Project description:Analyses of genomes and secondary metabolomes of Streptomyces spp. isolated from Leontopodium nivale ssp. alpinum Genome sequencing and assembly
Project description:Three p-terphenyls (2-4)-2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-p-terphenyl (2), 2-hydroxy-3,6-dimethoxy-p-terphenyl (3), and 2,3,5,6-tetramethoxy-p-terphenyl (4)-were isolated for the first time as natural products along with seven known compounds (1, 5-10) from the Antarctic lichen Stereocaulon alpinum. Structures of the new compounds were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of 1D and 2D NMR and HREIMS experiments. Compound 3 exhibited cytotoxicity against HCT116 cells with the IC50 value of 3.76 ± 0.03 μM and also inhibited NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages with the IC50 value of 22.82 ± 0.015 μM.
Project description:Edelweiss (Leontopodium Alpinum) in the family Asteraceae is a wildflower that grows in rocky limestone places. Here, we investigated the efficacy of edelweiss callus culture extract (Leontopodium Alpinum callus culture extract; LACCE) using multiple assays from in vitro to in vivo as well as transcriptome profiling. Several in vitro assay results showed the strong antioxidant activity of LACCE in response to UVB treatment. Moreover, LACCE suppressed inflammation and wrinkling; however, moisturizing activity was increased by LACCE. The clinical test in vivo demonstrated that constant application of LACCE on the face and skin tissues improved anti-periorbital wrinkles, skin elasticity, dermal density, and skin thickness compared with the placebo. The RNA-Sequencing results showed at least 16.56% of human genes were expressed in keratinocyte cells. LACCE up-regulated genes encoding several KRT proteins; DDIT4, BNIP3, and IGFBP3 were involved in the positive regulation of the developmental process, programmed cell death, keratinization, and cornification forming skin barriers, which provide many advantages in the human skin. By contrast, down-regulated genes were stress-responsive genes, including metal, oxidation, wounding, hypoxia, and virus infection, suggesting LACCE did not cause any harmful stress on the skin. Our comprehensive study demonstrated LACCE is a promising agent for anti-aging cosmetics.
Project description:Screening of a plant-derived natural product library led to the observation of in vitro antileishmanial activity by three bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids (1-3) that were purified previously from Thalictrum alpinum. A spectroscopic study of the active compounds was conducted to confirm their identities. Of the compounds tested, northalrugosidine (1) showed the most potent in vitro activity against Leishmania donovani promastigotes (0.28 μM) and the highest selectivity (29.3-fold) versus its general cytotoxicity against HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Northalrugosidine was tested in vivo using a murine model of visceral leishmaniasis, resulting in the observation of a dose-dependent reduction of the parasitic burden in the liver and spleen without overt toxicity effects at 2.8, 5.6, and 11.1 mg/kg per animal when administered intravenously. This represents the first report of a bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid with in vivo efficacy against visceral leishmaniasis.
Project description:Over 80% of the Earth’s environments are permanently or periodically exposed to temperatures below 5 °C. Cold habitats harbour a wide diversity of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant yeasts. During ecological studies of yeast communities carried out in cold ecosystem in the Italian Alps, Svalbard (Norway, Arctic region), and Portugal, 23 yeast strains that could not be assigned to any known fungal taxa were isolated. In particular, two of them were first identified as Rhodotorula sp., showing the highest degree of D1/D2 sequence identity with Cystobasidum laryngis accounted to only 97% with the type strain (C. laryngis CBS 2221). The other 21 strains, exhibiting identical D1/D2 sequences, had low identity (97%) with Rhodosporidiobolus lusitaniae and Rhodosporidiobolus colostri. Similarly, ITS sequences of the type strains of the most closely related species (93⁻94%). In a 2-genes multilocus D1/D2 and ITS ML phylogenetic tree, the studied strains pooled in two well separated and supported groups. In order to classify the new 23 isolates based on phylogenetic evidences, we propose the description of two novel species Cystobasidium alpinum sp. nov. and Rhodosporidiobolus oreadorum sp. nov.