Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects
Taxonomically diverse marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms have evolved the capacity to synthesize, accumulate and metabolize a variety of UV-absorbing substances called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as part of an overall strategy to diminish the direct and indirect damaging effects of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2011-03-01
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| Series: | Marine Drugs |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/9/3/387/ |
| _version_ | 1828351211285250048 |
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| author | Mario O. Carignan Jose I. Carreto |
| author_facet | Mario O. Carignan Jose I. Carreto |
| author_sort | Mario O. Carignan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Taxonomically diverse marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms have evolved the capacity to synthesize, accumulate and metabolize a variety of UV-absorbing substances called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as part of an overall strategy to diminish the direct and indirect damaging effects of environmental ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Whereas the enzymatic machinery to synthesize MAAs was probably inherited from cyanobacteria ancestors via the endosymbionts hypothesis, metazoans lack this biochemical pathway, but can acquire and metabolize these compounds by trophic transference, symbiotic or bacterial association. In this review we describe the structure and physicochemical properties of MAAs, including the recently discovered compounds and the modern methods used for their isolation and identification, updating previous reviews. On this basis, we review the metabolism and distribution of this unique class of metabolites among marine organism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:36:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa433f936e3949fd816cd077df8a05ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1660-3397 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:36:15Z |
| publishDate | 2011-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Marine Drugs |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa433f936e3949fd816cd077df8a05ee2022-12-22T02:19:58ZengMDPI AGMarine Drugs1660-33972011-03-019338744610.3390/md9030387Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological AspectsMario O. CarignanJose I. CarretoTaxonomically diverse marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms have evolved the capacity to synthesize, accumulate and metabolize a variety of UV-absorbing substances called mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) as part of an overall strategy to diminish the direct and indirect damaging effects of environmental ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Whereas the enzymatic machinery to synthesize MAAs was probably inherited from cyanobacteria ancestors via the endosymbionts hypothesis, metazoans lack this biochemical pathway, but can acquire and metabolize these compounds by trophic transference, symbiotic or bacterial association. In this review we describe the structure and physicochemical properties of MAAs, including the recently discovered compounds and the modern methods used for their isolation and identification, updating previous reviews. On this basis, we review the metabolism and distribution of this unique class of metabolites among marine organism.http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/9/3/387/mycosporine-like amino acidsphysicochemical propertiesisolationdistributionmetabolism |
| spellingShingle | Mario O. Carignan Jose I. Carreto Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects Marine Drugs mycosporine-like amino acids physicochemical properties isolation distribution metabolism |
| title | Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects |
| title_full | Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects |
| title_fullStr | Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects |
| title_short | Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids: Relevant Secondary Metabolites. Chemical and Ecological Aspects |
| title_sort | mycosporine like amino acids relevant secondary metabolites chemical and ecological aspects |
| topic | mycosporine-like amino acids physicochemical properties isolation distribution metabolism |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/9/3/387/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marioocarignan mycosporinelikeaminoacidsrelevantsecondarymetaboliteschemicalandecologicalaspects AT joseicarreto mycosporinelikeaminoacidsrelevantsecondarymetaboliteschemicalandecologicalaspects |