Masashi Tsuda

Amphidinolides, bioactive macrolides from symbiotic marine dinoflagellatesThe authors dedicate this review to the late Professor D. John Faulkner.

This review covers the structures, synthesis, biosynthesis, and bioactivity of a series of cytotoxic macrolides, named amphidinolides, isolated from symbiotic marine dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium which were separated from inside cells of marine flatworms. The structures of long-chain polyketides such as colopsinols isolated from Amphidinium sp. are also described.

A platform for designing hyperpolarized magnetic resonance chemical probes

Hyperpolarization is a highly promising technique for improving the sensitivity of magnetic resonance chemical probes. Here we report [15N, D9]trimethylphenylammonium as a platform for designing a variety of hyperpolarized magnetic resonance chemical probes. The platform structure shows a remarkably long 15N spin–lattice relaxation value (816u2009s, 14.1 T) for retaining its hyperpolarized spin state. The extended lifetime enables the detection of the hyperpolarized 15N signal of the platform for several tens of minutes and thus overcomes the intrinsic short analysis time of hyperpolarized probes. Versatility of the platform is demonstrated by applying it to three types of hyperpolarized chemical probes: one each for sensing calcium ions, reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide) and enzyme activity (carboxyl esterase). All of the designed probes achieve high sensitivity with rapid reactions and chemical shift changes, which are sufficient to allow sensitive and real-time monitoring of target molecules by 15N magnetic resonance.

Iriomoteolide-3a, a Cytotoxic 15-Membered Macrolide from a Marine Dinoflagellate Amphidinium Species

A 15-membered macrolide, iriomoteolide-3a (1), with an allyl epoxide has been isolated from a marine benthic dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. (strain HYA024), and the structure was assigned by detailed analyses of 2D NMR data. Relative and absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of conformational studies of 1 and its acetonide (2) and modified Moshers method of 1, respectively. Iriomoteolide-3a (1) and the acetonide (2) exhibited potently cytotoxic activity against antitumor cells.

Effects of temperature, photosynthetic photon flux density, photoperiod and O2 and CO2 concentrations on growth rates of the symbiotic dinoflagellate, Amphidinium sp.

Symbiotic dinoflagellates of the species Amphidinium are expected to be pharmaceutically useful microalgae because they produce antitumor macrolides. A microalgae production system with a large number of cells at a high density has been developed for the efficient production of macrolide compounds. In the present study, the effects of culture conditions on the cellular growth rate of dinoflagellates were investigated to determine the optimum culture conditions for obtaining high yields of microalgae. Amphidinium species was cultured under conditions with six temperature levels (21–35°C), six levels of photosynthetic photon flux density (15–70xa0μmol photons m−2 s−1), three levels of CO2 concentration (0.02–0.1%), and three levels of O2 concentration (0.2–21%). The number of cells cultured in a certain volume of solution was monitored microscopically and the cellular growth rate was expressed as the specific growth rate. The maximum specific growth rate was 0.022xa0h−1 at a temperature of 26°C and O2 concentration of 5%, and the specific growth rate was saturated at a CO2 concentration of 0.05%, a photosynthetic photon flux density of 35xa0μmol photons m−2 s−1 and a photoperiod of 12xa0h day−1 upon increasing each environmental parameter. The results demonstrate that Amphidinium species can multiply efficiently under conditions of relatively low light intensity and low O2 concentration.

Asymmetric synthesis of double bond isomers of the structure proposed for pyrinodemin A and indication of its structural revision.

Asymmetric synthesis of double bond isomers (+)-2 (Δ15’,16’) and (+)-3 (Δ14’,15’) of the structure (1) (Δ16’,17’) proposed for pyrinodemin A, a cytotoxic bis-pyridine alkaloid with a unique cis-cyclopent[c]isoxazolidine moiety from a marine sponge, has been accomplished. Pyrinodemin A was indicated to be a 1:1 racemic mixture of 2 from comparison of C18 and chiral HPLC analysis for pyrinodemin A and the synthetic compounds as well as ESIMS data of oxidative degradation products of pyrinodemin A.

Amphirionin-4 with potent proliferation-promoting activity on bone marrow stromal cells from a marine dinoflagellate amphidinium species.

A linear polyketide, amphirionin-4 (1), has been isolated from cultivated algal cells of the marine dinoflagellate Amphidinium species. The structure was elucidated on the basis of detailed analyses of 1D and 2D NMR data, and the absolute configurations of C-4 and C-8 were determined using the modified Moshers method. Amphirionin-4 (1) exhibited extremely potent proliferation-promoting activity on murine bone marrow stromal ST-2 cells (950% promotion) at a concentration of 0.1 ng/mL.

Direct and Stereospecific Interaction of Amphidinol 3 with Sterol in Lipid Bilayers

Amphidinol 3 (AM3), a polyhydroxy-polyene metabolite from the dinoflagellate Amphidinium klebsii, possesses potent antifungal activity. Although AM3 permeabilizes phospholipid membranes only in the presence of sterol, the detailed molecular basis by which AM3 recognizes sterols in membranes remains unknown. Here, we investigated the molecular interaction between sterols and AM3 in membranes from the viewpoint of stereospecific molecular recognition using ergosterol, cholesterol, and epicholesterol, which is the 3-OH epimer of cholesterol. Dye leakage assays, surface plasmon resonance experiments, (2)H and (31)P NMR measurements, and microscopic observations revealed that AM3 directly interacts with membrane sterols through the strict molecular recognition of the stereochemistry of the sterol 3-OH group. The direct interaction enhances the membrane binding efficiency of AM3, which subsequently permeabilizes membranes without altering membrane integrity.

Effect of an Introduced Phytoene Synthase Gene Expression on Carotenoid Biosynthesis in the Marine Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Carotenoids exert beneficial effects on human health through their excellent antioxidant activity. To increase carotenoid productivity in the marine Pennales Phaeodactylum tricornutum, we genetically engineered the phytoene synthase gene (psy) to improve expression because RNA-sequencing analysis has suggested that the expression level of psy is lower than other enzyme-encoding genes that are involved in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. We isolated psy from P. tricornutum, and this gene was fused with the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene to detect psy expression. After transformation using the microparticle bombardment technique, we obtained several P. tricornutum transformants and confirmed psy expression in their plastids. We investigated the amounts of PSY mRNA and carotenoids, such as fucoxanthin and β-carotene, at different growth phases. The introduction of psy increased the fucoxanthin content of a transformants by approximately 1.45-fold relative to the levels in the wild-type diatom. However, some transformants failed to show a significant increase in the carotenoid content relative to that of the wild-type diatom. We also found that the amount of PSY mRNA at log phase might contribute to the increase in carotenoids in the transformants at stationary phase.

Amphirionin-2, a novel linear polyketide with potent cytotoxic activity from a marine dinoflagellate Amphidinium species

A novel linear polyketide, amphirionin-2 (1), with two unique hexahydrofuro[3,2-b]furan moieties has been isolated from the cultivated algal cells of a benthic dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp. (strain KCA09051). The structure was elucidated on the basis of detailed analyses of 2D NMR data, and the absolute configuration of C-5 was determined by using modified Moshers method. Amphirionin-2 (1) exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against human colon carcinoma Caco-2 cells and human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.

Salinispora arenicola from temperate marine sediments: new intra-species variations and atypical distribution of secondary metabolic genes

The obligate marine actinobacterium Salinispora arenicola was successfully cultured from temperate sediments of the Pacific Ocean (Tosa Bay, offshore Kochi Prefecture, Japan) with the highest latitude of 33°N ever reported for this genus. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the Tosa Bay strains are of the same phylotype as the type strain S. arenicola NBRC105043. However, sequence analysis of their 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (ITS) revealed novel sequence variations. In total, five new ITS sequences were discovered and further phylogenetic analyses using gyrase B and rifamycin ketosynthase (KS) domain sequences supported the phylogenetic diversity of the novel Salinispora isolates. Screening of secondary metabolite genes in these strains revealed the presence of KS1 domain sequences previously reported in S. arenicola strains isolated from the Sea of Cortez, the Bahamas and the Red Sea. Moreover, salinosporamide biosynthetic genes, which are highly homologous to those of Bahamas-endemic S. tropica, were detected in several Tosa Bay isolates, making this report the first detection of salinosporamide genes in S. arenicola. The results of this study provide evidence of a much wider geographical distribution and secondary metabolism diversity in this genus than previously projected.