Angiotensin-converting enzyme-related carboxypeptidase (ACE2) is a recently identified zinc metalloprotease with carboxypeptidase activity that was identified using our genomics platform. We implemented a rational design approach to identify potent and selective ACE2 inhibitors. To this end, picomolar inhibitors of ACE2 were designed and synthesized.

BackgroundOysters impart significant socio-ecological benefits from primary production of food supply, to estuarine ecosystems via reduction of water column nutrients, plankton and seston biomass. Little though is known at the molecular level of what genes are responsible for how oysters reproduce, filter nutrients, survive stressful physiological events and form reef communities. Neuropeptides represent a diverse class of chemical messengers, instrumental in orchestrating these complex physiological events in other species.ResultsBy a combination of in silico data mining and peptide analysis of ganglia, 74 putative neuropeptide genes were identified from genome and transcriptome databases of the Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctata fucata and the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, encoding precursors for over 300 predicted bioactive peptide products, including three newly identified neuropeptide precursors PFGx8amide, RxIamide and Wx3Yamide. Our findings also include a gene for the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and two egg-laying hormones (ELH) which were identified from both oysters. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis supports similar global organization of these mature peptides. Computer-based peptide modeling of the molecular tertiary structures of ELH highlights the structural homologies within ELH family, which may facilitate ELH activity leading to the release of gametes.ConclusionOur analysis demonstrates that oysters possess conserved molluscan neuropeptide domains and overall precursor organization whilst highlighting many previously unrecognized bivalve idiosyncrasies. This genomic analysis provides a solid foundation from which further studies aimed at the functional characterization of these molluscan neuropeptides can be conducted to further stimulate advances in understanding the ecology and cultivation of oysters.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-840) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Chemical analysis of an Australian marine-derived isolate of Penicillium bilaii, collected from the Huon estuary, Port Huon, Tasmania, yielded the known fungal aromatic polyketides citromycetin (1) and citromycin (2) together with two dihydro analogues, (-)-2,3-dihydrocitromycetin (3) and (-)-2,3-dihydrocitromycin (4). An Australian terrestrial isolate of Penicillium striatisporum collected near Shalvey, New South Wales, also yielded citromycetin (1), citromycin (2), and the new dihydro analogue (-)-2,3-dihydrocitromycetin (3), together with fulvic acid (5), anhydrofulvic acid (6), and a selection of new methoxylated analogues, 12-methoxycitromycetin (7), 12-methoxycitromycin (8), (-)-12-methoxy-2,3-dihydrocitromycetin (9), and 12-methoxyanhydrofulvic acid (10). P. bilaii also yielded the rare siderophore pistillarin (11), the known diketopiperazines cyclo-(L-Phe -L-Pro) (12), cyclo-(L-Pro-L-Tyr) (13), cyclo-(L-Pro-L-Val) (14), and cis-bis(methylthio)silvatin (15), and three new diketopiperazines, bilains A-C (16-18). The structures for the Penicillium metabolites 1- 18 were assigned by a combination of detailed spectroscopic analysis, including correlation with relevant literature data, chemical derivatization, degradation, and biosynthetic considerations. The citromycin polyketides 2 and 4 and the diketopiperazine 15 were weakly cytotoxic.

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