Potential of Marine Sponge Metabolites against Prions: Bromotyrosine Derivatives, a Family of Interest.

The screening of 166 extracts from tropical marine organisms (invertebrates, macroalgae) and 3 cyclolipopeptides from microorganisms against yeast prions highlighted the potential of Verongiida sponges to prevent the propagation of prions. We isolated the known compounds purealidin Q (), aplysamine-2 (), pseudoceratinine A (), aerophobin-2 (), aplysamine-1 (), and pseudoceratinine B () for the first time from the Wallisian sponge . We then tested compounds - and sixteen other bromotyrosine and bromophenol derivatives previously isolated from Verongiida sponges against yeast prions, demonstrating the potential of -, , , aplyzanzine C (), purealidin A (), psammaplysenes D () and F (), anomoian F (), and N,N-dimethyldibromotyramine ().

Identification of 8-Hydroxyquinoline Derivatives That Decrease Cystathionine Beta Synthase (CBS) Activity.

CBS encodes a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the condensation of homocysteine and serine to form cystathionine. Due to its implication in some cancers and in the cognitive pathophysiology of Down syndrome, the identification of pharmacological inhibitors of this enzyme is urgently required. However, thus far, attempts to identify such molecules have only led to the identification of compounds with low potency and limited selectivity.