A new cyclotetrapeptide 1, together with three known cyclopeptides were isolated from the exo-cellular extract of Pseudomonas sp. a bacterium associated with the sponge Ircinia muscarum. The structure of 1 was suggested on the basis of spectroscopic analytical data and chemical degradation.

Fasciculatin, a furanosesterterpene isolated from the marine sponge Ircinia variabilis from the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, has been evaluated for its influence on a mitogen-induced proliferation of human lymphocytes and growth of human tumor cell lines.

BACKGROUND DNA barcoding is a promising tool to facilitate a rapid and unambiguous identification of sponge species. Demosponges of the order Dictyoceratida are particularly challenging to identify, but are of ecological as well as biochemical importance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we apply DNA barcoding with the standard CO1-barcoding marker on selected Indo-Pacific specimens of two...

Two new 24-homoscalarane sesterterpenoids, felixins F (1) and G (2), were isolated from the sponge Ircinia felix. The structures of new homoscalaranes 1 and 2 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods, particularly with one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR, and, by comparison, the spectral data with those of known analogues. The cytotoxicity of 1 and 2 against the prolifer...

Title of Dissertation: ROLES OF THE SYMBIOTIC MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPONGE HOSTS IN THE NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS CYCLES Fan Zhang, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Dr. Russell T. Hill, Professor, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Marine sponges are habitat-forming organisms in coral reefs. Many sponge ...

Five new scalarane sesterterpenoids, felixins A-E (1-5), were isolated from the Formosan sponge Ircinia felix. The structures of scalaranes 1-5 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Cytotoxicity of scalaranes 1-5 against the proliferation of a limited panel of tumor cell lines was evaluated.

We use the theory of Hodge modules to construct Viehweg-Zuo sheaves on base spaces of families with maximal variation and fibers of general type and, more generally, families whose geometric generic fiber has a good minimal model. Combining this with a result of Campana-Păun, we deduce Viehweg’s hyperbolicity conjecture in this context, namely the fact that the base spaces of such families are ...

The c-AMP dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibition, haemolytic activity, and cytoxicity of 21 extracts obtained from North Western Australian sponges collected from depths of 84-135 m were investigated. Hexane extracts from Ircinia/Sarcotragus sp. and Geodia sp. displayed PKA inhibitory activities of 100 and 97% respectively (at 100 microg/mL), while aq. methanol extracts from Haliclona sp. ex...