Species differences and effects of soft coral extracts from Sinnularia maximus on the expression of cytochrome P4501A and 2N in butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.).

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) has been shown to confer resistance in numerous terrestrial insects that consume potentially toxic secondary metabolites in plants, but fewer studies have examined the role of critical biotransformation enzymes in allowing marine organisms to consume chemically defended foods. This study examined the expression of CYP1A and CYP2N mRNAs in several butterflyfish species, which can feed on numerous chemically defended soft and hard corals. In addition, the effect of an extract from a soft coral (Sinnularia maxima) on expression of hepatic CYP1A and CYP2 mRNAs was also examined.

Cloning and sequencing of cytochrome P450 2X1 from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).

Previous purification and immunochemical studies in livers of channel catfish indicated the presence of at least four cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2-like isoforms. Sequencing of the first 18 amino acids of one purified form indicated a CYP2 isoform. From this N-terminal sequence and other published CYP2 sequences from fish, primers were designed and a full-length CYP cDNA was identified from reverse-transcribed catfish liver mRNA.

Effect of the dietary brominated phenol, lanasol, on chemical biotransformation enzymes in the gumboot chiton Cryptochiton stelleri (Middendorf, 1846).

The effects of diet and other non-anthropogenic stressors on biochemical defenses and their relationship to susceptibility have been largely ignored in wildlife populations. Lanosol is a compound found in relatively high amounts in various marine species of Rhodophyta, including Odonthalia dentata. While previous studies demonstrated that lanosol is a feeding deterrent to several marine herbivores, Cryptochiton stelleri readily feeds upon O.

Stimulus-dependent modulation of spike burst length in cat striate cortical cells.

Burst activity, defined by groups of two or more spikes with intervals of < or = 8 ms, was analyzed in responses to drifting sinewave gratings elicited from striate cortical neurons in anesthetized cats. Bursting varied broadly across a population of 507 simple and complex cells. Half of this population had > or = 42% of their spikes contained in bursts.