Abstract
Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), are secondary metabolites, first reported in 1960 and found to be associated with the light-stimulated sporulation in terrestrial fungi. MAAs are nitrogenous, low molecular weight, water soluble compounds, which are highly stable with cyclohexenone or cycloheximine rings to store the free radicals. Microalgae are considered as a good source of different kinds of MAAs, which in turn, has its own applications in various industries due to its UV absorbing, anti-oxidant and therapeutic properties. Microalgae can be easily cultivated and requires a very short generation time, which makes them environment friendly source of biomolecules such as mycosporine-like amino acids. Modifying the cultural conditions along withmanipulation of genes associated with mycosporine-like amino acids biosynthesis can help to enhance MAAs synthesis and, in turn, can make microalgae suitable bio-refinery for large scale MAAs production. This review focuses on properties and therapeutic applications of mycosporine like amino acids derived from microalgae. Further attention is drawn on various culture and genetic engineering approaches to enhance the MAAs production in microalgae.
Highlights
Secondary metabolites are specialized natural products which are not directly involved in general metabolism of an organism, but they have specialized functions such as antibiotic, pharmacological, photoprotective, anti-inflammatory activities, etc. [1]
Several organisms which belong to classes like microalgae, macroalgae and fungi, when exposed to high light intensities can produce a class of secondary metabolite called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which are known as microbial sunscreen
The structure of the first mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA) isolated from zoanthid Palythoa tuberculosa is of mycosporine-glycine, which was established by Ito and Hirata [4]
Summary
Secondary metabolites are specialized natural products which are not directly involved in general metabolism of an organism, but they have specialized functions such as antibiotic, pharmacological, photoprotective, anti-inflammatory activities, etc. [1]. Several organisms which belong to classes like microalgae, macroalgae and fungi, when exposed to high light intensities can produce a class of secondary metabolite called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which are known as microbial sunscreen. Many groups of organisms like macroalgae, microalgae, marine heterotrophic bacteria, fungi and various other marine organisms are known to produce mycosporine-like amino acids which are involved in some of their survival processes and stress defense mechanisms They act as an intracellular nitrogen reservoir in some species. Mycosporine-like amino acids are known for its photoprotective activities in microalgae, but are involved in protecting them from salt stress by regulating osmotic balance [10]. External stress factors like the spectral composition of light, nitrogen concentration, salinity of the culturing media and heat stress can impact the MAAs production in microalgae and cyanobacteria. Even at high temperature absorption property of the compounds are not affected [56]
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