Project description:We investigated the cellular and transcriptional trajectories of adult neurogenesis in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis through single-cell transcriptome analysis of Elav>KikGR+, FoxL2>KikGR+, SoxC>KikGR+ body wall with mesenteries (no oral region) adult samples.
Project description:While the unique symbiotic relationship between anemonefish and sea anemones is iconic, it is still not fully understood how anemonefish withstand and thrive within this venomous host environment. In this study we used a proteotranscriptomics approach to elucidate the proteinaceous toxin repertoire from the most popular host sea anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. Although 1251 different toxin or toxin-like RNA transcripts were expressed in E.quadricolor tentacles and 2736 proteins were detected in milked venom, only 135 (approx. 10%) of proteins in venom were classified as putative toxins. This work raises the perils of defining a dominant venom type based on transcriptomics data alone in sea anemones, as we found that the dominant venom type differed between the transcriptome and proteome data. Moreover, anemonefishes interact with sea anemone proteins, so it is important when determining the dominant toxin type to examine the peptides and proteins that are present in host sea anemone venom and mucus which anemonefishes are known to interact.
Project description:Two new capnosane-based diterpenoids, flaccidenol A (1) and 7-epi-pavidolide D (2), two new cembranoids, flaccidodioxide (3) and flaccidodiol (4), and three known compounds 5 to 7 were characterized from the marine soft coral Klyxum flaccidum, collected off the coast of the island of Pratas. The structures of the new compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and spectroscopic data comparison with related structures. The rare capnosane diterpenoids were isolated herein from the genus Klyxum for the first time. The cytotoxicity of compounds 1 to 7 against the proliferation of a limited panel of cancer cell lines was assayed. The isolated diterpenoids also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity through suppression of superoxide anion generation and elastase release in the N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine/cytochalasin B (fMLF/CB)-stimulated human neutrophils. Furthermore, 1 and 7 also exhibited cytotoxicity toward the tested cancer cells, and 7 could effectively inhibit elastase release. It is worth noting that the biological activities of 7 are reported for the first time in this paper.