Structure and activity of lobophorins from a turrid mollusk-associated Streptomyces sp.

A novel lumun-lumun sampling methodology was used to obtain a large diversity of micromollusks, including the new species Lienardia totopotens. In turn, from L. totopotens we cultivated a Streptomyces sp. strain that contained new and known spirotetronate polyketides, lobophorins (1-5). The structures were elucidated using spectroscopy, and the compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity to human cells and activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia. Compounds 2-5 showed varying degrees of activity against human cells, M. tuberculosis and B. subtilis in the low µM to mid nM range but were inactive against the other strains, while 1 lacking digitoxose was inactive. Very slight structural changes in 2-5 led to varying antibacterial:cytotoxicity ratios, providing a possible basis to synthesize more selective derivatives.

Microbial distribution and abundance in the digestive system of five shipworm species (Bivalvia: Teredinidae).

Marine bivalves of the family Teredinidae (shipworms) are voracious consumers of wood in marine environments. In several shipworm species, dense communities of intracellular bacterial endosymbionts have been observed within specialized cells (bacteriocytes) of the gills (ctenidia). These bacteria are proposed to contribute to digestion of wood by the host. While the microbes of shipworm gills have been studied extensively in several species, the abundance and distribution of microbes in the digestive system have not been adequately addressed. Here we use Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) and laser scanning confocal microscopy with 16S rRNA directed oligonucleotide probes targeting all domains, domains Bacteria and Archaea, and other taxonomic groups to examine the digestive microbiota of 17 specimens from 5 shipworm species (Bankia setacea, Lyrodus pedicellatus, Lyrodus massa, Lyrodus sp. and Teredo aff. triangularis). These data reveal that the caecum, a large sac-like appendage of the stomach that typically contains large quantities of wood particles and is considered the primary site of wood digestion, harbors only very sparse microbial populations. However, a significant number of bacterial cells were observed in fecal pellets within the intestines. These results suggest that due to low abundance, bacteria in the caecum may contribute little to lignocellulose degradation. In contrast, the comparatively high population density of bacteria in the intestine suggests a possible role for intestinal bacteria in the degradation of lignocellulose.

Turris babylonia; re-evaluation of a species complex and description of Turris assyria, new species.

Turris babylonia (Linnaeus, 1758) is the designated type species of Turris, the nominate genus of the family Turridae. This species has unusual taxonomic significance, since the family Turridae is a large biodiverse group that has been highly problematic in its taxonomy. In this article, we address the identity of Turris babylonia: molecular data presented here and expanded elsewhere demonstrate that two distinctive varieties with divergent shell morphology, both conventionally assigned to Turris babylonia, are in fact different species. We describe one of the forms as Turris assyria, new species. Thus, specimens previously assigned to Turris babylonia now comprise at least two taxa, Turris babylonia and Turris assyria; it remains possible that each is a multi-species complex. Some of the numerous varieties and morphologically divergent forms in each complex may prove not to be conspecific with the two species, each precisely defined in this work by a specific barcode sequence.

Accessing novel conoidean venoms: Biodiverse lumun-lumun marine communities, an untapped biological and toxinological resource.

Cone snail venoms have yielded pharmacologically active natural products of exceptional scientific interest. However, cone snails are a small minority of venomous molluscan biodiversity, the vast majority being tiny venomous morphospecies in the family Turridae. A novel method called lumun-lumun opens access to these micromolluscs and their venoms. Old fishing nets are anchored to the sea bottom for a period of 1-6months and marine biotas rich in small molluscs are established. In a single lumun-lumun community, we found a remarkable gastropod biodiversity (155 morphospecies). Venomous predators belonging to the superfamily Conoidea (36 morphospecies) were the largest group, the majority being micromolluscs in the family Turridae. We carried out an initial analysis of the most abundant of the turrid morphospecies recovered, Clathurella (Lienardia) cincta (Dunker, 1871). In contrast to all cDNA clones characterized from cone snail venom ducts, one of the C. cincta clones identified encoded two different peptide precursors presumably translated from a single mRNA. The prospect of easily accessing so many different morphospecies of venomous marine snails raises intriguing toxinological possibilities: the 36 conoidean morphospecies in this one net alone have the potential to yield thousands of novel pharmacologically active compounds.