Didemnum fragile

Didemnum fragile
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Tunicata
Class:	Ascidiacea
Order:	Aplousobranchia
Family:	Didemnidae
Genus:	Didemnum
Species:	D. proliferum
Binomial name
	Didemnum proliferum;

Didemnum proliferum is a rare species of sea squirt in the family Didemnidae.

Research

Didemnum proliferum is of medical interest as it contains shishijimicin molecules, which have been seen to have potent anti-tumor activity in HeLa cells at picomolar concentrations.^[1] Shishijimicin A was recently synthesized.^[2]

References

^ Oku, N; Matsunaga, S; Fusetani, N (26 February 2003). "Shishijimicins A-C, novel enediyne antitumor antibiotics from the ascidian Didemnum proliferum(1)". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 125 (8): 2044–5. doi:10.1021/ja0296780. PMID 12590521.
^ "Rice lab synthesizes cancer-killing compound". Retrieved 2015-07-13.

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[1] Oku, N; Matsunaga, S; Fusetani, N (26 February 2003). "Shishijimicins A-C, novel enediyne antitumor antibiotics from the ascidian Didemnum proliferum(1)". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 125 (8): 2044–5. doi:10.1021/ja0296780. PMID 12590521.

[2] "Rice lab synthesizes cancer-killing compound". Retrieved 2015-07-13.

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