Marine dinoflagellates produce chemically diverse compounds, with a wide range of biological activity (antimicrobial, anticancer, treatment of neurodegenerative disease along with use as biomedical research tools). Chemical diversity is highlighted by their production of molecules such as the saxitoxin family of alkaloids (C10H17N7O4 - 299 g/mol) to the amphipathic maitotoxin (C164H256O68S2Na2 - 3,422 g/mol), representing one of the largest and most complex secondary metabolites characterised. Dinoflagellates, are most well-known for the production of red tides which are frequently toxic, including okadaic acid and related dinophysistoxins, which are tumour promoters. The mode of action for these phycotoxins, is by specific inhibition of protein phosphatases, enzymes essential in regulation of many cellular processes. Hence, these compounds are being used for vital cell regulation studies. However, the availability of useful amounts of these compounds has restricted research. Chemical synthesis of some compounds such as okadaic acid has been investigated, but the complexity of the molecule resulted in many lengthy steps and achieved only a poor yield. The use of naturally occurring phytoplankton has been investigated as a potential source of these compounds, but it has been shown to be unreliable and impractical. The most practical option is large scale culture with down-stream processing/purification which requires specialist facilities and expertise. This review, describes the biotechnological potential of these organisms and the challenges to achieve useful yields of high quality phycotoxins using Prorocentrum spp. as an example to produce okadaic acid.

中文翻译：

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来自鞭毛原鞭毛体的高价值藻毒素

海洋鞭毛藻产生具有多种生物学活性的化学上多样化的化合物（抗微生物剂，抗癌剂，神经退行性疾病的治疗以及用作生物医学研究工具）。化学多样性的体现是它们产生的分子，例如生物碱类毒素（C10H17N7O4-299 g / mol）到两亲性毛毒素（C164H256O68S2Na2-3,422 g / mol），代表了所表征的最大和最复杂的次生代谢产物之一。鞭毛藻因产生通常具有毒性的赤潮而闻名，其中包括冈田酸和相关的狄诺氏物理毒素，它们是肿瘤的促进剂。这些藻毒素的作用方式是通过特异性抑制蛋白质磷酸酶来进行，而蛋白质磷酸酶是调节许多细胞过程中必不可少的酶。因此，这些化合物正用于重要的细胞调节研究。但是，这些化合物的有用量的可获得性限制了研究。已经对某些化合物（例如冈田酸）的化学合成进行了研究，但是分子的复杂性导致许多冗长的步骤，并且收率很低。已经研究了使用天然浮游植物作为这些化合物的潜在来源，但已证明这是不可靠和不切实际的。最实用的选择是具有下游处理/纯化功能的大规模养殖，这需要专业的设施和专业知识。这篇综述描述了这些生物的生物技术潜力，以及使用原中心菌种获得高质量藻毒素的有用产量所面临的挑战。以生产冈田酸为例。