Glucosidase Inhibitors Screening in Microalgae and Cyanobacteria Isolated from the Amazon and Proteomic Analysis of Inhibitor Producing <i>Synechococcus</i> sp. GFB01

• Main Authors: Diana Gomes Gradíssimo, Vivian Cássia Oliveira da Silva, Luciana Pereira Xavier, Sidney Vasconcelos do Nascimento, Rafael Borges da Silva Valadares, Silvia Maria Mathes Faustino, Maria Paula Cruz Schneider, Agenor Valadares Santos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Microorganisms
• Subjects: glucosidase inhibitors; α-glucosidase; β-glucosidase; proteome; cyanobacteria; <i>Synechococcus</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/9/8/1593

Microalgae and cyanobacteria are good sources for prospecting metabolites of biotechnological interest, including glucosidase inhibitors. These inhibitors act on enzymes related to various biochemical processes; they are involved in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and Gaucher disease, tumors and viral infections, thus, they are interesting hubs for the development of new drugs and therapies. In this work, the screening of 63 environmental samples collected in the Brazilian Amazon found activity against β-glucosidase, of at least 60 min, in 13.85% of the tested extracts, with <i>Synechococcus</i> sp. GFB01 showing inhibitory activity of 90.2% for α-glucosidase and 96.9% against β-glucosidase. It was found that the nutritional limitation due to a reduction in the concentration of sodium nitrate, despite not being sufficient to cause changes in cell growth and photosynthetic apparatus, resulted in reduced production of α and β-glucosidase inhibitors and differential protein expression. The proteomic analysis of cyanobacteria isolated from the Amazon is unprecedented, with this being the first work to evaluate the protein expression of <i>Synechococcus</i> sp. GFB01 subjected to nutritional stress. This evaluation helps to better understand the metabolic responses of this organism, especially related to the production of inhibitors, adding knowledge to the industrial potential of these cyanobacterial compounds.