Malaysian waters are rich with a wide variety of seaweeds including the phycocolloid producing species such as Sargassum, Gracilaria and Eucheuma. Cell walls and mucilages of these seaweeds are composed of carbohydrates like agar, alginic acid and carrageenans that are used for industrial gum production. Agars and carrageenans are extracted from the red algae Gracilaria and Eucheuma, respectively.
Besides this, many claims have also been made for the effectiveness of seaweed on human health. It has been suggested that seaweed contain substances capable of boosting our immune system, fighting cancer, protection against UV radiation, and as treatment for joint ailments (Moore 2001). Algal antioxidants such as carotenoids and complex polyphenols, soak up toxic radicals, and can protect against cancer, UV damage and atherosclerosis. Even though many of the reported medicinal effects of marine algae have not been substantiated, worldwide research has shown extracts from seaweed have great promise as anti-viral and anti-cancer substances. Rhamnan sulfate (RS), a natural sulfated polysaccharide isolated from Monostroma latissimum, showed potent inhibitory effects on the virus replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in vitro (Lee et al 1999). Aqueous extracts from the seaweed, wakame, showed an extremely strong suppressive effect on rat mammary carcinogenesis and strongly induced apoptosis in three kinds of human breast cancer cells (Funahashi et al 2001). Fucans, sulfated polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweeds, have been shown to have antiproliferative and antitumor effects on human bronchopulmonary carcinoma, a type of carcinoma that is particularly chemo-resistant, by blocking the G1 phase of the cell cycle (Riou et al 1996).
The Algal Research Group, Universiti Malaya, has worked on the taxonomy, biochemistry, culture and diseases of Gracilaria changii (Masuda et al. 2000; Phang, 1998; Yamamoto & Phang, 1997; Terada et al. 2000). The Malaysian agarophyte Gracilaria changii produces high agar yield and gel strength (Shaffei et al. 1994) and has high growth rate (Phang et al. 1996). A Seaweed Herbarium consisting of about 5,000 specimens has also been established in Universiti Malaya. Studies on the yield and quality of semi-refined carrageenan from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum have also been conducted in Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia (KUSTEM) along with field cultivation trials for these species as well as Gracilaria, attempted in Setiu lagoon in mainland Terengganu and in Pulau Rhu.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Project
Title :
Genomic Approaches to seaweed Genes and Natural Product Discovery
In addition, some recent findings on the medical potential of local seaweeds have indicated that the red algae Eucheuma produce secondary metabolites with very good biological activities.
The proposed research programme aims to develop a seamless integration and utilization of cutting edge technologies in genomics and proteomics. Current technologies in extraction and structural analysis, combinatorial chemistry, genomics technology such as micro-array, high-throughput sequencing technologies, and technologies in functional genomics will form an integral component of this integrated programme for seaweed natural product discovery. In addition, bioinformatics will be used to mine available genome sequence information from public and licensed databases to identify genes involved in anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant and wound healing activities and anti-cancer activities. Since this project will form the basis of a marine biotechnology programme, the outcome of this project is expected to be in the form of intellectual property or knowledge generation rather than product based output. However, we also propose to develop and transfer cultivation or farming protocols to end users and farmers for commercial plantings of seaweeds and production via bioreactor technology. Two seaweed species have been selected to be use in this research namely Gracilaria changii and Eucheuma denticulatum due to the extensive studies which had been done in Malaysia.
Period of the project : 3 Years (2001 - 2004)
Achievements
Progress/Achievements for year one
New Process
Protocols for the preparation of explants, spores and protoplasts for transformation work were developed. Sterilization techniques were developed.
Project Status
- On-going