SURVEY OF MYCOSPORINE-LIKE AMINO-ACID COMPOUNDS IN ANTARCTIC MARINE ORGANISMS - POTENTIAL PROTECTION FROM ULTRAVIOLET EXPOSURE

To investigate the natural defenses of Antarctic marine organisms against exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (280 to 320 nm), 57 species (1 fish, 48 invertebrates, and 8 algae) were collected during austral spring 1988 in the vicinity of Palmer Station (Anvers Island, Antarctic Peninsula) and were analyzed for the presence of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), compounds that absorb UV radiation and may provide shielding from these biologically hazardous wavelengths. Nearly 90% of the 57 species examined contained MAAs, and eight specific MAA compounds were identified. Seven of these (palythine, porphyra-334, shinorine, mycosporineglycine, palythene, asterina-330, and palythinol) have been observed previously in marine organisms from temperate and tropical latitudes. A new MAA, mycosporineglycine: valine, was found in the Antarctic fish and in 38 of the invertebrate species examined. This study confirms widespread occurrence of MAAs in Antarctic marine organisms and suggests that these species have some degree of natural biochemical protection from UV exposure.