Significant Papers Published

hemolysin and phospholipase gel filtration eluant curves of Ca venom were similar. Venomous Aa_RS actively stung lips and contained more potent mouse lethal, demonecrotic, vasopermeability plus hemolytic factors than Aa_CB. Cross reactivity of convalescent human serum obtained from patients stung by Ca and venomous Cx collected in Central America occurred. This was also observed between sera of bathers stung by Aa_RS and stinging Aurelia, which appeared in Florida during the recent El Niño year. IgG was stimulated by several nematocyst proteins since many venom subfractions tested positive at high titers against convalescent sera. T-cell proliferation of mice primed with either Aurelia venom was positive against the homologous preparation with cross reactivity to the heterologous venom. Crude venoms of both Red Sea jellyfish metabolically stimulated cultured human hepatocytes more than their New World counterparts. This data shows that considerable similarities and differences exist in the venoms of these Old and New World Cassiopea and Aurelia medusae with the eastern species being more potent.

3. Gershwin L. Clonal and population variation in jellyfish symmetry. Journal of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1999: 79; 993-1000.
While it is generally assumed that jellyfish (Cnidaria Scyphozoa) are stably tetramerous, variation in symmetry (i.e. unimerous to octamerous) can be observed in most populations at a rate of approximately 2%, but sometimes as high as 10%. This type of variation has been observed among clonemates during strobilation in five taxa, namely Aurelia aurita, A. labiata, Chrysaora fuscescens, Pelagia colorata, and Phacellophora camtschatica. It is currently unclear whether the symmetry variation is caused by genetic, environmental, or developmental factors, or some combination. Although hexamerous lineages were not bred successfully, lineages were raised with rates of variation higher than normal. Thus, there may not be some genetic component to the variation. In one lineage observed over 4.5 months, the rate of non-tetramery declined substantially from an initial high of 88.9% to a final cumulative low of 29%. Apparently this lineage was able to stabilize tetramery over time, possibly indicating some self-correcting developmental mechanism. Furthermore, no difference was found in variation rates between stressed and unstressed polyps, indicating that environmental factors may not play an important role in symmetry determination in these animals. These results indicate stabilizing selection in controlling the expression of variable symmetry.