title: The conifer biomarkers dehydroabietic and abietic acids are widespread in Cyanobacteria.
abstract: Terpenes, a large family of natural products with important applications, are commonly associated with plants and fungi. The diterpenoids dehydroabietic and abietic acids are defense metabolites abundant in resin, and are used as biomarkers for conifer plants. We report here for the first time that the two diterpenoid acids are produced by members of several genera of cyanobacteria. Dehydroabietic acid was isolated from two cyanobacterial strains and its identity was confirmed spectroscopically. One or both of the diterpenoids were detected in the cells of phylogenetically diverse cyanobacteria belonging to four cyanobacterial 'botanical orders', from marine, estuarine and inland environments. Dehydroabietic acid was additionally found in culture supernatants. We investigated the natural role of the two resin acids in cyanobacteria using ecologically-relevant bioassays and found that the compounds inhibited the growth of a small coccoid cyanobacterium. The unexpected discovery of dehydroabietic and abietic acids in a wide range of cyanobacteria has implications for their use as plant biomarkers.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Sofia
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.|Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal).
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rego
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Tiago B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Preto
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.|Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal).
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Leão
mesh_terms: D045784:Abietanes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D015415:Biomarkers; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D064028:Tracheophyta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D045784:Abietanes; D015415:Biomarkers; C013913:dehydroabietic acid; C023710:abietic acid