Ascidians concentration

Certain vertebrates have an astonishing ability to accumulate vanadium in their blood. For example, the ascidian seaworm Phallusia mammilata has a blood concentration of V up to 1900 ppm, which represents more than a millionfold concentration with respect to the sea-water in which it lives. The related organism Ascidia nigra has an even more spectacular accumulation with concentrations up to 1.45% V (i.e. 14 500 ppm) in its blood cells, which also contain considerable concentrations of sulfuric acid (pH 0). One possibility that has been mooted is that the ascidia accumulates vanadate and polyvanadate ions in mistake for phosphate and polyphosphates (p. 528). 

The isolation from a marine ascidian and subsequent structure determination of polycitone A (105) (Fig. 6) was first reported [52] by Kashman and coworkers in 1994. In this paper, the penta-O-methyl derivative was reported to inhibit the growth of SV40 transformed fibroblast cells at a concentration of 10 jtg/mL. Loya, Hizi and Kashman published [53] an extensive account of the biological activity of polycitone A in 1999 in which case inhibition of retroviral reverse transcriptases and cellular DNA polymerases was described. The isolation from an ascidian and structure determination of polycitone B (106) (Fig. 4) was subsequently reported [54] by Kashman and coworkers in 2000. Obviously, the presence of extensive bromination in both polycitone A and B make this family of compounds unique among the 3,4-diarylpyrrole natural products. 

Tunicates (ascidians or sea-squirts) are invertebrate marine organisms, which can accumulate vanadium at concentrations approaching 350 mM (the concentration of vanadium in seawater is 10 8 M). This vanadium is taken up as V(V) from seawater (Figure 17.16), reduced to oxidation state III or IV and stored in a soluble form in the blood cells within acidic vacuoles at concentrations a million fold higher than in their external surroundings. 

The sea squirts or tunicates are fascinating marine creatures, their name being derived from the tunic made of cellulosic material that surrounds the body of the animal. In 1911, Henze discovered vanadium in the blood of Phallusia mammillata C.343 He later found the same with other ascidians (a class of tunicates). In vanadium-accumulating species, most vanadium is located in the vacuoles—vanadophores—of certain types of blood cells—the vanadocytes. The concentration in the vanadophore can be as high as 1M and this value must be compared with concentrations of the order of 2 x 10-8 M for vanadium in sea water.344 Kustin et al. have reviewed the work done to understand the efficient accumulation and the possible biological roles of the metal.345... 

Although die role of iron in various heme derivatives and zinc in carboxypep-tidase and carbonic anhydrase is dear. Ihere are many instances in which little is known of the function of the trace metal. For example, it has been known for some time that ascidians ("sea squirts") concentrate vanadium from sea water by a factor of a millionfold, but a satisfactory explanation for its role in these animals remains elusive.117 There are many elements that are known to be usefol but for which no specific function has yet been proved. The list of known functions is expanding rapidly, however. 

Essential to ascidians ("sea squirts"), which concentrate in a miilionfold from sea water. Essential to chicks and rats. Deficiencies cause reduced growth, impaired reproduction and sirvival of young, impaired tooth and bone metabolism and feather development.4 May be a factor in manic-depressive illness/ Essential involved in gkicose metabolism and diabetes potentiates effect of insulin. Presence in glucose tolerance factor from brewer s yeast questioned/... 

Oroidine (138) and its dimer mauritiamine (139) from the sponge Agelas mauritiana inhibit larval metamorphosis at ED50 values of 19 and 15 (jg/ml, whereas 4,5-dibromopyrrole-2-carbamide promotes larval metamorphosis of the ascidian Ciona savignyi at a concentration of 2.5 (jg/ml [109]. 

The ascidians or tunicates (sea squirts) accumulate vanadium from seawater (about 5x 10-8 mol dm-3) to a level of about 1 mol dm-3 and store it in a dilute solution of sulfuric acid (pH<2) in blood cells called vanadocytes. The tunicates thus concentrate vanadium several million-fold. 079 NMR, ESR and EXAFS determinations on whole vanadocyte cells of Ascidia ceratodes and Ascidia nigra indicate that the vanadium is present mainly as aquated V111 probably complexed with sulfate. Some vanadyl ion (5-10%) is also present.1080 1081... 

Examples of secondary metabolites from Ascidians are shown in Figure 3.10. Ascidians are noteworthy for the presence of vanadium (and related metals) together with high concentrations of sulphuric acid and tunichromes, which are unstable hydroquinoid compounds. A defensive role for these has been suspected,98 and it is noteworthy that gastropod molluscs (both prosobranch and opisthobranch) that feed upon tunicates often secrete large amounts of sulfuric acid, used in both... 

Some adult invertebrates in tropical areas have relatively high MAA concentrations in external surfaces. Holothuroids preferentially accumulate MAAs in the epidermis, giant clams have highest concentrations of MAAs in the outermost layers of siphonal mantle tissue (more than four times the concentrations in subsurface mantle layers), sea hares have high MAA levels in skin, and ascidian tunics have higher MAA concentrations in the surface cells than in basal dermal lay-ers 102,152 154 jn coraiSj e upper exposed surface of colonies can have five-fold higher UV absorption than the less irradiated vertical faces.155 These topical distribution patterns reinforce the premise that MAAs have a photoprotective function. 

The Caribbean tunicate Trididemnum solidum and its larvae contain a complex mixture of didemnin/ nordidemnin metabolites that act as feeding deterrents in field-based assays at below natural concentrations. The most potent metabolite is nordidemnin B 147.28 Crude extract mixtures enriched in didemnin B 148 induce vomiting in the spotted pinfish L. rhomboides, causing these fish to avoid feeding.173 The larvae of other didemnid ascidians are also protected by the presence of deterrent chemicals.28 174... 

Ascidians or tunicates (Phylum Chordata) belong to the class of Ascidiacea and are common marine animals whose body is enclosed in a jacket or tunic. The animals are attached to rocks and are either solitary or colonial. They continuously filter seawater to obtain minute organisms and particulate organics. As was originally discovered by Henze the animals concentrate vanadium from seawater to levels about 10 times that present in seawater (35 nM), a phenomenon that has attracted considerable interest. The transition metal is present... 

Vanadium has long been recognized as a biologically active metal which has an important metabolic role in various marine organisms 53). A vanadium concentration 5 x 105 times that found in natural sea water has been reported in the blood of the ascidian Phallusia mamillata 57). Vanadium is concentrated in form of the blood pigment hemovanadium58). Moreover, vanadium enrichment factors of 4500 in scallops, 2500 in mussels, and 1500 in oysters were observed 59). 

The contraction of ascidian smooth muscle was found to be regulated through the troponin-tropomyosin system. But the action of troponin components was different from that of troponin of vertebrate striated muscles (Endo and Obinata, 1981). In this system, the inhibitory action of troponin I (MW 24,000) is less remarkable compared with vertebrate skeletal troponin I, and troponin C (MW 18,000) does not neutralize the inhibition by troponin I. But upon further addition of troponin T (MW 33,000) in the concomitant presence of all three components and tropomyosin, the contractile interaction of myosin and actin is activated. In this case, the action of troponin T has some similarity with that of the above-mentioned cardiac troponin T hybridized with skeletal troponin C-I. Since actomyosin, without these regulatory proteins, is inhibited regardless of Ca concentration, Ca " and troponin-tropomyosin are activators for contraction of actomyosin in ascidian smooth muscle. In this respect, the type of Ca + regulation of ascidian smooth muscle is the same as that for vertebrate smooth muscles which do not contain troponin (Ebashi, 1980). 

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