Researchers Introduce Innovative Procedure for Manufacturing Seaweed Compound Important in Neuroscience Studies
A team of scientists at the University of California San Diego and the J. Craig Venter Institute have made a significant breakthrough in the production of kainic acid, a neurochemical crucial for brain research.
Scripps Oceanography, a part of UC San Diego, has been at the forefront of global earth science research and education for decades. Apart from operating a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels, Scripps is also home to Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which welcomes half a million visitors each year.
The new method for producing kainic acid was developed by J. Yin, S. Bei, Y. Liu, Y. Liu, and Z. Yang. The researchers sequenced the genomes of two kainic acid producing seaweeds, D. simplex and Palmaria palmata, for the first time ever. This groundbreaking study was the first to sequence and assemble a genome of a red algae using the PromethION sequencer from Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
Kainic acid, initially identified as the active compound in the seaweed Digenea simplex in the 1950s, has since been used clinically as an anti-parasitic drug in Japan. Today, it is an important molecule in research, found in certain types of red algae worldwide.
The new method developed by the researchers involves a two-step process. First, they express seaweed genes in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Next, they ferment the bacterium to produce gram quantities of pure kainic acid. This process is not only cheaper and more efficient but also more environmentally friendly, addressing the worldwide shortages of the seaweed natural product that were experienced in 2000.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Simons Foundation Fellowship of the Life Science Research Foundation, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The authors of the study, apart from the aforementioned scientists, include Michael, Moore, Chekan, McKinnie, Malia Moore, and Poplawski.
UC San Diego, one of the top 15 research universities in the world, embraces a culture of exploration and experimentation. With this new breakthrough, the potential for large-scale biotechnological production of kainic acid is now within reach, opening new doors for brain research.
Read also:
- visionary women of WearCheck spearheading technological advancements and catalyzing transformations
- Recognition of Exceptional Patient Care: Top Staff Honored by Medical Center Board
- A continuous command instructing an entity to halts all actions, repeated numerous times.
- Oxidative Stress in Sperm Abnormalities: Impact of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) on Sperm Harm
