Title:Drug Leads Derived from Japanese Marine Organisms
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Author(s): Daisuke Uemura*, Yoshinori Kawazoe*, Toshiyasu Inuzuka, Yuki Itakura, Chiari Kawamata and Takahiro Abe*
Affiliation:
- Institute for Advanced Research (Emeritus), Nagoya University, Nagoya,Japan
- Center for Education and Research in Agricultural Innovation, Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University, Karatsu,Japan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Hiratsuka,Japan
Keywords:
Natural products, halichondrin B, yoshinone A, terpenoids, symbiotic bacteria, metagenomic analysis,
halichrome A, okadaic acid.
Abstract: Many natural products with extraordinary chemical structures and brilliant biological activities
have been obtained from marine organisms. We have investigated such fascinating bioactive
molecules, exemplified by the potent marine toxin palytoxin and the antitumor molecule halichondrin
B, which has been developed as the anticancer drug Halaven®, to explore novel frontiers in organic
chemistry and bioscience. Working within the traditional discipline, we have sought to acquire a
deeper understanding of biological phenomena. We introduce here our major work along with up-todate
topics. We isolated yoshinone A from marine cyanobacteria and completed a gram-scale synthesis.
Yoshinone A is a novel polyketide that inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells into adipocytes
without significant cytotoxicity. The detailed mechanisms of action will be elucidated via further
experiments in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we explore the true producers of okadaic acid and
halichondrin B by immunostaining of Halichondria okadai with an antibody that was prepared using
these natural products as an antigen. We will analyze isolated symbionts and reveal biosynthetic
pathways.