The initiation of this study relies on a targeted genome-mining approach to highlight the presence of a putative vanadium-dependent haloperoxidase-encoding gene in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent fungus Hortaea werneckii UBOCC-A-208029. To date, only three fungal vanadium-dependent haloperoxidases have been described, one from the terrestrial species Curvularia inaequalis, one from the fungal plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea, and one from a marine derived isolate identified as Alternaria didymospora. In this study, we describe a new vanadium chloroperoxidase from the black yeast H. werneckii, successfully cloned and overexpressed in a bacterial host, which possesses higher affinity for bromide (K_m = 26 µM) than chloride (K_m = 237 mM). The enzyme was biochemically characterized, and we have evaluated its potential for biocatalysis by determining its stability and tolerance in organic solvents. We also describe its potential three-dimensional structure by building a model using the AlphaFold 2 artificial intelligence tool. This model shows some conservation of the 3D structure of the active site compared to the vanadium chloroperoxidase from C. inaequalis but it also highlights some differences in the active site entrance and the volume of the active site pocket, underlining its originality.

R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) can be enzymatically extracted from red seaweeds such as Palmaria palmata. This pigment has numerous applications and is notably known as an antioxidant, antitumoral or anti-inflammatory agent. Enzymes secreted by P. palmata associated fungal strains were assumed to be efficient and adapted for R-PE extraction from this macroalga. The aim of the present study was to quantify both xylanolytic and cellulolytic activities of enzymatic extracts obtained from six Palmaria palmata derived fungal strains. Degradation of P. palmata biomass by fungal enzymatic extracts was also investigated, focused on soluble protein and R-PE extraction. Enzymatic extracts were obtained by solid state fermentation. Macroalgal degradation abilities were evaluated by measuring reducing sugar release using DNS assays. Soluble proteins and R-PE recovery yields were evaluated through bicinchoninic acid and spectrophotometric assays, respectively. Various enzymatic activities were obtained according to fungal isolates up to 978 U/mL for xylanase and 50 U/mL for cellulase. Enzymatic extract allowed high degrading abilities, with four of the six fungal strains assessed exhibiting at least equal results as the commercial enzymes for the reducing sugar release. Similarly, all six strains allowed the same soluble protein extraction yield and four of them led to an improvement of R-PE extraction. R-PE extraction from P. palamata using marine fungal enzymes appeared particularly promising. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first on the use of enzymes of P. palmata associated fungi in the degradation of its own biomass for biomolecules recovery.

Macroalgae (seaweeds) are key primary producers in marine coastal habitats and largely contribute to global ocean carbon fluxes. They also represent attractive renewable feedstock for the production of biofuels, food, feed, and bioactive. Brown algae are seaweeds that produce alginates and fucose containing sulfated polysaccharides in their cell wall and laminarin and mannitol for carbon storage. The availability of genomes of the kelp Saccharina japonica and of the filamentous Ectocarpus sp. paved the way for the biochemical characterization of recombinant enzymes involved in their polysaccharide and carbohydrates synthesis, including, notably, mannitol. Brown algal mannitol biosynthesis starts with the conversion of fructose-6-phospate into mannitol-1-phosphate (mannitol-1P), and this intermediate is hydrolysed by a haloacid dehalogenase phosphatase (M1Pase) to produce mannitol. We report here the biochemical characterization of a second M1Pase in Ectocarpus sp. (EsM1Pase1). Both Ectocarpus M1Pases were redox-sensitive enzymes, with EsM1Pase1 active only in presence of the reducing agent. Such catalytic properties have not been observed for any M1Pases yet. EsM1Pases were specific to mannitol-1-P, in contrast to S. japonica M1Pases that could act on other phosphorylated sugars. Finally, brown algal M1Pases formed two well-supported clades, with possible distinct subcellular localization and physiological role(s) under diverse environmental conditions and/or life cycle stages.

Macroalgae harbor a rich epiphytic microbiota that plays a crucial role in algal morphogenesis and defense mechanisms. This study aims to isolate epiphytic cultivable microbiota from Ulva sp. surfaces. Various culture media were employed to evaluate a wide range of cultivable microbiota. Our objective was to assess the antibacterial and biofilm-modulating activities of supernatants from isolated bacteria. Sixty-nine bacterial isolates from Ulva sp. were identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Their antibacterial activity and biofilm modulation potential were screened against three target marine bacteria: 45%, mostly affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria and mainly grown on diluted R2A medium (R2Ad), showed strong antibacterial activity, while 18% had a significant impact on biofilm modulation. Molecular network analysis was carried out on four bioactive bacterial supernatants, revealing new molecules potentially responsible for their activities. R2Ad offered the greatest diversity and proportion of active isolates. The molecular network approach holds promise for both identifying bacterial isolates based on their molecular production and characterizing antibacterial and biofilm-modulating activities.