“…Many algae produce sulfated polysaccharides with antioxidant, antiviral and immunostimulatory activity (Huheihel et al, 2002;Lee et al, 2006;Pugh et al, 2001;Tannin-Spitz et al, 2005;Yim et al, 2004), vitamin E (Carballo-Cardenas et al, 2003, carotenoids and other pigments with anticancer and antioxidant effects (Ebermann et al, 1996;Moreau et al, 2006) and various toxins exhibiting cytotoxic, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal activities. Several large screening programs of bioprospecting with algal extracts have been performed or are ongoing to identify bioactive compounds of medical significance (Døskeland, 2001;Fenical et al, 2003;Gerwick et al, 1994;Scholz and Liebezeit, 2006;Ö rdög et al, 2004). As discussed below, most of these important substances are secondary metabolites, and the possibility of combinatorial biosynthesis for heterologous expression of their genes have been reviewed (Julsing et al, 2006).…”