Advances in Marine Microbial Symbionts in the China Sea and Related Pharmaceutical Metabolites

Zhiyong Li

doi:10.3390/md7020113

Abstract

Marine animals and plants such as sponges, sea squirts, corals, worms and algae host diverse and abundant symbiotic microorganisms. Marine microbial symbionts are possible the true producers or take part in the biosynthesis of some bioactive marine natural products isolated from the marine organism hosts. Investigation of the pharmaceutical metabolites may reveal the biosynthesis mechanisms of related natural products and solve the current problem of supply limitation in marine drug development. This paper reviews the advances in diversity revelation, biological activity and related pharmaceutical metabolites, and functional genes of marine microbial symbionts from the China Sea.

Highlights

The term symbiosis was first defined by Heinrich Anton de Bary in 1879 as "the living together of unlike organisms" [1]
Because most symbiotic microorganisms presently remain unidentified and few true symbiotic relationships between hosts and microbes have been confirmed, according to the definition of Anton de Bary, the symbiotic microorganisms discussed in this review include mutualistic, parasitic and commensal microorganisms in/on marine organisms, whereas pathogenic microorganisms are excluded
For uncultured marine microbial symbionts, gene-based approach is able to investigate the potential for producing pharmaceutical natural products and the related biosynthesis pathway, related bioactive natural products can be produced by heterologous expression

Summary

Introduction

The term symbiosis was first defined by Heinrich Anton de Bary in 1879 as "the living together of unlike organisms" [1]. Symbiosis commonly describes close and often long-term interactions, including mutualistic, parasitic and commensal relationships, between different biological species. The mutualistic relationship (mutualism), the true symbiosis, is obligate, which means the survival of one species requires involvement of another, whereas, parasitism and commensalism are facultative. Because most symbiotic microorganisms presently remain unidentified and few true symbiotic relationships (mutualism) between hosts and microbes have been confirmed, according to the definition of Anton de Bary, the symbiotic microorganisms discussed in this review include. Mutualistic, parasitic and commensal microorganisms in/on marine organisms, whereas pathogenic microorganisms are excluded. The advances in diversity revelation, biological activity and related pharmaceutical metabolites, functional gene of marine microbial symbionts of marine organisms such as sponges, corals, sea squirts, holothurians, and algae in the China Sea are reviewed

Diversity revelation of marine microbial symbionts in the China Sea

Screening of functional gene from marine microbial symbionts in the China Sea

Findings

Concluding remarks and perspectives