[Toxin profiles in fish implicated in ciguatera fish poisoning in Amami and Kakeroma Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan].

Ciguatoxins (CTXs) responsible for ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) in Amami Islands, Kagoshima, Japan in 2008 were determined by LC-MS/MS analysis. Ciguatoxin-1B (CTX1B), 54-deoxyCTX1B, and 52-epi-54-deoxyCTX1B were detected in Variola louti and Lutjanus monostigma. The toxin profile distinctly differed from that of a CFP-related fish from Miyazaki, which mainly contained ciguatoxin-3C type toxins.

Detailed LC-MS/MS analysis of ciguatoxins revealing distinct regional and species characteristics in fish and causative alga from the Pacific.

Toxin profiles of representative ciguatera species caught at different locations of Japan were investigated in fish flesh by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Identification and quantification of 16 toxins were facilitated by the use of 14 reference toxins prepared by either synthesis or isolation from natural sources and the previous LC-MS data thereof. Sodium adduct ions [M + Na](+) were used as parent and product ions.

Ciguatera incidence and fish toxicity in Okinawa, Japan.

Okinawa being located in the subtropical region has the highest incidence of ciguatera in Japan. Officially, 33 outbreaks involving 103 patients have been reported between 1997 and 2006. The implicated species were Variola louti, Lutjanus bohar, Lutjanus monostigma, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, unidentified Lutjanus sp.

Kohamaic acid A, a novel sesterterpenic acid, inhibits activities of DNA polymerases from deuterostomes.

We previously found and isolated a novel natural product, designated kohamaic acid A (KA-A), which inhibited the first cleavage of fertilized sea urchin eggs. In this paper, we report that this compound could selectively inhibit the activities of DNA polymerases (pol. alpha, beta, gamma, delta and epsilon ) only from species in the deuterostome branch in the animal kingdom, like sea urchin, fish and mammals, but not from protostomes including insects (fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster) and mollusks (octopus and oyster).