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The first three chapters of Vol. 3 of Bio-organic Marine Chemistry deal with the chemistry and function of peptides. Chapter 1 by Ireland and coworkers serves as an introduction to marine-derived peptides. It is arranged phyletically and encompasses the entire range from dipeptides to a compound with 95 amino acid residues. Peptides involved in primary metabolism and hence belonging to the realm of macromolecular biochemistry are excluded. However, it might be mentioned in passing that the dividing line between large and small molecule chemistry is continually becoming less distinct. Not only are more compounds of intermediate size, from 1,000 to 10,000 dalton, being discovered, but instruments and techniques, particularly in mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance have been developed for their structural elucidation by what is considered small molecule methodology. Two groups of peptides are discussed in separate chapters. Biologists who have observed and described the mating behavior of diverse species of marine invertebrates have long surmised that a chemical mechanism might be operating in many cases of individual as well as mass fertilization. The chemical activators of sea urchin sperm prove to be a series of peptides, whose structures and activity are discussed by Suzuki.
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The first three chapters deal with the chemistry and function of marine-derived peptides. Two chapters deal with ecological topics: epibiosis and feeding behavior. The final chapter is an account of the twenty-year bryostatin-1 saga and makes fascinating and instructive reading. Contents/Information: C.M. Ireland, T.F. Molinski, D.M. Roll, T.M. Zabriskie, T.C. McKee, J.C. Swersey, M.P. Foster, Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Natural Product Peptides from Marine OrganismsN. Suzuki, Ishikawa, Japan: Sperm-Activating Peptides from Sea Urchin Egg JellyM. Kobayashi, J. Kobayashi, Y. Ohizumi, Tokyo, Japan: Cone Shell Toxins and the Mechanisms of Their Pharmacological ActionA.R. Davis, Fort Pierce, FL, USA, N.M. Targett, Lewes, DE, USA, O.J. McConnell, Fort Pierce, FL, USA, C.M. Young, Fort Pierce, FL, USA: Epibiosis of Marine Algae and Benthic Invertebrates: Natural Products Chemistry and Other Mechanisms Inhibiting Settlement and OvergrowthK. Sakata, Shizuoka, Japan: Feeding Attractants and Stimulants for Marine GastropodsM. Suffness, Bethesda, MD, USA, D.J. Newman, Vero Beach, Fl, USA, K. Snader, Bethesda, MD, USA: Discovery and Development of Antineoplastic Agents from Natural Sources.
