YOUMARES 9 - the Oceans: Our Research, Our Future


Book Description

This open access book summarizes peer-reviewed articles and the abstracts of oral and poster presentations given during the YOUMARES 9 conference which took place in Oldenburg, Germany, in September 2018. The aims of this book are to summarize state-of-the-art knowledge in marine sciences and to inspire scientists of all career stages in the development of further research. These conferences are organized by and for young marine researchers. Qualified early-career researchers, who moderated topical sessions during the conference, contributed literature reviews on specific topics within their research field. .




Marine Microbial Diversity as a Source of Bioactive Natural Products


Book Description

A trillion different microbial species have been evolving for some 3.5 billion years, producing ever more complex active secondary metabolites. The sea is a cauldron of a great diversity of useful and valuable compounds. This Special Issue focused on studies of marine microbe natural products for discovering compounds useful to humankind. Papers were collected that provide up-to-date information regarding the characterization of marine microbes’ metabolic diversity and the evaluation of the therapeutic potential of marine microbes’ metabolites. Most of the articles in this book deal with marine fungi, biological and chemical diversity, and their active metabolites. This may be a sign that marine fungi have been under studied to date and are perceived by many researchers as an important source of discovery in this field. A best practices guide for the isolation of marine fungi from different matrixes and their conservation is also presented. The comparison of the phylogenetic and metabolomic profiles of microalgae from different lineages provides novel insights into the potential of chemotaxonomy in marine phytoplankton, showing a good overlap of phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic signals.




Marine Microorganisms


Book Description

The marine environment covers 70% of the earth’s surface and accounts for 98% of the potentially habitable space. The bioactives from marine microorganisms include antibiotic compounds, polysaccharides, inhibitors, enzymes, peptides, and pigments. These are used in various fields of biology that range from nutraceuticals to cosmeceuticals. Recent scientific investigations have revealed that marine microbial compounds exhibit various beneficial biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-HIV, anti-hypertensive, and anti-diabetic. Marine Microorganisms: Extraction and Analysis of Bioactive Compounds sheds light on the extraction, clean-up, and detection methods of major compounds from marine organisms. The book includes information on the different classes of marine microorganisms and the different bioactives that can be extracted from bacteria, fungi and microalgae. Divided into 7 chapters, the book covers bioactive marine natural products, such as marine microbes, seaweeds, and marine sponges as potential sources of drug discovery, and focuses on analysis methods of the biocomponents from marine microorganisms. A useful reference tool for researchers and students, this book provides current knowledge about isolation and analysis methods of the bioactives and provides insight into the various bioactives of marine microbes toward nutraceutical and pharmaceutical development.




Bioactive Marine Natural Products


Book Description

Bioactive Marine Natural Products is the first book available that covers all aspects of bioactive marine natural products. It fills the void in the literature for bioactive marine natural products. The book covers various aspects of marine natural products and it is hoped that all the major classes of bioactive compounds are included. Different classes of marine organisms and the separation and isolation techniques are discussed. The chemistry and biology of marine toxins, peptides, alkaloids, nucleosides and prostanoids are discussed in detail. Biological, toxicological and clinical evaluations are also dealt with to ensure that the book may be adopted at any stage by any practicing organic chemist or biologist, working in academia or in R and D divisions of pharmaceutical companies. Each chapter in the book includes an abstract to highlight the major points discussed in the text and concluding remarks are given. References to books, monographs, review articles and original papers are provided at the end of each chapter.




Marine Natural Products


Book Description







Marine Microbiology


Book Description

Deliberately breaking with the classical biology-centered description of marine organisms and their products, this reference emphasizes microbial technology over basic biology, setting it apart from its predecessors. As such, it systematically covers the technology behind high-value compounds for use as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals or cosmetics, from prospecting to production issues. Following a definition of the field, the book goes on to address all industrially important aspects of marine microbial biotechnology. The first main part contains a description of the major production organisms, from archaebacteria to cyanobacteria to algae and symbionts, including their genetic engineering. The remaining four parts look at commercially important compounds produced by these microorganisms together with their applications. Throughout, the emphasis is on technological considerations, and the future potential of these organisms or compound classes is discussed. A valuable and forward-looking resource for innovative biotechnologists in industry as well as in academia.




Antifouling Compounds


Book Description

Awareness of the dangers of toxic components in antifouling coatings has raised interest in the potential for nontoxic alternatives. Marine organisms from bacteria to invertebrates and plants use chemicals to communicate and defend themselves. This book explores natural based antifoulants, their ecological functions, methods of characterisation and possible uses in antifouling. The text takes on the challenge of identifying such compounds, designing sustainable production and incorporating them into antifouling coatings.




The Marine Microbiome


Book Description

This book describes the state-of-the-art concerning the ‘marine microbiome’ and its uses in biotechnology. The first part discusses the diversity and ecology of marine microorganisms and viruses, including all three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. It discusses whether marine microorganisms exist and, if so, why they might be unique. The second part presents selected marine habitats, their inhabitants and how they influence biogeochemical cycles, while the third discusses the utilization of marine microbial resources, including legal aspects, dissemination, and public awareness. The marine microbiome is the total of microorganisms and viruses in the ocean and seas and in any connected environment, including the seafloor and marine animals and plants. The diversity of microbial life remains unquantified and largely unknown, and could represent a hidden treasure for human society. Accordingly, this book is also intended to connect academics and industry, providing essential information for microbiologists from both fields.




Natural Products


Book Description

A fresh examination of the past successes of natural products as medicines and their new future from both conventional and new technologies. High-performance liquid chromatography profiling, combinatorial synthesis, genomics, proteomics, DNA shuffling, bioinformatics, and genetic manipulation all now make it possible to rapidly evaluate the activities of extracts as well as purified components derived from microbes, plants, and marine organisms. The authors apply these methods to new natural product drug discoveries, to microbial diversity, to specific groups of products (Chinese herbal drugs, antitumor drugs from microbes and plants, terpenoids, and arsenic compounds), and to specific sources (the sea, rainforest, and endophytes). These new opportunities show how research and development trends in the pharmaceutical industry can advance to include both synthetic compounds and natural products, and how this paradigm shift can be more productive and efficacious.