Production of High Amounts of Hepatotoxin Nodularin and New Protease Inhibitors Pseudospumigins by the Brazilian Benthic Nostoc sp. CENA543

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology 2017-10, Vol.8, p.1963-1963
• Main Authors: Jokela, Jouni, Heinilä, Lassi M P, Shishido, Tânia K, Wahlsten, Matti, Fewer, David P, Fiore, Marli F, Wang, Hao, Haapaniemi, Esa, Permi, Perttu, Sivonen, Kaarina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: biosynthesis; cyanobacteria; Microbiology; nodularin; Nostoc; spumigin
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01963

is a cyanobacterial genus, common in soils and a prolific producer of natural products. This research project aimed to explore and characterize Brazilian cyanobacteria for new bioactive compounds. Here we report the production of hepatotoxins and new protease inhibitors from benthic sp. CENA543 isolated from a small, shallow, saline-alkaline lake in the Nhecolândia, Pantanal wetland area in Brazil. sp. CENA543 produces exceptionally high amounts of nodularin-R. This is the first free-living that produces nodularin at comparable levels as the toxic, bloom-forming, . We also characterized pseudospumigins A-F, which are a novel family of linear tetrapeptides. Pseudospumigins are structurally related to linear tetrapeptide spumigins and aeruginosins both present in but differ in respect to their diagnostic amino acid, which is Ile/Leu/Val in pseudospumigins, Pro/mPro in spumigins, and Choi in aeruginosins. The pseudospumigin gene cluster is more similar to the spumigin biosynthetic gene cluster than the aeruginosin gene cluster. Pseudospumigin A inhibited trypsin (IC 4.5 μM after 1 h) in a similar manner as spumigin E from but was almost two orders of magnitude less potent. This study identifies another location and environment where the hepatotoxic nodularin has the potential to cause the death of eukaryotic organisms.