The Cyanobacterial Origin of Potent Anticancer Agents Originally Isolated from Sea Hares

Title: The Cyanobacterial Origin of Potent Anticancer Agents Originally Isolated from Sea Hares

Volume: 9 Issue: 20

Author(s): H. Luesch, G. G. Harrigan, G. Goetz and F. D. Horgen

Affiliation:

Keywords: Marine cyanobacteria, Lyngbya, Symploca, sea hares, Dolabella, dolastatins, secondary metabolites, cytotoxins

Abstract: It is increasingly evident that the true biological origin of many metabolites originally isolated from certain marine macroorganisms is cyanobacterial. For example, several dolastatins, potent cytotoxic compounds originally derived from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia, have now been isolated from marine cyanobacteria of the genera Lyngbya and Symploca. This review discusses the isolation of dolastatins and close structural analogues from cyanobacteria. Biosynthetic signatures of metabolites isolated from sea hares, but which are most probably cyanobacterial in origin, are also presented. Finally, some more complex ecology involving movement of cyanobacterial metabolites through the marine food web is presented.

Cite this article as:

Luesch H., Harrigan G. G., Goetz G. and Horgen D. F., The Cyanobacterial Origin of Potent Anticancer Agents Originally Isolated from Sea Hares, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2002; 9 (20) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867023369051