By-catch: a chemical universe to be explored

Author(s)

Marcelo Marucci Pereira Tangerina

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Araraquara. 2016-07-12.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Química. Araraquara
• Defense date: 2016-06-27
• Advisor: Wagner Vilegas; Wagner Cotroni Valenti

Abstract

The by-catch fauna of the shrimp fishery includes a number of marine invertebrates that are discarded because they do not have commercial value. In order to try to add some value to these materials, we analyzed the chemical composition of the starfish Luidia senegalensis collected in the Brazilian coast as a consequence of the trawling fishery method. In order to access their chemical composition, we used a combination of solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-IT-MSn). Luidia senegalensis contains asterosaponins, which are sulphated glycosilated steroids, containing five and six sugar moieties, in addition to polyhydroxysteroids. This study helped us to support the presence of important and potentially bioactive compounds in invertebrates associated to the by-catch fauna of the shrimp fishery, using a fast and efficient method. Typically discarded, by-catch contains many invertebrates that may host a great variety of bacterial genera, some of which may produce bioactive natural products with biotechnological applications. Therefore, to utilize by-catch that is usually discarded we explored the biotechnological potential of culturable bacteria of two abundant by-catch invertebrate species, the snail Olivancillaria urceus and the sea star Luidia senegalensis. Sediment from the collection area was also investigated. Utilizing multiple isolation approaches 134 isolates were obtained from the invertebrates and sediment. Small subunit rRNA (16S) gene sequencing revealed that the isolates belonged to Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria phyla and were distributed among 28 genera. Several genera known for their capacity to produce bioactive natural products (Micromonospora, Streptomyces, Serinicoccus and Verrucosispora) were retrieved from the invertebrate samples. To query the bacterial isolates for their ability to produce bioactive metabolites all strains were fermented and fermentation extracts profiled by LC-HRMS and tested for antimicrobial activity. Four strains exhibited antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus warneri. The production of secondary metabolites was assessed using a LC-HRMS-based metabolomics approach, where it was evaluated how differences in media composition can alter the production of chemical compounds. We used metabolomics as a tool to investigate the production of abyssomicins, an anticancer agent, and other secondary metabolites in three strains of the rare actinomycete Verrucosispora maris, all marine isolates from a sediment sample and associated to a starfish from the species Luidia senegalensis of Ubatuba – SP, Brazil. Nine different media compositions were evaluated and it was found that, among all strains, only RKMT_111 was capable of producing abyssomicins. The media composition study revealed that the production of abyssomicins was only achievable in BFM-11m. Although the three strains belong to the same species and the same location, it is worthwhile noticing that each isolate showed different capability for production of secondary metabolites. The products of fermentation of Erythrobacter vulgaris were evaluated using preparative HPLC, LC-HRMS and NMR techniques. Bacterial strain was isolated by drystamp method from a marine sediment sample from the coast of Ubatuba-SP, Brazil. After fully 16S rDNA sequence and identification, the marine isolate was fermented in large-scale, extracted and the compounds purified through HPLC-MS. Analysis of LC-HRMS and NMR of the isolated compounds led to the identification of two new cholic acid derivatives, 3- acetyl-glycocholic acid and 3-acetyl-glycodeoxycholic acid. Both new compounds may have been produced by the biotransformation of glycocholic acid and deoxycholic acid, respectively, already present in the cultivation medium. This is the first report of such compounds and also the first time an acylation has been observed for an Erythrobacter vulgaris marine isolate. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/23159-0 - By-Catch: A Chemical Universe to be Explored
• Grantee: Marcelo Marucci Pereira Tangerina
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate