Biodiversity of cyanobacteria and their bioactive compounds from under-explored Brazilian habitats

• Grant number: 13/50425-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Agreement: AKA
• Principal Investigator: Marli de Fátima Fiore
• Grantee: Marli de Fátima Fiore
• Principal researcher abroad: Kaarina Sivonen
• Institution abroad: University of Helsinki, Finland
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cyanobacteria are interesting ancient diverse organisms with a great future in biotechnology. They produce a large number of biomedically interesting bioactive compounds as well as have good prospects in bioenergy field. In this project, we will investigate molecular and cultivable cyanobacterial biodiversity from diverse habitats in Brazil. We will isolate strains to form a biobank and utilize cyanobacterial strains to screen and identify new bioactive compounds, their biosynthetic genes and enzymes. The Brazilian and Finnish teams have complementary expertise and will join forces to reveal cyanobacterial, bioactive compound and biosynthetic gene diversity in the state of Sao Paolo. The outcomes of the project will be taxonomically new cyanobacteria, information on the biodiversity of cyanobacteria from diverse environments, novel bioactive compounds for drug leads and cell reagents, new biosynthetic pathways and novel enzymes, database products of LC-MS fragmentation patters of the compounds, which can be used to exclude the known compounds and focus novelty in the future research. The biobank of cyanobacteria is a natural resource which could be utilized for the benefit of the country for years to come. One of the major ecosystem services provided by the cyanobacteria is the production of new bioactive compounds, drug leads for combatting serious human diseases. We will map the environments likely to yield to highest diversity of cyanobacteria and their metabolites for benefit of future targeted searches for novel natural products. (AU)

Scientific publications

(15)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ALVARENGA, DANILLO OLIVEIRA; DINI ANDREOTE, ANA PAULA; ZANINI BRANCO, LUIS HENRIQUE; DELBAJE, ENDREWS; CRUZ, RENATA BEATRIZ; VARANI, ALESSANDRO DE MELLO; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA. Amazonocrinis nigriterrae gen. nov., sp. nov., Atlanticothrix silvestris gen. nov., sp. nov. and Dendronalium phyllosphericum gen. nov., sp. nov., nostocacean cyanobacteria from Brazilian environments. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY, v. 71, n. 5, 2021. (13/50425-8, 09/15402-1, 11/08092-6)

ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; FIORE, MARLI F.; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.. A Metagenomic Approach to Cyanobacterial Genomics. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 8, MAY 9 2017. (11/08092-6, 13/50425-8, 15/14600-5)

HECK, KARINA; ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; SHISHIDO, TANIA K.; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.; DORR, FELIPE A.; PINTO, ERNANI; ROUHIAINEN, LEO; JOKELA, JOUNI; SIVONEN, KAARINA; FIORE, MARLI F.. Biosynthesis of microcystin hepatotoxins in the cyanobacterial genus Fischerella. Toxicon, v. 141, p. 43-50, JAN 2018. (14/50420-9, 11/08092-6, 13/50425-8)

JOKELA, JOUNI; HEINILA, LASSI M. P.; SHISHIDO, TANIA K.; WAHLSTEN, MATTI; FEWER, DAVID P.; FIORE, MARLI F.; WANG, HAO; HAAPANIEMI, ESA; PERMI, PERTTU; SIVONEN, KAARINA. Production of High Amounts of Hepatotoxin Nodularin and New Protease Inhibitors Pseudospumigins by the Brazilian Benthic Nostoc sp CENA543. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 8, OCT 9 2017. (13/50425-8)

GAMA, WATSON ARANTES; RIGONATO, JANAINA; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA; SANT'ANNA, CELIA LEITE. New insights into Chroococcus (Cyanobacteria) and two related genera: Cryptococcum gen. nov. and Inacoccus gen. nov.. European Journal of Phycology, v. 54, n. 3, APR 2019. (12/16430-1, 13/50425-8)

SHISHIDO, TANIA K.; JOKELA, JOUNI; FEWER, DAVID P.; WAHLSTEN, MATTI; FIORE, MARLI F.; SIVONEN, KAARINA. Simultaneous Production of Anabaenopeptins and Namalides by the Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp CENA543. ACS Chemical Biology, v. 12, n. 11, p. 2746-2755, NOV 2017. (13/50425-8)

GENUARIO, DIEGO BONALDO; DINI ANDREOTE, ANA PAULA; MARCAL VIEIRA VAZ, MARCELO GOMES; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA. Heterocyte-forming cyanobacteria from Brazilian saline-alkaline lakes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, v. 109, p. 105-112, APR 2017. (10/00321-3, 13/50425-8, 10/18732-0, 14/26131-7, 09/15402-1)

LIMA, STELLA T.; FALLON, TIMOTHY R.; CORDOZA, JENNIFER L.; CHEKAN, JONATHAN R.; DELBAJE, ENDREWS; HOPIAVUORI, AUSTIN R.; ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; WOOD, STEFFANEY M.; LUHAVAYA, HANNA; BAUMGARTNER, JACKSON T.; et al. Biosynthesis of Guanitoxin Enables Global Environmental Detection in Freshwater Cyanobacteria. Journal of the American Chemical Society, v. N/A, p. 8-pg., 2022-05-18. (11/08092-6, 13/50425-8, 17/06869-0)

RIGONATO, JANAINA; GAMA, WATSON ARANTES; ALVARENGA, DANILLO OLIVEIRA; ZANINI BRANCO, LUIS HENRIQUE; BRANDINI, FREDERICO PEREIRA; GENUARIO, DIEGO BONALDO; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA. Aliterella atlantica gen. nov., sp nov., and Aliterella antarctica sp nov., novel members of coccoid Cyanobacteria. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY, v. 66, p. 9-pg., 2016-08-01. (11/08092-6, 10/00321-3, 12/06850-3, 12/16430-1, 13/50425-8)

RIGONATO, JANAINA; GAMA, WATSON ARANTES; ALVARENGA, DANILLO OLIVEIRA; ZANINI BRANCO, LUIS HENRIQUE; BRANDINI, FREDERICO PEREIRA; GENUARIO, DIEGO BONALDO; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA. Aliterella atlantica gen. nov., sp nov., and Aliterella antarctica sp nov., novel members of coccoid Cyanobacteria. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY, v. 66, n. 8, p. 2853-2861, AUG 2016. (12/16430-1, 10/00321-3, 12/06850-3, 13/50425-8, 11/08092-6)

POPIN, RAFAEL VICENTINI; DELBAJE, ENDREWS; DE ABREU, VINICIUS AUGUSTO CARVALHO; RIGONATO, JANAINA; DORR, FELIPE AUGUSTO; PINTO, ERNANI; SIVONEN, KAARINA; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA. Genomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Natural Products in Nodularia spumigena Isolated from a Shrimp Culture Pond. TOXINS, v. 12, n. 3, MAR 2020. (13/50425-8, 14/50420-9)

SHISHIDO, TANIA KEIKO; POPIN, RAFAEL VICENTINI; JOKELA, JOUNI; WAHLSTEN, MATTI; FIORE, MARLI FATIMA; FEWER, DAVID P.; HERFINDAL, LARS; SIVONEN, KAARINA. Dereplication of Natural Products with Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity from Brazilian Cyanobacteria. TOXINS, v. 12, n. 1, JAN 2020. (13/50425-8)

ALVARENGA, DANILLO O.; FRANCO, MAIONE W.; SIVONEN, KAARINA; FIORE, MARLI F.; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.. Evaluating Eucalyptus leaf colonization by Brasilonema octagenarum (Cyanobacteria, Scytonemataceae) using in planta experiments and genomics. PeerJ, v. 8, MAY 27 2020. (13/50425-8, 15/14600-5, 18/01563-2)

LIMA, STELLA T.; ALYARENGA, DANILLO.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; FEWER, DAVID P.; JOKELA, JOUNI; VARANI, ALESSANDRO M.; SANZ, MIRIAM; DORR, FELIPE A.; PINTO, ERNANI; SIYONEN, KAARINA; et al. Genetic Organization of Anabaenopeptin and Spumigin Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in the Cyanobacterium Sphaerospermopsis torquesreginae ITEP-024. ACS Chemical Biology, v. 12, n. 3, p. 769-778, MAR 2017. (12/25272-0, 14/50420-9, 11/08092-6, 13/50425-8)

ANDREOTE, ANA P. D.; DINI-ANDREOTE, FRANCISCO; RIGONATO, JANAINA; MACHINESKI, GABRIELA SILVA; SOUZA, BRUNO C. E.; BARBIERO, LAURENT; REZENDE-FILHO, ARY T.; FIORE, MARLI F.. Contrasting the Genetic Patterns of Microbial Communities in Soda Lakes with and without Cyanobacterial Bloom. FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, v. 9, FEB 22 2018. (13/20142-4, 13/09192-0, 13/50425-8)