Omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) provide significant health benefits and this has led to an increased consumption as dietary supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are found in animals, transgenic plants, fungi and many microorganisms but are typically extracted from fatty fish, putting additional pressures on global fish stocks. As primary producers, many marine microalgae are rich in EPA (C20:5) and DHA (C22:6) and present a promising source of omega-3 fatty acids. Several heterotrophic microalgae have been used as biofactories for omega-3 fatty acids commercially, but a strong interest in autotrophic microalgae has emerged in recent years as microalgae are being developed as biofuel crops. This paper provides an overview of microalgal biotechnology and production platforms for the development of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. It refers to implications in current biotechnological uses of microalgae as aquaculture feed and future biofuel crops and explores potential applications of metabolic engineering and selective breeding to accumulate large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in autotrophic microalgae.

Tachyplesin I, II and III are host defense peptides from horseshoe crab species with antimicrobial and anticancer activities. They have an amphipathic β-hairpin structure, are highly positively-charged and differ by only one or two amino acid residues. In this study, we compared the structure and activity of the three tachyplesin peptides alongside their backbone cyclized analogues. We assessed the peptide structures using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, then compared the activity against bacteria (both in the planktonic and biofilm forms) and a panel of cancerous cells. The importance of peptide-lipid interactions was examined using surface plasmon resonance and fluorescence spectroscopy methodologies. Our studies showed that tachyplesin peptides and their cyclic analogues were most potent against Gram-negative bacteria and melanoma cell lines, and showed a preference for binding to negatively-charged lipid membranes. Backbone cyclization did not improve potency, but improved peptide stability in human serum and reduced toxicity toward human red blood cells. Peptide-lipid binding affinity, orientation within the membrane, and ability to disrupt lipid bilayers differed between the cyclized peptide and the parent counterpart. We show that tachyplesin peptides and cyclized analogues have similarly potent antimicrobial and anticancer properties, but that backbone cyclization improves their stability and therapeutic potential.

Acquired drug-resistance is a recurring problem in cancer treatment, and this is particularly true for patients with metastatic melanoma that carry a BRAF V600E mutation. In the current study, we explored the use of membrane-active peptides as an alternative therapeutic modality to target drug-resistant melanoma cells. We produced slow-cycling and drug-resistant melanoma cells using dabrafenib, a small molecule drug that targets tumor cells with BRAF V600E mutation, and characterised their lipidome and proteome to investigate the role of membrane lipids in acquired drug-resistance. Despite some changes in the lipid composition, tested anti-melanoma membrane-active cyclic peptides (cTI and cGm) killed melanoma cells that are sensitive, tolerant, or resistant to dabrafenib. Importantly, melanoma cells did not develop resistance to cTI or cGm, nor changed their lipid composition with long-term peptide treatment. Therefore, these peptides are well suited as templates to design therapeutic leads to target drug-resistant metastatic melanoma cells and/or as co-treatment with small molecule drugs.