The toxic profile of lawsone (2-hydroxy-[1,4]naphthoquinone) and a series of [1,4]naphthoquinone derivatives was evaluated against the brine shrimp Artemia salina and against the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata, the main transmitting vector of schistosomiasis in Brazil. Of the seventeen compounds tested nine fell below the threshold of 100 microg/mL set for potential molluscicidal activity by the...

A 60-kDa, salt-inducible, internally duplicated alpha-type carbonic anhydrase (Dca) is associated with the plasma membrane of the extremely salt-tolerant, unicellular, green alga Dunaliella salina. Unlike other carbonic anhydrases, Dca remains active over a very broad range of salinities (0-4M NaCl), thus representing a novel type of extremely halotolerant enzyme. To elucidate the structural pr...

Suspensions of microswimmers are a rich source of fascinating new fluid mechanics. Recently we predicted the nonclassical pipe flow dispersion of gyrotactic microalgae, whose orientation is biased by gravity and flow shear. Analytical theory predicts that these active swimmers disperse in a markedly distinct manner from passive tracers (Taylor dispersion). Dispersing swimmers display nonzero dr...

Dunaliella salina, lycopene and vitamin A Carotenoids especially betacarotene, vitamin A and lycopene have been shown to boost sperm parameters [2-5] Dunaliella salina is a microalgae which is a naturally rich source of mixed carotenoids including lycopene [6] Betacarotene, lycopene and vitamin A can reduce sperm DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation [1, 2] Vitamin A is an essential nutrient...

Four group I introns from the nuclear-encoded (18S) rRNA genes of three chlorophycean green algae are described; two are in Dunaliella parva, and one each is in D. salina and Characium saccatum. The introns within the gene in the latter two organisms are located at the sites equivalent to the 5' and 3' introns of D. parva, respectively. All four introns lack open reading frames and are relative...

15.2 Nomenclature Comments .......................................... 403 15.2.1 Aphanothece halophytica ............................................. 403 15.2.2 Dactylococcopsis salina ............................................... 403 15.2.3 Halospirulina tapeticola .............................................. 403 15.2.4 Microcoleus chthonoplastes ......................................... ...

Comparison of 18S rDNA gene sequences is a very promising method for identification and classification of living organisms. Molecular identification and discrimination of different Dunaliella species were carried out based on the size of 18S rDNA gene and, number and position of introns in the gene. Three types of 18S rDNA structure have already been reported: the gene with a size of ~1770 bp l...