Marine Lipopeptides

Dear Colleagues,

Marine microorganisms have developed unique metabolic and physiological capabilities to adapt to diverse habitats. In this way, the marine microorganisms have evolved to produce a variety of bioactive metabolites such as lipopeptides. Lipopeptides are biosurfactants that incorporate one or more lipid chains attached to a linear or cyclic peptide group. They are remarkable self-assembling molecules that improve amphiphilicity and compatibility with the lipid wall of cell membranes. Therefore, lipopeptides exhibit diverse biological functions and potential applications in clinical and agriculture. For example, surfactins, iturins, and fengycins, the lipopeptides produced by members of the Bacillus genus, have significant inhibition effects against many phytopathogens. Surfactin is also an elicitor of induced systemic resistance in plants. Cyclic lipopeptides of Pseudomonas species have been implied in the regulation of biofilms and controlling the motion of their producers. The antibiotic daptomycin has potent activities against Gram-positive bacteria, including multiple drug-resistant bacteria.

The research on lipopeptides is still undergoing evolution and requires many improvements in several aspects. This Special Issue aims to present the existing knowledge and recent studies on lipopeptides of marine origin. We expect to receive contributions from different areas of multidisciplinary research, including—but not restricted to—isolation and structure identification, biosynthesis, biological properties, functional roles in the marine ecosystem, and potential biotechnological applications. Comprehensive review papers or future perspectives are also welcome in this Special Issue.

Dr. Yu-Liang Yang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• lipopeptides
• marine microorganisms
• biosurfactants
• antibiotics