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Distribution of the sea squirt Ecteinascidia thurstoni Herdman, 1890 (Ascidiacea: Perophoridae) along Suez Canal and Egyptian Red Sea coasts

100%

Gab-Alla A. A.-F. A.

Oceanologia

2008

tom 50

nr 2

239-253

Ecteinascidia thurstoni is a colonial sea squirt. It has a seasonal rhythm and a tropical and subtropical distribution; it is usually present during the summer months. It synthesizes a group of molecules called ecteinascidins. One of these is ET-743, a compound that has a most original anti-tumoral activity and is today considered to be one of the most promising substances effective against various solid-type tumors (currently sold under the trade name of Yondelis for the treatment of sarcomas and related tumors; it is undergoing phase II/III clinical trails for other kinds of tumors). Worldwide, Ecteinascidia species represent the only available source of this bioactive compound, which was first discovered in E. turbinata. During the present study, the ecology of E. thurstoni along the Suez Canal and Red Sea was investigated. Its populations were observed to be highly gregarious due in part to their low larval dispersal, which is very localized; larvae therefore tend to settle close to their parent colonies. It is only recorded in shallow waters (0.5–1.5 m) as an epiphyte on the pneumatophores of mangroves by the Red Sea, on the pilings of jetties, and the metal or cement banks of the Suez Canal. The morphometric characteristics (zooid length, zooid weight, colony weight) of the Suez Canal population differ significantly from those of the Red Sea. Studying the distribution of this species and locating its different populations along the Suez Canal and Red Sea could help to characterize their genetics, chemistry and bacterial communities at different isolated locations. Ultimately, this will help to define the sources of ET-743 and hence promote its biosynthesis on a commercial scale.

Ograniczanie wyników

1 Oceanologia

1 Gab-Alla A. A.-F. A.

1 2008

Wyniki wyszukiwania

Distribution of the sea squirt Ecteinascidia thurstoni Herdman, 1890 (Ascidiacea: Perophoridae) along Suez Canal and Egyptian Red Sea coasts