Bioactive Peptides and Toxins from Aquatic and Marine Organisms: From Origin to Prospective Biomedical and Biotechnological Applications
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Venoms".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 8156
Special Issue Editors
2. Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysiscs, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40110-100, BA, Brazil
Interests: transcriptome of arthropods, cnidarians and other venomous animals; peptide engineering; anti-proliferative peptides; membranolytic peptides; regulatory peptides; molecular biology; pharmaceutical biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: systematics; taxonomy; biodiversity; marine ecology; zoology; marine biodiversity; invasive species; conservation biology; conservation; ecology and evolution
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
More than seventy percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and aquatic and marine environments encompass biomes with thousand of species and significant biodiversity. Accumulated evidence indicates that life originated in the oceans, and several existing species of marine organisms can be traced to millions of years ago. These marine organisms are self-adapted and evolved at molecular, physiological, and structural levels to cope with the harsh conditions of the oceans. Many species produce pharmacological active or toxic substances to subdue prey and avoid predators or competitors. For instance, cnidarians that comprise numerous species distributed into five classes (e.g., true corals, sea anemones, sea wasp, fire corals, hydromedusae, and jellyfish, among others) possess specialized structures (cnidae) to deliver a cocktail of toxic compounds for defense and predation. Organisms belonging to other phyla, such as invertebrates (polychaetes), mollusks (e.g., cone snails and octopus), and vertebrates (stingrays and venomous fishes), are also notable for the production and inoculation of poisonous secretion and venom. Marvelous biologically active peptides and toxins have been disclosed and characterized through classical protein chemistry methods and pharmacological assays. More discoveries are expected by advanced analytical technologies, including the omic sciences and ingenious bioassay systems. Based on current knowledge, species’ origins, and the basics of aquatic and marine bioactive compounds, these could be revisited for novel biomedical and biotechnological applications. In addition, recently disclosed components of the toxic secretion of aquatic and marine organisms by different techniques and bioassays could offer unparallel opportunities for dedicated applications. In this context, the main goal of this Special Issue is to build a collection of remarkable original research articles and reviews on bioactive peptides and toxins from aquatic and marine organisms and call the audience's attention to these unlimited aquatic and marine resources for natural products and drug discovery.
Dr. Gandhi Rádis-Baptista
Dr. Carlos Daniel Perez
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- marine biodiversity
- marine biotechnology
- transcriptomic
- venomics
- protein chemistry
- molecular pharmacology
- venom biochemistry
- venom glands
- venom peptide
- marine peptide
- marine bioactive compound
- mollusks
- cnidarians
- polychaetes
- venomous fishes
- advanced bioassay
- target-driven drug discovery
- chronic diseases
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