Antonio Sebben

Bio: Antonio Sebben is an academic researcher from University of Brasília. The author has contributed to research in topics: Antimicrobial peptides & Leptodactylus. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 36 publications receiving 721 citations. Previous affiliations of Antonio Sebben include Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Antimicrobial Peptides from Anurans Skin Secretions

Abstract: This article is an overview of antimicrobial peptides found in anurans skin secretions. These molecules constitute an initial barrier against microbial infections because of their activity against a large array of microorganisms. These peptides hold remarkable pharmaceutical and technological interest since they selectively kill microorganisms and are unlikely to induce resistance in pathogens. Also, outstanding synergism occurs when these peptides are combined with classic antibiotics and other antimicrobial peptides.

The Osteology of the Reptiles

Abstract: IN no domain of zoological science have the con tributions of American naturalists been more splendid than in that of vertebrate palaeontology, and in the list of pioneer workers in this domain an honoured place will always be accorded to Samuel Wendell Williston, who, born and nurtured in obscurity, had by the time of his death in 1918 won his way to recogni tion as the chief authority upon the extinct amphibians and reptiles. Apart from his specialist papers upon fossil vertebrates and upon modern dipterous flies, Williston was well known to the general zoologist for his excellent book on “Water Reptiles of the Past and Present,” published in 1914, and during the last year of his life he was busily engaged in the preparation of a second work of a general character on “The Reptiles of the World, Recent and Fossil.” The volume now under review comprises the main part of this general work, so far as it had been completed at the time of the author's death, put into shape and edited at the competent hands of Prof. W. K. Gregory. The Osteology of the Reptiles. By Prof. Samuel Wendell Williston. Arranged and edited by Prof. William King Gregory. Pp. xiii + 300. (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: Oxford University Press, 1925.) 18s. 6d. net.

Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (amphibia: athesphatanura: dendrobatidae)

Abstract: The known diversity of dart-poison frog species has grown from 70 in the 1960s to 247 at present, with no sign that the discovery of new species will wane in the foreseeable future. Although this growth in knowledge of the diversity of this group has been accompanied by detailed investigations of many aspects of the biology of dendrobatids, their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. This study was designed to test hypotheses of dendrobatid diversification by combining new and prior genotypic and phenotypic evidence in a total evidence analysis. DNA sequences were sampled for five mitochondrial and six nuclear loci (approximately 6,100 base pairs [bp]; x¯ = 3,740 bp per terminal; total dataset composed of approximately 1.55 million bp), and 174 phenotypic characters were scored from adult and larval morphology, alkaloid profiles, and behavior. These data were combined with relevant published DNA sequences. Ingroup sampling targeted several previously unsampled species, including Ar...

New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and conservation

Abstract: New World frogs recently placed in a single, enormous family (Brachycephalidae) have direct development and reproduce on land, often far away from water. DNA sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear genes of 344 species were analyzed to estimate their relationships. The molecular phylogeny in turn was used as the basis for a revised classification of the group. The 882 described species are placed in a new taxon, Terrarana, and allocated to four families, four subfamilies, 24 genera, 11 subgenera, 33 species series, 56 species groups, and 11 species subgroups. Systematic accounts are provided for all taxa above the species level. Two families (Craugastoridae and Strabomantidae), three subfamilies (Holoadeninae, Phyzelaphryninae, and Strabomantinae), six genera (Bryophryne, Diasporus, Haddadus, Isodactylus, Lynchius, and Psychrophrynella), and two subgenera (Campbellius and Schwartzius) are proposed and named as new taxa, 13 subspecies are considered to be distinct species, and 613 new combinations are formed. Most of the 100 informal groups (species series, species groups, and species subgroups) are new or newly defined. Brachycephalus and Ischnocnema are placed in Brachycephalidae, a relatively small clade restricted primarily to southeastern Brazil. Eleutherodactylidae includes two subfamilies, four genera, and five subgenera and is centered in the Caribbean region. Craugastoridae contains two genera and three subgenera and is distributed mainly in Middle America. Strabomantidae is distributed primarily in the Andes of northwestern South America and includes two subfamilies, 16 genera, and three subgenera. Images and distribution maps are presented for taxa above the species level and a complete list of species is provided. Aspects of the evolution, biogeography, and conservation of Terrarana are discussed.

Tetrodotoxin – Distribution and Accumulation in Aquatic Organisms, and Cases of Human Intoxication

Abstract: Many pufferfish of the family Tetraodontidae possess a potent neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX). In marine pufferfish species, toxicity is generally high in the liver and ovary, whereas in brackish water and freshwater species, toxicity is higher in the skin. In 1964, the toxin of the California newt was identified as TTX as well, and since then TTX has been detected in a variety of other organisms. TTX is produced primarily by marine bacteria, and pufferfish accumulate TTX via the food chain that begins with these bacteria. Consequently, pufferfish become non-toxic when they are fed TTX-free diets in an environment in which the invasion of TTX-bearing organisms is completely shut off. Although some researchers claim that the TTX of amphibians is endogenous, we believe that it also has an exogenous origin, i.e., from organisms consumed as food. TTX-bearing animals are equipped with a high tolerance to TTX, and thus retain or accumulate TTX possibly as a biologic defense substance. There have been many cases of human intoxication due to the ingestion of TTX-bearing pufferfish, mainly in Japan, China, and Taiwan, and several victims have died. Several cases of TTX intoxication due to the ingestion of small gastropods, including some lethal cases, were recently reported in China and Taiwan, revealing a serious public health issue.