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Journal of Tropical Oceanography

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Characterization of Metabolites from a Leptolyngbya sp. Strain Isolated from the Surface of a Mesophotic Coral Reefs in the Xisha Islands

LI Tao1, XU Jin2*, DIAO Zenghui3, SUN Youfang4, WU Hualian1, XU Bingqi1,5, WU Houbo1, XIANG Wenzhou1*    

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China


    2. Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of   New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, CAS Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Guangzhou 510640, China


    3. College of Resources and Environment, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, China


    4. Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 10301, China;


    5. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China


  • Received:2026-04-30 Revised:2026-06-18 Accepted:2026-06-24
  • Supported by:
    Science & Technology Fundamental Resources Investigation Program (2022FY100600); the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFB4106501); 2025 Research on breeding technology of candidate species for Guangdong modern marine ranching (2025-MRB-00-001).

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Abstract: The unique environment of the mesophotic coral reef ecosystem harbors a rich diversity of microalgae species. Leptolyngbya, a key builders of the coral reef "microbial mat", can synthesize various high-value-added products, giving it significant research and development potential. However, due to the challenges in culturing epiphytic Leptolyngbya, most species remain underexplored. In this study, a strain of Leptolyngbya sp. (strain number: SCSIO-46101) was isolated from the mesophotic coral reefs of the Xisha Islands. Based on morphological observation, molecular identification, biochemical composition, genomics, and metabolomics, its taxonomic status was clarified, and its application potential was evaluated. Results indicated that this microalga belonged to the phylum Cyanobacteria, class Cyanophyceae, order Synechococcales, and genus Leptolyngbya. The microalga appeared red, with a relatively high phycoerythrin content (1.56% DW). Its biomass was primarily composed of proteins (30.99% of dry weight) and carbohydrates (24.60% of dry weight), with a low total lipid content (3.68% of dry weight). Fatty acids were dominated by palmitic acid (35% of total fatty acids), and amino acids were primarily glutamic acid (15% of total amino acids). The intracellular polysaccharide was an acidic heteropolysaccharide composed of glucose, mannose, galactose, xylose, fucose, and guluronic acid. The genome size was 8.4 Mb, with 7,099 predicted genes, and it possessed potential biosynthetic pathways for terpenoids, the shikimate pathway, alkaloids, and other bioactive compounds. Metabolite analysis revealed various natural products with potential pharmaceutical value, such as benperidol and isovanillin. Activity evaluation showed that the cold-water extract exhibited strong antioxidant capacity, while the ethanol extract demonstrated good skin-whitening activity. In conclusion, Leptolyngbya sp. SCSIO-46101 was a microalgal resource with high-value development potential. This study enhanced the understanding of Leptolyngbya from the Xisha Islands and provided a theoretical basis for its further development.

Key words: mesophotic coral reef, Leptolyngbya, genome, natural products, bioactivity evaluation