Reevaluating sponge diversity and distribution in the Mediterranean Sea

The aim of this paper was (1) to update sponge diversity and distribution in the Mediterranean and (2) to re-examine faunal relationships among the Mediterranean areas on the basis of their sponge fauna. The Mediterranean demosponge faunal list was updated to 629 species by taking into consideration recent data from previously poorly studied areas. The species lists of 14 Mediterranean areas were compared on the basis of their sponge species richness, species composition, and taxonomic relatedness of species using multivariate analyses and diversity measures, such as PD, Delta+, and Lambda+. The 14 Mediterranean areas examined for their diversity and affinities were assembled into four major zoogeographic groups: the northwestern, northeastern, the central zone, and southeastern areas. Richest in species numbers were the areas belonging to the two northern groups. The species richness comparisons and similarity analyses performed at the generic level showed that it can be safely used as a surrogate for sponge species diversity in the Mediterranean. The results of this study showed that the simple traditional division of the Mediterranean Sea into a western, central, and eastern basin cannot reliably describe the distribution of sponges in the area. Thus, the W to E faunal decline previously presented for several faunal groups shifts to a general NNW-SSE pattern when one examines separately the northern and the southern parts of the traditional basins. This gradient seems to be in agreement with differences in key environmental variables, such as latitude, salinity, temperature, and water circulation, besides the typically examined distance from Gibraltar. Handling editor: T. P. Crowe     

Sterol composition of three marine sponge species from the genus Cinachyrella

• 1.1. The hitherto undescribed sterol compositions of three marine sponge species belonging to the genus Cinachyrella are reported: C. alloclada and C. kükenthali from the Senegalese coast, at two different depths, and C. aff. schulzei from the lagoon of Nouméa, New Caledonia.
• 2.2. Fourteen free sterols have been identified by GC and GC/MS studies, including the 23,24ξ-dimethylcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol (10) and the rare 24-norcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol (1).
• 3.3. The first compound (10) is reported for the second time in a marine sponge and it was found only in Senegalese sponges collected in shallow waters.
• 4.4. Sterol (10) has been isolated by HPLC and identified by NMR techniques.
• 5.5. Significant amounts of cholest-7-en-3β-ol (7) were also found in the Senegalese sponge species.
• 6.6. Apart from these two compounds, the three sponge sterol compositions are found to be very similar.

     

Proteolytic activity in the genus ficus

The latices of only 13 of a total of 46 species of Ficus examined contained appreciable proteolytic activity. Therefore, high proteolytic activity in the latex is not a distinguishing feature of the genus. The latex of F. stenocarpa had the highest specific activity followed closely by the latices of F. carica and F. glabrata. Latices of 6 species of Ficus were examined by chromatography on CM-cellulose and compared with the results obtained for 9 varieties of F. carica. All of the latices were found to contain multiple proteolytic enzymes. Chromatographically, the multiple enzyme components of the several varieties of F. carica were more similar than those of the several species examined. The latices of 16 varieties of F. carica were all different as determined by free boundary electrophoresis although the specific proteolytic activity of the latices was reasonably constant.     

中国绒泡菌属黏菌的物种及分布

绒泡菌属是黏菌纲最大的一个属,通过标本的鉴定和复核以及文献考证等分类学研究,重新整理和报道了中国绒泡菌属黏菌的物种资料,计有93种,探讨了它们的分布特征和地理成分,一些种在中国的分布省区被增补。     

Selective isolation and distribution of the genus Planomonospora in soils

For the screening of bioactive compounds and study of global distribution, a selective isolation method for Planomonospora strains by centrifugation from soil is examined. Planomonospora strains produced characteristic sporangia on the humic acid-trace salts gellan gum medium (pH 9.0) so that this genus was readily recognized on the isolation plate. High yields of motile spores were obtained by using a flooding solution containing 0.1% skim milk in 5 mM N-cyclohexyl-2-amino-ethanesulfonic acid (pH 9.0) followed by incubating the preparation at 32 degreesC for 90 min, centrifuging it at 1000 x g for 10 min, and further incubation at 32 degreesC for 60 min after centrifugation. By combining the techniques described above, we isolated 246 Planomonospora strains from 137 of the 1200 soil samples examined. Ninety-four percent of these strains were recovered from neutral to slightly alkaline soils (pH 7.0 to 9.0). Strains of P. venezuelensis group were obtained from 13 soil samples (1.1%), which were collected in Bolivia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, India, Japan, New Caledonia, and Turkey. Strains of this group appear widely distributed in the soil of tropical to temperate regions. To our knowledge, this is the first record that strains of this group have been isolated from a location other than Venezuela.     

Past and present distribution of the genus Capra in Greece

The Alpine ibex Capra ibex and the wild goat Capra aegagrus are the only caprids known to have existed in the Balkan Peninsula. The agrimi is a feral primitive form of the domestic goat Capra hircus but may constitute an island subspecies of C. aegagrus endemic to Crete, Greece. Here, the distribution of C. ibex and C. aegagrus in this southernmost Balkan country was reviewed for the period from Middle Pleistocene until today through a scientific and historical document search. Such knowledge should provide directions to future conservation plans for these species and aid in tracing the origins of agrimi. Fossil locations indicate that both species lived in this country at elevations of similar altitude (≥10–?≤?2,497 m a.s.l.). C. ibex colonised Greece naturally, perhaps, not earlier than 126,000 years ago. It was spread over most of the mainland (36–41° N and 20–24° E) where from it disappeared after 5600 BC due to hunting. C. aegagrus constituted an exotic in Europe. Man introduced it to insular and mainland Greece (between 35–40° N and 19–26° E) from around 8600 and 7000 BC, respectively. It went extinct on the mainland probably before 6000 BC. Only C. ibex should, therefore, be restored to its former Balkan ranges. This review provides further support for the wild origin hypothesis for agrimi.     

Antitumor activity of marine algae

Powdered tissue from 46 species of air-dried marine algae (four green, 21 brown and 21 red algae) were screened for antitumor activity. Significant activity against Ehrlich carcinoma was found in the brown algae Scytosiphon lomentaria (69.8% inhibition), Lessonia nigrescens (60.0%), Laminaria japonica (57.6%), Sargassum ringgoldianum (46.5%), the red algae Porphyra yezoensis (53.2%) and Eucheuma gelatinae (52.1%) and the green alga Enteromorpha prolifera (51.7%). Five brown and four red algae showed appreciable antitumor activity against Meth-A fibrosarcoma. To identify specific molecules with antitumor activity, 15 kinds of polysaccharide preparations of seaweed origin and 24 kinds of lipid fractions extracted from various seaweeds were tested. Appreciable inhibition of Ehrlich carcinoma was found for fucoidan preparations from Undaria pinnatifida and Sargassum ringgoldianum, for carrageenans and for porphyran. Several glycolipid and phospholipid fractions from brown and red algae were effective against Meth-A fibrosarcoma.     

Antitumor activity of equinatoxin.

Equinatoxin, a highly basic protein extracted from Actinia equina, causes an increase in the survival time of mice bearing the ascitic form of Ehrlich carcinoma, whereas it has no effect on L1210 leukaemia. When tested for in vitro cytotoxicity by the dye exclusion test, it shows a potent activity on both tumour cell lines, with ED50 of a few ng/ml. Higher concentrations produce an extensive lysis of the cells. The cytotoxic effects of Equinatoxin are inhibited by phospholipids, thus suggesting that its mechanism of action may be related to interactions with lipids or other charged components of cell membrane. The observed lack of in vivo activity against L1210 leukaemia presumably is due to poor systemic absorption of the protein and/or neutralization by serum factors.     

Spatial distribution of sponge-associated bacteria in the Mediterranean sponge Tethya aurantium

The local distribution of the bacterial community associated with the marine sponge Tethya aurantium Pallas 1766 was studied. Distinct bacterial communities were found to inhabit the endosome and cortex. Clear differences in the associated bacterial populations were demonstrated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Specifically associated phylotypes were identified for both regions: a new phylotype of Flexibacteria was recovered only from the sponge cortex, while Synechococcus species were present mainly in the sponge endosome. Light conduction via radiate spicule bundles conceivably facilitates the unusual association of Cyanobacteria with the sponge endosome. Furthermore, a new monophyletic cluster of sponge-derived 16S rRNA gene sequences related to the Betaproteobacteria was identified using analysis of 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Members of this cluster were specifically associated with both cortex and endosome of T. aurantium.     

Antitumor and antimetastatic activity of IL-23

The structure and T cell stimulatory effects of the recently discovered cytokine IL-23 are similar to, but distinct from, those of IL-12. Although the antitumor activities of IL-12 are well characterized, the effect of IL-23 on tumor growth is not known. In this study, murine CT26 colon adenocarcinoma and B16F1 melanoma cells were engineered using retroviral vectors to release single-chain IL-23 (scIL-23) to evaluate its antitumor activity. In BALB/c mice, scIL-23-transduced CT26 cells grew progressively until day 26 to an average size of 521 +/- 333 mm(3), then the tumors started to regress in most animals, resulting in a final 70% rate of complete tumor rejection. scIL-23 transduction also significantly suppressed lung metastases of CT26 and B16F1 tumor cells. In addition, mice that rejected scIL-23-transduced tumors developed a memory response against subsequent wild-type tumor challenge. Compared with scIL-12-expressing CT26 cells, scIL-23-transduced tumors lacked the early response, but achieved comparable antitumor and antimetastatic activity. These results demonstrated that IL-23, like IL-12, provided effective protection against malignant diseases, but it probably acted by different antitumor mechanisms. As a first step in identifying these antitumor mechanisms, tumor challenge studies were performed in immunocompromised hosts and in animals selectively depleted of various lymphocyte populations. The results showed that CD8(+) T cells, but not CD4(+) T cells or NK cells, were crucial for the antitumor activity of IL-23.     

Identification and distribution of bats of the genus Plecotus in England

The chief aim of this work was to find characters which would enable positive identifications to be made of living Plecotus auritus , Linn., 1758, and Plecotus austriacus Fischer, 1829. Previous work has related to museum material and usually did not give measurements which could be obtained from living bats. Sixteen indices per bat were at first measured, but only 12 of these were found to be significant and necessary for identification. The results were reasonably reproducible which allows their comparison with European data. Other diagnostic characters are described together with the known distribution in the British Isles. A summary of the known distribution and ecological data from Europe is given.     

Classification,distribution and phylogeny of the genus Ottelia

The genus Ottelia is one of the great genera of Hydrocharidaceae. About 25 species distributed in the Palaeotropics, extending from Africa through India and SE. Asia to Korea and Japan, Australia and New Caledonia, 1 species in Brazil; centres of specific devolopment are found in Central Africa and SE Asia. The present study is mainly based on the materials collected during the field explorations in the lakes of Yunnan and observations on the structure of the spathe and flowers, the variation of leaf of the plants cultivated in Kunming Bot. Garden. Instead of the wings of the spathe used by Dandy, by the characters such as uni-or bisexual flowers, this genus is divided into two subgenera, which by the number of the flowers in spathe and the number of the carpus in ovary again subdivided into 4 sections. They are as the following: A. Subg. Ottelia. Flowers bisexual. Sect. 1. Ottelia. Spathe with 1 flower; ovary with 6(—9) carpus. Sect. 2. Oligolobos (Gagnep.) Dandy. Spathe with many flowers; ovary with 3 carpus. B. Subg. Boottia (Wall.) Dandy. Flowers unisexual; the male spathe with 1-many flowers, the female spathe with many flowers. Sect. 3. Boottia. The male spathe with 1 flower; ovary with 9(—15) carpus. Sect. 4. Xystrolobos (Gagnep.) H. Li. The female spathe with (2-) many flowers; ovary with 3 or 9 carpus. The Chinense species of ottelia is in great need for revision. All of the species in China previousely described under Ottelia Pers, Boottia Wall., Oligolobos Gagnep, and Xystrolobos Gagen. are here combined into 3 species. They are O. alismoides, O. cordata, O. acuminata with 4 variaties. After a study of the geographic distribution and infer relation-ships among the floristic elements it has been proved that Ottelia is certainly an ancient genus, and the primitive types came into being and widely dispersed before the separation of Laurasia from Gondwana. During a considerable period of time the elements of the genus Ottelia in freshwater environment of different continents have been separately differentiated and evolved into more or less derived types. The structure of flowers in all of the asian species shows the following evolutionary tendenoes: 1. In this genus the plants with unisexual flowers have evolved from plants with bisexual flower; 2. In the groups with bisexual or unisexual flowers the number of stamens and styles reduced to 3-merous, but the number of flowers in spathe increased. So that the subgenus Ottelia is more primitive than the subgenus Bottia; While in the subgenus Ottelia O. alismoides is a more primitive than O. balansae and in the subgenus Boottia O. cordata is the most primitive, butO. alata seems to be the most advanced.     

On the origin and distribution of the genus Salix in Qinghai-Xizang plateau

1. Uplifting of Qinghai-Xizang plateau has brought great influence on the origination and distribution of species inside the genus Salix. There are 91 sp. (incl. 2 cult. sp.), 16 var. and 3 f. belonging to 15 Sect. in this region, among these species the endemics attain to 58 sp., 14 var. and 3 f. So it has become one of the most important centres of distribution of Salix in the world. Species common with other regions attain only to 32. Thus it is also clear that correlation between salicaceous flora in this region and that of other regions is not so much developed, and that the salicaceous flora of Qinghai-Xizang plateau was mainly originated autochthonously during the upheaval of plateau. 2. Along a demarcation line delineated from Gyirong through Lhasa and Qamdo to Lanzhou, to the north-western region the total number of species of this genus is summed up to 7 sp. and 1 var. (incl. 2 cult. sp.), and they distribute only in the West Himalaya and Pamir-Kunlun regions. Besides 2 cult. sp., there is only 1 endemic, and others all should be migrants from Europe or West Asia. In the south-eastern part, because the climate is moister, the species of Salix may be summed up to 84 sp., 15 var. and 3 f., among them 73 sp., 20 var. and 3 f. are endemics, accounting for 68 percent of the total. 3. In East Himalaya and South Henduan Shan (southward of lat. 30°N.) there are 78 sp., 12 var. and 4 f., among them 50 sp., 10 var. and 2 f. are endemics. They represent the different stages of phylogenetic development of this genus. So here may be the centre of origination and distribution of Salix species in the all Sino-Himalaya flora. The common species between East Himalaya and South Henduan Shan regions attain to 41. Because the latter forms a part of Sichuan and Yunnan plateau and the former did not become a land until Quaternary Period, the plants of the former mainly are the migrants from the latter. 4. The most characteristic group of Salix in this region is Sect. Lindleyanae Schneid. with a total of 18 sp. and 1 var. This group adapting to the somewhat environment changes is quite different from Sect. Retusae A. Kern. in the Arctic and high mountains of higher latitudes in many characters, so it should be originated autochtonously, and it is certainly not a migrant from Arctic. This Sect. seems to be developed from Sect. Floccosae Hao and in turn from Sect. Sclerophyllae Schneid. and Sect. Denticulatae Schneid. This developmental direction has assumed an important branch in the phylogenetic development of the whole genus. 5. In addition, there are two interesting and important regions on the north-eastern and eastern to Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, i. e. on the north-east Anymaqen Shan (Amnemachin mountain) and on the east Qiong Lai Shan. There are many endemic species pertaining to these two parts, among these species some may be ancient relicts since Tertiary. It is to be expected that more additional scientific results will be obtainedafter some more extensive works done in these two regions.     

Antitumor activity of phenylahistin in vitro and in vivo.

Phenylahistin is a new cell cycle inhibitor produced by Aspergillus ustus. Since phenylahistin was produced as a scalemic mixture of (-)-phenylahistin and its enantiomer, we separated each enantiomer and evaluated their antitumor activity in vitro. (-)-Phenylahistin exhibited antitumor activity against 8 tumor cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 1.8 x 10(-7) to 3.7 x 10(-6), while (+)-phenylahistin exhibited 33-100-fold less potent activity than (-)-phenylahistin did. (-)-Phenylahistin also showed antitumor activity against P388 leukemia and Lewis lung carcinoma cells in vivo.     

Antitumor activity of the marine natural product dibromophakellstatin in vitro

The pyrrole-imidazole alkaloid rac-dibromophakellstatin displayed selective antitumor activity in vitro when tested in 36 cell lines in a cell survival and proliferation assay. The ovarian cancer cell line OVXF 899L proved to be most sensitive (0.60 microM, IC50), followed by the glioblastoma cell line CNXF 498NL (0.93 microM), the non-small lung cancer cell line LXF 529L (0.96 microM), and the uterus cancer cell line UXF 1138L (1.21 microM). The selectivity profile of rac-dibromophakellstatin may be indicative for a novel mechanism of action. Separation of the enantiomers on a chiral HPLC column revealed that only the naturally occurring (-)-dibromophakellstatin is antitumor active. Debromination of the pyrrole moiety leads to complete loss of activity.     

Patterns in the distribution of sponge populations across the central Great Barrier Reef

Coral reef sponge populations were surveyed at two spatial scales: different depths and different reef locations across the continental shelf of the central Great Barrier Reef. The surveys were conducted on the forereef slopes of 12 reefs from land-influenced, inner-shelf reefs to those in the oligotrophic waters of the Coral Sea. Few sponges occur in shallow waters and the largest populations are found between 10 and 30 m depth. Sponges are apparently excluded from shallow waters because of excessive turbulence and possibly by high levels of damaging light. Sponge biomass is highest on the innershelf reefs and decreases away from the coast, whereas abundance is generally higher on middle-shelf reefs. There are considerable overlaps in the species composition on middle-, outer-shelf and Coral Sea reefs, but those on inner-shelf reefs are significantly different. The nature and size of sponge populations reflect environmental conditions across the continental shelf. The larger inner-shelf populations probably reflect higher levels of organic and inorganic nutrients and reduced amounts of physical turbulence, whereas sponges on reefs further from shore may be able to resist greater turbulence but appear more sensitive to the effects of fine sediments. These latter populations are smaller, reflecting the reduced availability of organic matter, however, many of these sponges rely on cyanobacterial symbionts to augment nutrition in these clearer, more oligotrophic waters.Contribution no. 487 from the Australian Institute of Marine Science