Chemical defense of crinoids by polyketide sulphates

Summary The range of (presumed) polyketide constituents in comatalid crinoids has been extended to include bianthronyls, meso-naphthodianthrones and sulphate esters of various of the polyketides. Several species of fish are deterred from eating food by the inclusion in it of these sulphates at the concentration found in crinoids. Sodium 2-hydroxy-anthraquinone sulphate and anthraquinone-2-suphonate were also active as antifeedants for the species tested.Acknowledgments. This author is indebted to the Australian Research Grants Commission for financial support, to Miss A. Clark of the British Museum of Natural History, London, and Ms J. Marshall of the Australian Museum, Sydney, for identifications of crinoid specimens and to Mr C. Lee, Director of the Deception Bay Laboratory of the Qld. Fisheries Service for providing facilities, fish and valuable advice.     

Mutations in origin recognition complex gene ORC4 cause Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Meier-Gorlin syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic condition whose primary clinical hallmarks include small stature, small external ears and small or absent patellae. Using marker-assisted mapping in multiple families from a founder population and traditional coding exon sequencing of positional candidate genes, we identified three different mutations in the gene encoding ORC4, a component of the eukaryotic origin recognition complex, in five individuals with Meier-Gorlin syndrome. In two such individuals that were negative for mutations in ORC4, we found potential mutations in ORC1 and CDT1, two other genes involved in origin recognition. ORC4 is well conserved in eukaryotes, and the yeast equivalent of the human ORC4 missense mutation was shown to be pathogenic in functional assays of cell growth. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of a germline mutation in any gene of the origin recognition complex in a vertebrate organism.     

Chemical defense of crinoids by polyketide sulphates.

The range of (presumed) polyketide constituents in comatalid crinoids has been extended to include bianthronyls, meso-naphthodianthrones and sulphate esters of various of the polyketides. Several species of fish are deterred from eating food by the inclusion in it of these sulphates at the concentration found in crinoids. Sodium 2-hydroxy-anthraquinone sulphate and anthraquinone-2-suphonate were also active as antifeedants for the species tested.