A group IC1 intron occurs in nuclear small-subunit (18S) ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes of the marine red alga Porphyra spiralis var. amplifolia. This intron occurs at the same position as the self-splicing group IC1 introns in nuclear SSU rDNAs of the fungus Pneumocystis carinii and in the green alga Chlorella ellipsoidea and shares sequence identity with the Pneumocystis carinii intron in dom...

Algae-inhabiting marine fungi represent a taxonomically and ecologically interesting group of microorganisms still largely neglected, especially in temperate regions. The aim of this study was to isolate and to identify the culturable mycobiota associated with Flabellia petiolata, a green alga frequently retrieved in the Mediterranean basin. Twenty algal thalli were collected from two different...

Bioactive polymers mainly polysaccharides such as cellulose, chitin, amylose and beta-glucan are well discovered from various sources in nature. Amongst chitin, as the second most abundant polysaccharides after cellulose, is known as a highly insoluble polysaccharide consisting of β-4-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, which has been identified as a structural component of crustaceans, crabs, shrim...

The oxygenated derivatives of fatty acids, known as oxylipins, are pivotal signaling molecules in animals and terrestrial plants. In animal systems, eicosanoids regulate cell differentiation, immune responses, and homeostasis. In contrast, terrestrial plants use derivatives of C18 and C16 fatty acids as developmental or defense hormones. Marine algae have emerged early in the evolution of eukar...

The alxM gene encoding a D-mannuronan-specific alginate lyase has been cloned from a marine bacterium isolated as an epiphyte on the brown alga, Sargassum fluitans. Expression of this gene in Escherichia coli provides a source of this enzyme for probing alginate structure and modifying the mannuronan-rich alginate polymers produced by bacterial pathogens.

Marine brown alga Dictyota dichotoma (Dictyotaceae) collected from the Karachi coast of the Arabian Sea has yielded three new C-16 oxidized seco-dolastanes (diterpenoids) named dichotenol-A, B and C. Their structures have been characterized with the aid of 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques.

Freshly released eggs of the marine brown alga Dictyota dichotoma secrete a substance that attracts spermatozoids. This compound has been identified as n-butyl-cyclohepta-2,5-diene. It is closely related to attractants in several other brown algae and confirms that a relation exists between phylogeny and attractant compounds.

Three new prenylated phenols, sporochnols A, B and C, have been isolated from the Caribbean marine alga Sporochnus bolleanus. The structures of these new compounds were determined by spectral and chemical methods. Sporochnol A, the major metabolite, showed significant feeding deterrence toward herbivorous fishes, thus suggesting this compound functions in chemical defence.

Recent studies reveal that ascomycete fungi establish an endosymbiotic association with marine algae [1-4]. Akin to the endophytes of terrestrial plants in causing disease-free infections in their hosts, these fungi need to be studied with the same zeal as endophytes as they are a promising source of novel bioactive metabolites. The Fungal Endosymbionts of Macroalage (FEM) elaborate molecules e...