CAUSES OF VARIATION IN SECONDARY METABOLITE BY TROPICAL MARINE ORGANISMS

这项研究将探讨生物和物理的重要性， 生物活性次生代谢产物产生变异的原因 热带海藻（包括底栖、丝状 蓝藻）和无脊椎动物。 这项研究具有重要意义 生物医学的后果，因为它将专门寻找海洋 具有实体瘤选择性的天然产物（通过NCI赞助的 与韦恩州立大学的弗雷德·瓦莱里奥特博士合作进行的研究 大学医学院），它将侧重于了解什么是 影响具有生物医学重要性的海洋自然资源产量的因素 产品.第一，中学的类型和浓度的差异 代谢物在不同年龄和生活史阶段， 将对选定的海藻和无脊椎动物种群进行检查。 化学防御的任意变化将被检查， 海藻、海绵和软珊瑚暴露于：1）增加放牧 鱼类和专业捕食者; 2）不同的资源水平 光和营养的。拟议的研究将提供信息 化学变化及其原因， 海藻和无脊椎动物改变其化学品的分配 的防御合作. 这项研究将有助于我们了解有限的 海藻和海洋无脊椎动物的化学变化， 海洋天然产物的生物学特性， 次生代谢物的自然适应功能与其 生物医学潜力 所有提取物和分离的代谢产物将 结合到已建立的测试程序中（UC圣巴巴拉， 韦恩州立大学医学院），以确定他们的 在检查抗炎的测定中的药理活性 活性和实体瘤选择性。 资金主要用于 执行本助理研究者的人员和用品 research. 该计划将提供研究培训机会 少数民族本科生和研究生（MS）学位）学生在 关岛大学是一所以本科生为主的少数民族大学， 机构。

This research will examine the importance of biological and physical causes of variation in the production of bioactive secondary metabolities by tropical seaweeds (including benthic, filamentous cyanobacteria) and invertebrates. The research has important biomedical consequences because it will specifically search for marine natural products with solid tumor selectivity (through NCI-sponsored research in collaboration with Dr. Fred Valeriote at Wayne State University Medical School), and it will focus on understanding what factors affect the yields of biomedically important marine natural products. First, differences in types and concentrations of secondary metabolites at different ages and life history stages, and among populations of selected seaweeds and invertegrateswill be examined. Facultative changes in chemical defenses will be examined for seaweeds, sponges, and soft corals exposed to: 1) increased grazing by fishes and specialist predators; and 2) different resources levels of light and nutrients. The proposed research will provide information on chemical variation and its causes and the ability and timing of seaweeds and invertebrates to change their allocation of chemical defenses. The study will contribute to our limited knowledge of the chemical variability of seaweeds and marine invertebrates, the biological properties of marine natural products, and the relationship between natureal adaptive functions of secondary metaolites and their biomedical potential. All extracts and isolated metabolies will be incorporated into established testing programs (UC Santa Barbara, Wayne State University Medical School) to determine their pharmacological activities in assays examining anti-inflammatory activity and solid tumor selectivity. Funding is requested primarily for personnel and supplies to carry out this Associate Investigator research. This program will provide research training opportunities for minority undergraduate and graduate (M.S. degree) students at the University of Guam, a predominantly undergraduate and minority institution.