Marine bioprospecting: enzymes and stress proteins from the sea anemones Anthopleura dowii and Lebrunia neglecta

Abstract

The bioprospecting of sea anemone tissues and secretions has revealed that they are naturallibraries of polypeptides with diverse biological activities that can be utilized to develop ofbiotechnological tools with potential medical and industrial applications. This study conducteda proteomic analysis of crude venom extracts from Anthopleura dowii Verrill, 1869, and Lebrunianeglecta Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860. The obtained data allowed us to identify 201 polypeptides,of which 39% were present in both extracts. Among the obtained sequences, hydrolase-type enzymes,oxidoreductases, transferases, heat shock proteins, adhesion proteins, and protease inhibitors,among others, were identified. Interaction analysis and functional annotation indicated thatthese proteins are primarily involved in endoplasmic reticulum metabolic processes such ascarbon metabolism and protein processing. In addition, several proteins related to oxidative stresswere identified, including superoxide dismutase, peroxiredoxins, thioredoxin, and glutathione oxidase.Our results provide novel information on the polypeptide composition of the crude venomextract from sea anemones, which can be utilized to develop molecules for therapeutic tools andindustrial applications.