Identification of novel "pathologs" (human disease-related gene candidates) from the RIKEN full-length mouse cDNA data set

The majority of common diseases such as cancer, allergy, diabetes, or heart disease are characterized by complex genetic traits, in which genetic and environmental components contribute to disease susceptibility. Our knowledge of the genetic factors underlying most of such diseases is limited. A major goal in the post-genomic era is to identify and characterize disease susceptibility genes and to use this knowledge for disease treatment and prevention. More than 500 genes are conserved across the invertebrate and vertebrate genomes. Because of gene conservation, various organisms including yeast, fruitfly, zebrafish, rat, and mouse have been used as genetic models.

The Australian species of Lobatocreadium Madhavi, 1972, Hypocreadium Ozaki, 1936 and Dermadena Manter, 1945 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae), parasites of marine tetraodontiform fishes

The genera Lobatocreadium, Pseudocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are redefined and host lists given. Provisional keys to species of Lobatocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are presented. The following species are described from (1) the Great Barrier Reef: Lobatocreadium exiguum from Balistapus undulatus and Sufflamen bursa; Hypocreadium cavum n. sp. from Abalistes stellatus (type-host) and Cantheschenia grandisquamis; H. grandisquamis n. sp. from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; Dermadena spatiosa n. sp, from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; and (2) southwestern Australia: D. stirlingi n. sp. from Meeschenia hippocrepis. The following new combinations are made: Lobatocreadium vitellosum (Ozaki, 1936) n. comb. (originally Leptocreadium); Hypocrendium balistes (Nagaty, 1942) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. biminensis (Sogandares-Bernal, 1959) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. indicum (Madhavi, 1972) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); and H. galapagoensis (Manter, 1945) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium). Several nominal species of Pseudocreadium and Hypocreadium are considered incertae sedis.