Deep-Sea Sponges and Corals off the Western Coast of Florida—Intracellular Mechanisms of Action of Bioactive Compounds and Technological Advances Supporting the Drug Discovery Pipeline
Mina Iskandar,
Kira M. Ruiz-Houston,
Steven D. Bracco,
Sami R. Sharkasi,
Cecilia L. Calabi Villarroel,
Meghna N. Desai,
Alexandra G. Gerges,
Natalia A. Ortiz Lopez,
Miguel Xiao Barbero,
Amelia A. German,
Vinoothna S. Moluguri,
Selina M. Walker,
Juliana Silva Higashi,
Justin M. Palma,
Daena Z. Medina,
Miit Patel,
Prachi Patel,
Michaela Valentin,
Angelica C. Diaz,
Jonathan P. Karthaka,
Atzin D. Santiago,
Riley B. Skiles,
Luis A. Romero Umana,
Maxwell D. Ungrey,
Anya Wojtkowiak,
Domenica V. Howard,
Remy Nurge,
Katharine G. Woods,
Meera Nanjundan
Affiliations
Mina Iskandar
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Kira M. Ruiz-Houston
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Steven D. Bracco
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Sami R. Sharkasi
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Cecilia L. Calabi Villarroel
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Meghna N. Desai
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Alexandra G. Gerges
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Natalia A. Ortiz Lopez
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Miguel Xiao Barbero
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Amelia A. German
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Vinoothna S. Moluguri
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Selina M. Walker
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Juliana Silva Higashi
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Justin M. Palma
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Daena Z. Medina
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Miit Patel
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Prachi Patel
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Michaela Valentin
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Angelica C. Diaz
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Jonathan P. Karthaka
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Atzin D. Santiago
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Riley B. Skiles
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Luis A. Romero Umana
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Maxwell D. Ungrey
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Anya Wojtkowiak
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Domenica V. Howard
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Remy Nurge
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Katharine G. Woods
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Meera Nanjundan
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ISA2015, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
The majority of natural products utilized to treat a diverse array of human conditions and diseases are derived from terrestrial sources. In recent years, marine ecosystems have proven to be a valuable resource of diverse natural products that are generated to defend and support their growth. Such marine sources offer a large opportunity for the identification of novel compounds that may guide the future development of new drugs and therapies. Using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portal, we explore deep-sea coral and sponge species inhabiting a segment of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, specifically off the western coast of Florida. This area spans ~100,000 km2, containing coral and sponge species at sea depths up to 3000 m. Utilizing PubMed, we uncovered current knowledge on and gaps across a subset of these sessile organisms with regards to their natural products and mechanisms of altering cytoskeleton, protein trafficking, and signaling pathways. Since the exploitation of such marine organisms could disrupt the marine ecosystem leading to supply issues that would limit the quantities of bioactive compounds, we surveyed methods and technological advances that are necessary for sustaining the drug discovery pipeline including in vitro aquaculture systems and preserving our natural ecological community in the future. Collectively, our efforts establish the foundation for supporting future research on the identification of marine-based natural products and their mechanism of action to develop novel drugs and therapies for improving treatment regimens of human conditions and diseases.
