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Marine Drugs
Volume 19
Issue 4
10.3390/md19040227
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Review

Symbioses of Cyanobacteria in Marine Environments: Ecological Insights and Biotechnological Perspectives

by
Mirko Mutalipassi
1,*,
Gennaro Riccio
1,
Valerio Mazzella
2,
Christian Galasso
1,
Emanuele Somma
3,4,
Antonia Chiarore
5,
Donatella de Pascale
1 and
Valerio Zupo
4
1
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
2
Department of Integrated Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
3
Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via Licio Giorgieri, 34127 Trieste, Italy
4
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Ischia Marine Centre, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Punta San Pietro, 80077 Naples, Italy
5
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Naples, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Mar. Drugs 2021, 19(4), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040227
Submission received: 25 March 2021 / Revised: 14 April 2021 / Accepted: 15 April 2021 / Published: 16 April 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Molecules Involved in Symbiosis as Potential New Natural Drugs)
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Abstract

Cyanobacteria are a diversified phylum of nitrogen-fixing, photo-oxygenic bacteria able to colonize a wide array of environments. In addition to their fundamental role as diazotrophs, they produce a plethora of bioactive molecules, often as secondary metabolites, exhibiting various biological and ecological functions to be further investigated. Among all the identified species, cyanobacteria are capable to embrace symbiotic relationships in marine environments with organisms such as protozoans, macroalgae, seagrasses, and sponges, up to ascidians and other invertebrates. These symbioses have been demonstrated to dramatically change the cyanobacteria physiology, inducing the production of usually unexpressed bioactive molecules. Indeed, metabolic changes in cyanobacteria engaged in a symbiotic relationship are triggered by an exchange of infochemicals and activate silenced pathways. Drug discovery studies demonstrated that those molecules have interesting biotechnological perspectives. In this review, we explore the cyanobacterial symbioses in marine environments, considering them not only as diazotrophs but taking into consideration exchanges of infochemicals as well and emphasizing both the chemical ecology of relationship and the candidate biotechnological value for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications.
Keywords: cyanobionts; diazotroph; secondary metabolites; animal interactions; prokaryotes; bioactive molecules; infochemicals cyanobionts; diazotroph; secondary metabolites; animal interactions; prokaryotes; bioactive molecules; infochemicals
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MDPI and ACS Style

Mutalipassi, M.; Riccio, G.; Mazzella, V.; Galasso, C.; Somma, E.; Chiarore, A.; de Pascale, D.; Zupo, V. Symbioses of Cyanobacteria in Marine Environments: Ecological Insights and Biotechnological Perspectives. Mar. Drugs 2021, 19, 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040227

AMA Style

Mutalipassi M, Riccio G, Mazzella V, Galasso C, Somma E, Chiarore A, de Pascale D, Zupo V. Symbioses of Cyanobacteria in Marine Environments: Ecological Insights and Biotechnological Perspectives. Marine Drugs. 2021; 19(4):227. https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040227

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mutalipassi, Mirko, Gennaro Riccio, Valerio Mazzella, Christian Galasso, Emanuele Somma, Antonia Chiarore, Donatella de Pascale, and Valerio Zupo. 2021. "Symbioses of Cyanobacteria in Marine Environments: Ecological Insights and Biotechnological Perspectives" Marine Drugs 19, no. 4: 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040227

APA Style

Mutalipassi, M., Riccio, G., Mazzella, V., Galasso, C., Somma, E., Chiarore, A., de Pascale, D., & Zupo, V. (2021). Symbioses of Cyanobacteria in Marine Environments: Ecological Insights and Biotechnological Perspectives. Marine Drugs, 19(4), 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/md19040227

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