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Seasonal changes in the size of the herbal drug red alga Chondria armata (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales) were investigated in Kagoshima, Japan, which is near the northern distributional limit in the western Pacific. Additionally, its photosynthetic response to irradiance and temperature was examined using dissolved oxygen sensors and a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)-chlorophyll fluorometer. This alga was observed in tidepools throughout the year; its height and weight were greatest in December and the lowest in April and May. The net photosynthesis of the photosynthesis–irradiance ( P–E ) curve determined at 28°C quickly saturated at 113 µmol photons m -2 s -1 , with minimal inhibition even at 1000 µmol photons m -2 s -1 . The gross photosynthesis of the photosynthesis–temperature ( P–T ) curved over 8 to 40°C, measured at 500 µmol photons m -2 s -1 , peaked at 30.1°C and decreased rapidly below 20°C and above 36°C, respectively. Similarly, the effective quantum yield ( ΔF/F m ' ) after a 3-day culture during 4–40°C at 50 µmol photons m -2 s -1 remained stable between 16°C and 32°C but decreased outside of this range. The combined effect of irradiance (200 [low] and 1000 [high] µmol photons m -2 s -1 ) and temperature (28, 22, and 16°C) revealed that ΔF/F m ' declined during exposure to high irradiance at all temperature treatments. However, it mostly recovered after a subsequent 12-hour period of dim-light acclimation at 28°C and 22°C. In contrast, those at 16°C could not recover, indicating the occurrence of low-temperature light stress. This alga appears to be well-adapted to the irradiance and temperature environment at the study site. However, the winter temperature appears to approach its threshold level, and the occurrence of strong light during the winter might adversely affect the abundance of this alga near its northern distributional limit.

Numerous agents such as near-infrared dyes that are characterized by specialized cancer imaging and cytotoxicity effects have key roles in cancer diagnosis and therapy via molecularly targeting special biological tissues, organelles and processes. In the present study, a novel fluorescent compound was demonstrated to inhibit cancer cell proliferation in a zebrafish model with slight in vivo toxicity. Further studies demonstrated selective staining of cancer cells and even putative cancer stem cells via accumulation of the dye in the mitochondria of cancer cells, compared with normal cells. Moreover, this compound was also used to image cancer cells in vivo using a zebrafish model. The compound displayed no apparent toxicity to the host animal. Overall, the data indicated that this compound was worthy of further evaluation due to its low toxicity and selective cancer cell imaging and killing effects. It could be a useful tool in cancer research.

Domoic acid (DA), the causative agent of amnesic shellfish poisoning, is produced by select organisms within two distantly related algal clades: planktonic diatoms and red macroalgae. The biosynthetic pathway to isodomoic acid A was recently solved in the harmful algal bloom–forming diatom Pseudonitzschia multiseries, establishing the genetic basis for the global production of this potent neurotoxin. Herein, we sequenced the 507-Mb genome of Chondria armata, the red macroalgal seaweed from which DA was first isolated in the 1950s, identifying several copies of the red algal DA (rad) biosynthetic gene cluster. The rad genes are organized similarly to the diatom DA biosynthesis cluster in terms of gene synteny, including a cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme critical to DA production that is notably absent in red algae that produce the simpler kainoid neurochemical, kainic acid. The biochemical characterization of the N-prenyltransferase (RadA) and kainoid synthase (RadC) enzymes support a slightly altered DA biosynthetic model in C. armata via the congener isodomoic acid B, with RadC behaving more like the homologous diatom enzyme despite higher amino acid similarity to red algal kainic acid synthesis enzymes. A phylogenetic analysis of the rad genes suggests unique origins for the red macroalgal and diatom genes in their respective hosts, with native eukaryotic CYP450 neofunctionalization combining with the horizontal gene transfer of N-prenyltransferases and kainoid synthases to establish DA production within the algal lineages.

Using morphological and molecular evidence, we describe a new genus, Neochondria, based on specimens formerly identified as 'Chondria tenuissima' sensu Okamura in Japan. The generitype, Neochondria ammophila sp. nov., is not closely related to Chondria capillaris (Hudson) M.J. Wynne, the generitype of Chondria. The anatomy of Neochondria differs from that of Chondria by the development of adventitious elongate cells between the five major pericentral cells, forming densely compact layers surrounding the axial strand, even in the ultimate branchlets. We propose the new combination, Neochondria nidifica, based on Chondria nidifica Harvey from California, USA and Baja California, Mexico. Multigene analyses (rbcL, small subunit and cox1) and morphological observations demonstrated that N. ammophila and N. nidifica share a clade but preliminary results show that they may not belong in the tribe Chondrieae.

Extracts from 48 marine macroalgae species (17 Chlorophyta, 8 Phaeophyta and 23 Rhodophyta) from the coasts of Yucatan and Quintana Roo (Mexico) were evaluated for antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity was measured with the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrasyl) method, and the phenolic content of each extract were also evaluated. All species exhibited a DPPH radical scavenging activity, and three species (Avrainvillea longicaulis, Chondria baileyana and Lobophora variegata) demonstrated great antioxidant potential with very low oxidation index EC₅₀ (1.44 ± 0.01, 2.84 ± 0.07 and 0.32 ± 0.01 mg mL-¹, respectively), significantly equivalent to EC₅₀ of some commercial antioxidants such as α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, BHA and BHT. Moreover, extracts of the most active species exhibited reducing activities, superoxide anion radical scavenging and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that some macroalgae from the Yucatan peninsula have a great antioxidant potential which could be considered for future applications in medicine, food production or cosmetic industry.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, burdening about 10 million elderly individuals worldwide. The multifactorial nature of PD poses a difficult obstacle for understanding the mechanisms involved in its onset and progression. Currently, diagnosis depends on the appearance of clinical signs, some of which are shared among various neurologic disorders, hindering early diagnosis. There are no effective tools to prevent PD onset, detect the disease in early stages or accurately report the risk of disease progression. Hence, there is an increasing demand for biomarkers that may identify disease onset and progression, as treatment-based medicine may not be the best approach for PD. Over the last few decades, the search for molecular markers to predict susceptibility, aid in accurate diagnosis and evaluate the progress of PD have intensified, but strategies aimed to improve individualized patient care have not yet been established. Conclusions: Genomic variation, regulation by epigenomic mechanisms, as well as the influence of the host gut microbiome seem to have a crucial role in the onset and progress of PD, thus are considered potential biomarkers. As such, the human nuclear and mitochondrial genome, epigenome, and the host gut microbiome might be the key elements to the rise of personalized medicine for PD patients.

Amiodarone is a potent antiarrhythmic drug and displays substantial liver toxicity in humans. It has previously been demonstrated that amiodarone and its metabolite (desethylamiodarone, DEA) can inhibit mitochondrial function, particularly complexes I (CI) and II (CII) of the electron transport system in various animal tissues and cell types. The present study, performed in human peripheral blood cells, and one liver-derived human cell line, is primarily aimed at assessing the concentration-dependent effects of these drugs on mitochondrial function (respiration and cellular ATP levels). Furthermore, we explore the efficacy of a novel cell-permeable succinate prodrug in alleviating the drug-induced acute mitochondrial dysfunction. Amiodarone and DEA elicit a concentration-dependent impairment of mitochondrial respiration in both intact and permeabilized platelets via the inhibition of both CI- and CII-supported respiration. The inhibitory effect seen in human platelets is also confirmed in mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and HepG2 cells. Additionally, amiodarone elicits a severe concentration-dependent ATP depletion in PBMCs, which cannot be explained solely by mitochondrial inhibition. The succinate prodrug NV118 alleviates the respiratory deficit in platelets and HepG2 cells acutely exposed to amiodarone. In conclusion, amiodarone severely inhibits metabolism in primary human mitochondria, which can be counteracted by increasing mitochondrial function using intracellular delivery of succinate.

Domoic acid (DA, 1 ), a potent neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, has been found in diatoms and red algae. While biosynthetic pathway towards DA from geranyl diphosphate and l -glutamate has been previously proposed, its late stage is still unclear. Here, six novel DA related compounds, 7′-methyl-isodomoic acid A ( 2 ) and B ( 3 ), N -geranyl- l -glutamic acid ( 4 ), 7′-hydroxymethyl-isodomoic acid A ( 5 ) and B ( 6 ), and N -geranyl-3( R )-hydroxy- l -glutamic acid ( 7 ), were isolated from the red alga, Chondria armata , and their structures were determined. The compounds 4 and 7 , linear compounds, are predictable as the precursors to form the DA pyrrolidine ring. The compounds 2 and 3 are thought as the cyclized products of 7 ; therefore, dehydration and electron transfer from the internal olefin of 7 is a possible mechanism for the pyrrolidine ring formation. One terminal methyl group of the side chain of 2 and 3 is predicted to be oxidized to hydroxymethyl ( 5 , 6 ), and then to carboxylic acids, forming isodomoic acids A and B. Finally, the terminal olefin of isodomoic acid A would be isomerized to form DA. In addition, [ 15 N, D]-labeled 4 was incorporated into DA using the diatom, Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries , demonstrating that 4 is the genuine precursor of DA.

The cryptogenic marine red alga Chondria tumulosa was first observed in 2016 in subtidal habitats at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll) in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), Hawai‘i. Without molecular or morphological matches to any known species, it was described in 2020 and declared cryptogenic. This alga has substantially increased in benthic cover and has been discovered on two additional atolls in PMNM: Kuaihelani (Midway) and Hōlanikū (Kure). It exhibits several characteristics indicative of non-native origins including putative prior absence in the region, persistence in high densities over nearly a decade, apparent lack of native herbivore pressure, and strong tetrasporophytic bias. Importantly, it is negatively impacting the culturally and ecologically valuable reefs of PMNM. The geographical origin of this putative invasion is unknown, and there are no published reports of the species occurring anywhere other than PMNM. The central Pacific location of Hawai‘i allows a broad range of potential sources for the origin of C. tumulosa . Taxonomic ambiguities within the genus Chondria and challenges associated with sampling necessitate the development of a narrowed set of search locations and efficient search strategies to detect the species outside of PMNM. Attachment to floating debris is a potential introduction vector for C. tumulosa into PMNM, and an oceanographic model was used to identify the most likely source locations for this pathway between 2000 and 2015, including Japan in the western Pacific, Johnston Atoll, the Line Islands including Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific, and Clipperton Atoll and the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific. We used a recently developed and validated eDNA assay for detecting C. tumulosa from three of the regions of interest to screen for C. tumulosa with no samples yielding positive detections. We provide a framework for investigating positive eDNA field detections using in-water surveys, microscopy, and DNA barcoding. A parallel sampling effort targeting preserved specimens stored in global herbaria is also presented, which did not yield any detections. Several Chondria species remain targets for sequencing from global herbaria. Identification of the native range of C. tumulosa is a critical step that will allow for an evaluation of its evolutionary ecology and any shifts that may have occurred that facilitated its putative invasion and subsequent spread, offering insights crucial for the development of mitigation strategies to safeguard PMNM against further risk.

Mitochondrial functional abnormalities or quantitative decreases are considered to be one of the most plausible pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Thus, mitochondrial complex inhibitors are often used for the development of experimental PD. In this study, we used rotenone to create in vitro cell models of PD, then used these models to investigate the effects of 1,5-anhydro-D-fructose (1,5-AF), a monosaccharide with protective effects against a range of cytotoxic substances. Subsequently, we investigated the possible mechanisms of these protective effects in PC12 cells. The protection of 1,5-AF against rotenone-induced cytotoxicity was confirmed by increased cell viability and longer dendritic lengths in PC12 and primary neuronal cells. Furthermore, in rotenone-treated PC12 cells, 1,5-AF upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) expression and enhanced its deacetylation, while increasing AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. 1,5-AF treatment also increased mitochondrial activity in these cells. Moreover, PGC-1α silencing inhibited the cytoprotective and mitochondrial biogenic effects of 1,5-AF in PC12 cells. Therefore, 1,5-AF may activate PGC-1α through AMPK activation, thus leading to mitochondrial biogenic and cytoprotective effects. Together, our results suggest that 1,5-AF has therapeutic potential for development as a treatment for PD.