Cyanobacteria as efficient producers of mycosporine ‐like amino acids

Mycosporine‐like amino acids are the most common group of transparent ultraviolet radiation absorbing intracellular secondary metabolites. These molecules absorb light in the range of ultraviolet‐A and ‐B with a maximum absorbance between 310 and 362 nm. Cyanobacteria might have faced the most deleterious ultraviolet radiation, which leads to an evolution of ultraviolet protecting mycosporine‐like amino acids for efficient selection in the environment. In the last 30 years, scientists have investigated various cyanobacteria for novel mycosporine‐like amino acids, applying different induction techniques. This review organizes all the cyanobacterial groups that produce various mycosporine‐like amino acids. We found out that cyanobacteria belonging to orders Synechococcales, Chroococcales, Oscillatoriales, and Nostocales are frequently studied for the presence of mycosporine‐like amino acids, while orders Gloeobacterales, Spirulinales, Pleurocapsales, and Chroococcidiopsidales are still need to be investigated. Nostoc and Anabaena strains are major studied genus for the mycosporine‐like amino acids production. Hence, this review will give further insight to the readers about potential mycosporine‐like amino acid producing cyanobacterial groups in future investigations.

Source: Journal of Basic Microbiology - May 22, 2017 Category: Microbiology Authors: Shikha Jain, Ganshyam Prajapat, Mustari Abrar, Lalita Ledwani, Anoop Singh, Akhil Agrawal Tags: REVIEW Source Type: research