In silico evaluation of bioactive peptides from the green algae Caulerpa

The genus Caulerpa consists of over than 100 members. This genus is famous because of its invasive members in the Mediterranean Sea. Although many eradication methods have been applied on these seaweeds, no validated method exists in the literature on these aliens. Research on the biotechnological utilization of these seaweeds are limited. This paper proposes an alternative in silico evaluation method for identifying possible utilization of these seaweeds. In the present study, bioactive peptides in the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) of 28 Caulerpa species were investigated by using in silico tools. According to the results, RuBisCO in Caulerpa cylindracea, Caulerpa taxifolia, Caulerpa racemosa var. lamourouxii, and Caulerpa racemosa f. occidentalis showed the best potential for bioactive peptides. In conclusion, exotic alien Caulerpa genus members could be evaluated in the food industry as alternative sources of bioactive peptides instead of attempting eradication methods.