Part E | 26.2
652 Part E Marine Microbiology and Biotechnology
In the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, biotechnology was defined as [26.11]:
any technological application that uses biological
systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or processes for specific
use.
There is, however, no agreed upon definition of biotechnology, and definitions may range from the uses of
biology for the benefit of man to the use of biology to
make money [26.12]. Biotechnology is nowadays experiencing an increasing importance at the planetary scale,
and is expected to increasingly contribute in addressing
important socio-economic issues of our societies. The
term blue biotechnology is typically utilized to describe
the aquatic, either marine or freshwater, applications of
biotechnology [26.4].
Marine organisms can be utilized as biotechnological agents to provide products and services that
have useful applications for humans and their wellbeing. Among these, there are new medical technologies, food and feed ingredients (e.g., nutraceuticals),
molecules useful in many industrial sectors, and biofuels [26.13]. Marine biotechnology has the potential
to contribute significantly to key societal challenges,
such as the sustainable supply of healthy and highquality food, the production of bioenergy (such as
biofuel production from many microalgae), the discovery and exploitation of pharmaceuticals or diagnostic
tools for improving human health, the isolation of
biopolymers useful in the cosmetic, food and health
industries, and the synthesis of enzymes, proteins, or
biomaterials of interest in several industrial processes.
Marine bioresources (organisms and molecules) can be
helpful in increasing stock production in aquaculture
processes, in controlling infectious diseases of farmed
organisms, as well as in addressing key environmental
issues such as marine pollution (e.g., by the development of biosensing technologies for environmental
monitoring, the use of microbes for degradation of
pollutants, or the identification of natural antifouling
technologies).
This chapter reviews the potential of marine microbes in biotechnology. Marine microbes include representatives from three domains of life: archaea, bacteria and eukarya [26.14]. Bacteria and archaea are
the most abundant cells in all known marine ecosystems. Microbial eukaryotes, among which unicellular
microbes (protists) and fungi (including either unicellular or multicellular forms), are ecologically important
members of marine microbiota, and many studies are
documenting their once-unimaginable diversity [26.15,
16]. This review also covers the biotechnological potential of marine viruses. Viruses do not have an organized
cell structure, but represent the most abundant biological entities in the oceans. Phages are believed to
be the most diverse biotic component in marine systems, and they are potentially interesting resources for
biotechnology.
26.2 Why Do Marine Microbes Matter in Biotechnology?
In the twentieth century, research on marine natural
products mainly involved the collection of macroorganisms from the sea, their extraction, and the analysis of the extracts [26.17]. Most frequently, algae
and marine invertebrates were investigated. Several
molecules with biological activity were isolated, and
most of them were typically obtained from corals,
sponges, or other invertebrates. The first marine bioactive compounds, spongouridine and spongothymidine,
were isolated from the sponge Cryptotheca crypta in
the Caribbean [26.17]. In the following decades scientists proved that these compounds had anticancer
and antiviral activities ([26.18] and references therein).
These nucleosides were the basis for the synthesis of
Ara-C, the first anticancer agent derived from a marine organism, which is currently used in the treatment
of patients affected by leukemia and lymphoma, and
the antiviral drug Ara-A [26.19]. An overwhelming
number of bioactive compounds of marine origin have
subsequently been isolated and described, and more
than 15 000 marine products have been described so
far [26.20]. Recent estimates report some 20 000 marine high-value-added compounds, including a range
of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids [26.4, 21]. There
are many examples in the marine pharmacology literature of antitumor and cytotoxic compounds isolated by
marine animals (tunicates, nudibranchs, sponges, octocorals, bryozoans), algae, fungi, and bacteria [26.22].
Some of these substances have created new and exciting means for disrupting tumor specific cell signaling,
cell division, energy metabolism, or gene expression,
and have the potential to revolutionize cancer treat-
652 Part E Marine Microbiology and Biotechnology
In the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, biotechnology was defined as [26.11]:
any technological application that uses biological
systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or processes for specific
use.
There is, however, no agreed upon definition of biotechnology, and definitions may range from the uses of
biology for the benefit of man to the use of biology to
make money [26.12]. Biotechnology is nowadays experiencing an increasing importance at the planetary scale,
and is expected to increasingly contribute in addressing
important socio-economic issues of our societies. The
term blue biotechnology is typically utilized to describe
the aquatic, either marine or freshwater, applications of
biotechnology [26.4].
Marine organisms can be utilized as biotechnological agents to provide products and services that
have useful applications for humans and their wellbeing. Among these, there are new medical technologies, food and feed ingredients (e.g., nutraceuticals),
molecules useful in many industrial sectors, and biofuels [26.13]. Marine biotechnology has the potential
to contribute significantly to key societal challenges,
such as the sustainable supply of healthy and highquality food, the production of bioenergy (such as
biofuel production from many microalgae), the discovery and exploitation of pharmaceuticals or diagnostic
tools for improving human health, the isolation of
biopolymers useful in the cosmetic, food and health
industries, and the synthesis of enzymes, proteins, or
biomaterials of interest in several industrial processes.
Marine bioresources (organisms and molecules) can be
helpful in increasing stock production in aquaculture
processes, in controlling infectious diseases of farmed
organisms, as well as in addressing key environmental
issues such as marine pollution (e.g., by the development of biosensing technologies for environmental
monitoring, the use of microbes for degradation of
pollutants, or the identification of natural antifouling
technologies).
This chapter reviews the potential of marine microbes in biotechnology. Marine microbes include representatives from three domains of life: archaea, bacteria and eukarya [26.14]. Bacteria and archaea are
the most abundant cells in all known marine ecosystems. Microbial eukaryotes, among which unicellular
microbes (protists) and fungi (including either unicellular or multicellular forms), are ecologically important
members of marine microbiota, and many studies are
documenting their once-unimaginable diversity [26.15,
16]. This review also covers the biotechnological potential of marine viruses. Viruses do not have an organized
cell structure, but represent the most abundant biological entities in the oceans. Phages are believed to
be the most diverse biotic component in marine systems, and they are potentially interesting resources for
biotechnology.
26.2 Why Do Marine Microbes Matter in Biotechnology?
In the twentieth century, research on marine natural
products mainly involved the collection of macroorganisms from the sea, their extraction, and the analysis of the extracts [26.17]. Most frequently, algae
and marine invertebrates were investigated. Several
molecules with biological activity were isolated, and
most of them were typically obtained from corals,
sponges, or other invertebrates. The first marine bioactive compounds, spongouridine and spongothymidine,
were isolated from the sponge Cryptotheca crypta in
the Caribbean [26.17]. In the following decades scientists proved that these compounds had anticancer
and antiviral activities ([26.18] and references therein).
These nucleosides were the basis for the synthesis of
Ara-C, the first anticancer agent derived from a marine organism, which is currently used in the treatment
of patients affected by leukemia and lymphoma, and
the antiviral drug Ara-A [26.19]. An overwhelming
number of bioactive compounds of marine origin have
subsequently been isolated and described, and more
than 15 000 marine products have been described so
far [26.20]. Recent estimates report some 20 000 marine high-value-added compounds, including a range
of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids [26.4, 21]. There
are many examples in the marine pharmacology literature of antitumor and cytotoxic compounds isolated by
marine animals (tunicates, nudibranchs, sponges, octocorals, bryozoans), algae, fungi, and bacteria [26.22].
Some of these substances have created new and exciting means for disrupting tumor specific cell signaling,
cell division, energy metabolism, or gene expression,
and have the potential to revolutionize cancer treat-