The presence of riboflavin and two pterins in ascidians (Tunicata) and their excretion into sea water
✍ Scribed by F. Gaill; A. Momzikoff
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag
- Year
- 1975
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 428 KB
- Volume
- 29
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0025-3162
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✦ Synopsis
Individuals belonging to 6 species of ascidians were kept in experimental vessels filled with filtered sea water, for a defined period. Pterins and flavins were identified in the bodies of each species and in the ambient sea water by the method of Momzikoff (]974). The possible causes of the recorded variations in composition are discussed; these differences seem related to the ordinal position of the species. Numerous unidentified substances are excreted together with pterins (2amino-4-hydroxypteridine and isoxanthopterin) and riboflavin into the surrounding medium. Ascidians may be the source of a significant quantity of these substances in the sea.