhibitory activity. Strain SS05 was identified as Bacillus cereus based on its 16S rRNA gene. Metabolites of the bacterial strains associated with marine invertebrates promise to be developed into environment-friendly antifouling agents.     

Antitumor and immune regulation activities of the extracts of some Chinese marine invertebrates

Extracts of 21 marine invertebrates belonging to Coelenterata, Mollusca, Annelida, Bryozoa,Echiura, Arthropoda, Echinodermata and Urochordata were screened for the studies on their antitumor and immune regulation activities. Antitumor activity was determined by MTT method and immune regulation activity was studied using T- and B-lymphocytes in mice spleen in vitro. It was found that the n-butanol part of Asterina pectinifera, the acetic ether part of Tubuaria marina, 95% ethanol extract of Acanthochiton rubrolineatus have a high inhibition rate of 96.7%, 63.9% and 50.5% respectively on tumor cell line HL-60 at the concentration of 0.063 mg/ml. The inhibition rate of the acetic ether part of Tubuaria marina on the tumor cell line A-549 is 65,4 % at concentration of 0.063 mg/mL. The 95% ethanol extract of Meretrix meretrix has so outstanding promoting effect on T-lymphocytes that their multiplication increases 25% when the sample concentration is only 1μg/ml. On B-lymphocytes, the 95% extract of Rapana venosa, at concentration of 100μg/ml, has a promotion percentage of 60%. On the other hand, under the condition of no cytotoxic effect, the 95% ethanol extracts of Acanthochiton rubrolineatus and Cellana toreum can reach 92% inhibition rate on T lymphocyte at concentration of 100μg/ml, while the inhibition rate on B lymphocyte of the 95% extract of Acanthochiton rubrolineatus reaches 92% at the same concentration.     

Exopolysaccharides from marine bacteria

Microbial polysaccharides represent a class of important products of growing interest for many sectors of industry. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in isolating new exopolysaccharides (EPSs)-producing bacteria from marine environments, particularly from various extreme marine environments. Many new marine microbial EPSs with novel chemical compositions, properties and structures have been found to have potential applications in fields such as adhesives, textiles, pharmaceuticals and medicine for anti-cancer, food additives, oil recovery and metal removal in mining and industrial waste treatments, etc. This paper gives a brief summary of the information about the EPSs produced by marine bacteria, including their chemical compositions, properties and structures, together with their potential applications in industry.     

A Model Describing the Time Course and Variability in Toxicity of Hydrophobic Chemicals to Aquatic Organisms-Toxicity of chlorinated benzenes to marine algae

The growth of Chlorella marine, Nannochloris oculate, Pyramimonaos sp., Platymonas subcordiformis and Phaeodactylum tricornutum exposed to chlorobenzene, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1, 2, 3, 4-tetrachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene was tested. The Boltzman equation was used to describe organism growth. The time course for uptake of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) by aquatic organisms was expressed by incorporating growth and, if desired, the effect of metabolism into the HOC bioconcentration process. The probability of any given concentration of HOCs in the organisms causing a specified toxic endpoint was expressed with a modified Weibull distribution function. The combined bioconcentration and probability equations were tested with data for time course of incubation of algae exposed to chlorinated benzenes (CBs). A set of parameters, including the uptake rate constant k1, the elimination rate constant k2 and thereafter the bioconcentration factor on a dry weight basis, BCFD, the critical HOC concentration in the organism resulting in a specified toxic endpoint, C*A, and the spread factor, S, could be obtained by fitting only experimental data for percent growth inhibition(%)-time-CB exposure concentration. The average coefficients of variation within CBs were 15.2% for BCFD, 21.0%for k1, 18.3% for k2, 8.1% for C*A and 9.7% for S. The variability in toxicity (such as EC10, EC50, ECg0) derived from the model equations agreed well with those experimentally observed.     

Purification and characterization of 2-haloacid dehalogenase from marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis

2-haloacid dehalogenases constitute a group of dehalogenases which are capable of dehalogenating the halogenated organic compounds. So far, the 2-haloacid dehalogenases have been found in many bacteria, but not in Paracoccus genus. In the present study, one enzyme 2-haloacid dehalogenase(designated as Deh99), induced by DL-2-chloropropionate(DL-2-CPA), was purified from the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. DEH99, isolated from marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis. The enzyme of Deh99 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography(Q-Sepharose HP), and Superdex 200 gel filtration chromatography. The molecular weight of Deh99 was estimated to be 25.0 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), and 50.0 kDa natively by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme of Deh99 stereospecifically dehalogenated L-2-CPA to produce D-lactate, with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant(Km) value of 0.21 mmol L-1 for L-2-CPA. The optimal pH and temperature for Deh99 activity were 10.0 and 40℃, respectively. The enzyme of Deh99 acted on short-carbon-chain 2-haloacids, with the highest activity towards monochloroacetate. The activity of Deh99 was slightly affected by DTT and EDTA, but strongly inhibited by Cu2+ and Zn2+. The enzyme of Deh99 shows unique substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivities compared to previously characterized 2-haloacid dehalogenases and is the reported one about purified 2-haloacid dehalogenase isolated from the bacteria of Paracoccus genus.     

THE BETAINES FROM CHINESE SEAWEEDS

Cation-exchange chromatography was selected to extract and separate betaines from marine algae. On the basis of the special chemical characteristics of the betaines and their analogues,Dragendorff‘ s reagent ( KBiI4 ) was used to test the existence of betaines and their analogues in marine algae. The total content of betaines from seven species was obtained by using the Reinkeate salt precipitation method. The results showed that the content of betaines in two species of Chlorophyta and two species of Rhodophyta were relatively high, and that the content of betaines in Enteromopha prolifera could even reach to 0.9%. The content in the three species of Phaeophyta was relatively low.     

Siderophores from Marine Microorganisms and Their Applications

1　Introduction　Ironisanessentialelementwhichisdifficulttoob tainduetoitslowsolubilityunderthephysiologicalconditions ,anditisalsothemostimportanttransitionmetalionfornearlyalllivingsystems.Manypatho genicbacteriausuallyobtainironfromtheiron bind ingprot…     

Changes of cellular superficial configuration of symbiotic algae during cultivation from two anemones found in the South China Sea

Symbiotic algae from two anemones, Radianthus macrodactylus and Stichodactyla mertensii, found in the South China Sea, were cultivated in ASP-8A medium in this study. Changes of superficial configuration of symbiotic algae during the cultivation were studied by means of a microscope and a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. A number of small cavities appeared on the surfaces of symbiotic algae after they were cultivated for 10 h. The cavities enlarged and the cell contents were lost with extended cultivation. Our data suggested that the presence of cavities on symbiotic algae surfaces may be one of the main reasons for failure to culture symbiotic algae in an artificial medium.