DNA for novel metabolic pathways and enzymes.
This provides a powerful tool for accessing difficultto-culture microbes which exist in complex symbiotic
relationships.
Recent advances in the isolation and culture of
marine bacteria using both flow cytometry and
microencapsulation-based methods have yielded a
vast array of previously unknown bacteria (Figure 2).
Increasingly, these bacteria are being tested for the
presence of bioactive compounds with activities
against a diverse range of human and infectious
diseases including cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, malaria,
and those caused by the increasingly drug-resistant
common bacterial pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus
aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Mycobacterium
tuberculosis). For example, the antibiotic abyssomicin C has been isolated from an actinomycete which
was cultured from marine sediment collected in the
Sea of Japan. Abyssomicin has been shown to interfere with the synthesis of the essential cofactor folic
acid in bacteria and is active against the methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pathogen.
Thus, marine bacteria represent a vast untapped
source for novel compounds with the potential for
development as novel drugs.
Marine-derived Nutraceuticals and
Food Additives
In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the
consumption of nutritional supplements such as
vitamins and cofactors which are essential to cellular function. One traditional supplement has been
Marine
organisms
Biocatalysis
Materials
science
Bioremediation
Biofuels
Novel
metabolites
for
chemistry
Drug
discovery
Sunscreens
and
cosmetics
Food
additives
Nutraceuticals
Ceramics
Adhesives
Nanostructures
Vitamins
Antioxidants
Probiotics
Colorants
Texturing agents
Essential oils
Enzymes
Substrates
Biopolymers
Energy-rich oils
Microbial batteries
Hydrogen production
Algal feedstocks
Surfactants
Fluorescent molecules
Heavy metal recovery
Desalination
Pollution detection
Collagens
Antioxidants
Revitalisers
Anti-infectives
Anticancer
Metabolic diseases
Figure 1 Uses for marine organisms and their products in the chemical, pharmaceutical, energy, and environmental industries.
MARINE CHEMICAL AND MEDICINE RESOURCES 113
This provides a powerful tool for accessing difficultto-culture microbes which exist in complex symbiotic
relationships.
Recent advances in the isolation and culture of
marine bacteria using both flow cytometry and
microencapsulation-based methods have yielded a
vast array of previously unknown bacteria (Figure 2).
Increasingly, these bacteria are being tested for the
presence of bioactive compounds with activities
against a diverse range of human and infectious
diseases including cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, malaria,
and those caused by the increasingly drug-resistant
common bacterial pathogens (e.g., Staphylococcus
aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Mycobacterium
tuberculosis). For example, the antibiotic abyssomicin C has been isolated from an actinomycete which
was cultured from marine sediment collected in the
Sea of Japan. Abyssomicin has been shown to interfere with the synthesis of the essential cofactor folic
acid in bacteria and is active against the methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pathogen.
Thus, marine bacteria represent a vast untapped
source for novel compounds with the potential for
development as novel drugs.
Marine-derived Nutraceuticals and
Food Additives
In recent years, there has been an upsurge in the
consumption of nutritional supplements such as
vitamins and cofactors which are essential to cellular function. One traditional supplement has been
Marine
organisms
Biocatalysis
Materials
science
Bioremediation
Biofuels
Novel
metabolites
for
chemistry
Drug
discovery
Sunscreens
and
cosmetics
Food
additives
Nutraceuticals
Ceramics
Adhesives
Nanostructures
Vitamins
Antioxidants
Probiotics
Colorants
Texturing agents
Essential oils
Enzymes
Substrates
Biopolymers
Energy-rich oils
Microbial batteries
Hydrogen production
Algal feedstocks
Surfactants
Fluorescent molecules
Heavy metal recovery
Desalination
Pollution detection
Collagens
Antioxidants
Revitalisers
Anti-infectives
Anticancer
Metabolic diseases
Figure 1 Uses for marine organisms and their products in the chemical, pharmaceutical, energy, and environmental industries.
MARINE CHEMICAL AND MEDICINE RESOURCES 113