A gene cluster for the biosynthesis of a new small cyclic peptide, dubbed trichamide, was discovered in the genome of the global, bloom-forming marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum ISM101 because of striking similarities to the previously characterized patellamide biosynthesis cluster. The tri cluster consists of a precursor peptide gene containing the amino acid sequence for mature trichamide, a putative heterocyclization gene, an oxidase, two proteases, and hypothetical genes. Based upon detailed sequence analysis, a structure was predicted for trichamide and confirmed by Fourier transform mass spectrometry. Trichamide consists of 11 amino acids, including two cysteine-derived thiazole groups, and is cyclized by an NOC terminal amide bond. As the first natural product reported from T. erythraeum, trichamide shows the power of genome mining in the prediction and discovery of new natural products.

Alcyonaria species are among the important marine invertebrate classes that produce a wealth of chemically diverse bioactive diterpenes. Examples of these are the potent microtubule disruptor sarcodictyins and eleutherobin. The genus Cladiella has proven to be a rich source of cytotoxic eunicellin-based diterpenoids. Five new eunicellin diterpenes, pachycladins A-E (1-5), were isolated from the Red Sea soft coral Cladiella pachyclados. The known sclerophytin A Cladiellisin, 3-acetylcladiellisin, 3,6-diacetylcladiellisin, (+)-polyanthelin A, klysimplexin G, klysimplexin E, sclerophytin F methyl ether, (6Z)-cladiellin (cladiella-6Z,11(17)-dien-3-ol), sclerophytin B, and patagonicol were also identified. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive interpretation of their spectroscopic data. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit growth, proliferation, invasion, and migration of the prostate cancer cells PC-3. Some of the new metabolites exhibited significant anti-invasive activity.

The lipophilic partition of a methanol extract of the Red Sea sponge Hyrtios erecta yielded a novel pentacyclic sesterterpene ester salmahyrtisol A (1), three new scalarane-type sesterterpenes, 3-acetyl sesterstatin 1 (3), 19-acetyl sesterstatin 3 (4), and salmahyrtisol B (5), together with the previously reported sesterterpenes hyrtiosal (2), scalarolide (6), and salmahyrtisol C (7). The structure determination was based on extensive NMR studies and high-resolution mass spectral measurements. In addition, salmahyrtisol A has a previously unknown pentacyclic carbon skeleton. The new compounds show significant cytotoxicity to murine leukemia (P-388), human lung carcinoma (A-549), and human colon carcinoma (HT-29). A biosynthetic relationship between 1 and 2 is briefly discussed.