title: A marine sponge associated strain of Bacillus subtilis and other marine bacteria can produce anticholinesterase compounds.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors or anticholinesterases reduce the activity of enzyme acetylcholinesterase that degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain. The inhibitors have a significant pharmacological role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's etc. Although plants have been a significant source of these compounds, there are very few sporadic reports of microorganisms producing such inhibitors. Anticholinesterase activity in bacterial associates of marine soft corals and sponges were not previously reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We screened 887 marine bacteria for the presence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, in a microplate based assay, and found that 140 (15.8%) of them inhibit the electric eel enzyme, acetylcholinesterase. Majority of the active isolates were bacterial associates of soft corals followed by sediment isolates while most of the potent inhibitors belonged to the bacterial associates of marine sponges. Maximum inhibition (54%) was exhibited by a bacterial strain M18SP4P (ii), isolated from the marine sponge Fasciospongia cavernosa. Based on phenotypic characterization and 16S rDNA sequencing, the strain was identified as Bacillus subtilis - revealing yet another activity in a strain of the model organism that is considered to be a cell factory. TLC bioautography of the methanol extract of this culture, showed the presence of two major components having this activity, when compared to Galanthamine, the positive control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From the results of our study, we conclude that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are quite prevalent in marine bacteria, particularly the bacterial associates of marine invertebrates. Several potential AChE inhibitors in marine bacteria are waiting to be discovered to provide easily manipulable natural sources for the mass production of these therapeutic compounds.
authors: Environment and Sustainability Department, CSIR - Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar 751 013, India. sony@immt.res.in.
authors: Sony
authors: S
authors: Pandey
authors: Ayinampudi
authors: A
authors: Sree
authors: Dipti Priya
authors: DP
authors: Sethi
authors: Chityal Ganesh
authors: CG
authors: Kumar
authors: Sudha
authors: S
authors: Kakollu
authors: Lipsa
authors: L
authors: Chowdhury
authors: Soumya Suchismita
authors: SS
authors: Dash
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004524:Eels / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D011161:Porifera / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase