Construction of Porphyra yezoensis Pure Line from Protoplasts and Its 18S rDNA Sequence Determination

1　Introduction　PorphyraisthemainobjectforalgafarmingandplaysaveryimportantroleinChinesemarineindus tries.Recently ,therehasbeenagreatlossinPor phyracultivationduetothedegenerationoftheculti var,sothereisanincreasingdemandforgoodPor phyracultivars .Theprerequisiteofthetraditionalbreed ingandbioengineeringresearchofPorphyraistheconstructionofpurelines .Traditionally ,theclassifi cationofPorphyrawasaccordingtotheirmorphologi calcharacteristics .However ,mostmorphologicalfea turesofPorphyraar…     

Phylogenetic analyses of four species of Ulva and Monostroma grevillei using ITS, rbc L and 18S rDNA sequence data

Chlorophyta species are common in the southern and northern coastal areas of China. In recent years, frequent green tide incidents in Chinese coastal waters have raised concerns and attracted the attention of scientists. In this paper, we sequenced the 18S rDNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the rbcL genes in seven organisms and obtained 536-566 bp long ITS sequences, 1 377-1 407 bp long rbcL sequences and 1 718-1 761 bp long partial 18S rDNA sequences. The GC base pair content was highest in the ITS regions and lowest in the rbcL genes. The sequencing results showed that the three Ulva prolifera (or U. pertusa) gene sequences from Qingdao and Nan’ao Island were identical. The ITS, 18S rDNA and rbcL genes in U. prolifera and U. pertusa from different sea areas in China were unchanged by geographic distance. U. flexuosa had the least evolutionary distance from U. californica in both the ITS regions (0.009) and the 18S rDNA (0.002). These data verified that Ulva and Enteromorpha are not separate genera.     

Construction of Porphyra yezoensis Pure Line from Protoplasts and Its 18S rDNA Sequence Determination

The wild Porphyra yezoensis collected from the Qingdao coast was used to prepare protoplasts by enzyme digestion. The pure line was constructed by cultivating the protoplasts. The 18S rDNA of the P. yezoensis pure line was cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis was executed for this sequence and other 22 sequences retrieved from GenBank. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the neighbor-joining method. The results revealed a high diversity of 18S rDNA sequences in genus Porphyra and the considerable variation of 18S rDNA sequences in different strains of the same species P. yezoensis and P. tenera. Significant difference of 18S rDNA sequence was observed between P. yezoensis from Qingdao, China, and the two strains of P. yezoensis from Japan, but the three strains of P. yezoensis formed a stable clade in the phylogenetic tree. These results indicate the possibility of interspecies and intraspecies discrimination of Porphyra using the 18S rDNA sequences.     

Molecular diversity of Enteromorpha from the coast of Yantai: a dual-marker assessment

We collected nine Enteromorpha specimens from the coast of Yantai and evaluated their diversity based on analyses of their ITS （internal transcribed spacer） and 5S rDNA NTS （non-transcribed spacer） sequences. The ITS sequences showed slight nucleotide divergences between Enteromorpha linza and Enteromorpha prolifera. In contrast, multiple highly variable regions were found in the ITS region of Enteromorpha flexuosa. In general, there were more variable sites in the NTS region than in the ITS region in the three species. The variations in 5S rDNA NTS sequences indicated that the molecular diversity of Enteromorpha from the coast of Yantai is very high. However, a phylogenetic tree constructed using 5S rDNA NTS sequence data indicated that genetic differences were not directly related to geographical distribution.     

Preliminary Identification of Three New Isolates in Genus Alexandrium(Dinophyceae) from China Sea Area

1 Introduction Dinoflagellate Alexandrium has received intensive at-tention in recent years, as it is a valuable bioactive com-pound resource and related to harmful algal bloom (HAB)which has negative impact on marine ecology systemaquiculture, human health and tourism (Hallegraeff andBolch, 1992; Smayda, 1997; Vale and Antonia de MSampayo, 2001). However, not all of the species in genusAlexandrium produce toxin (Wendy et al., 2001), so rapididentification and clarification of the phyloge…     

Development of high-resolution chloroplast markers for intraspecific phylogeographic studies of Phaeocystis globosa

Phaeocystis globosa is an important harmful algal bloom causative species distributing widely in temperate and tropical coastal waters in the world.The morphological,physiological,and biochemical characte ristics are different amo ng geographic strains,which can not be distinguished with nuclear ribo somal DNA markers at present.Therefore,the genetic distance and phylogeographic relationships of nuclear 28 S rDNA D1-D2 and ITS regions,and three chloroplast intergenic spacers(petN-trnS1,trnM1-psbA,and rbcS-rpl27) were analyzed and compared among 13 strains of P.globosa isolated from the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean in this study.In addition,the nucleotide polymorphisms of 28 S rDNA D1-D2,ITS,and rbcS-rpl27 regions were evaluated in two P.globosa strains.The various levels of nucleotide polymorphism were in the nuclear 28 S rDNA D1-D2 region and ITS region,but no polymorphism was in the chloroplast rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer.A reasonable intraspecific phylogeographic relationship was presented by rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer,which had the strongest distinction to geographic strains compared to those of 28 S rDNA D1-D2 and ITS regions.In the phylogenetic tree of rbcS-rpl27 intergenic spacer,the two strains from the North Sea of the Atlantic Ocean were divided firstly from the species of P.globosa,and then formed an independent clade,while the other Atlantic strains and all of Pacific strains j oined up to build the other clade.It was implied that at least two genetically distant populations of P.globosa existed in the Atlantic coastal regions.This study provided a high-resolution chloroplast marker to analyze intraspecific phylogeographic populations of P.globosa,and preliminarily clarified the genetic relationships of the Pacific and Atlantic strains of P.globosa.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea isolated from the East Asian waters

Previous studies found intraspecific diversity in Scrippsiella trochoidea A. R. Loeblich III, a widely distributed calcareous cyst-producing dinoflagellate. In this study, three strains (ST-1, ST-D6 and ST-K) of S. trochoidea isolated from the East Asian waters were studied, together with other geographical strains, to resolve their phylogenetic relationships. For the three East Asian isolates, two highly diverse regions of nuclear-encoded ribosomal DNA (rDNA), the 5.8S rDNA and its flanking internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2, and the 5′ portion of the large-subunit rDNA (encompassing the “D1“ and “D2” domains) were sequenced. Homologous sequences from other geographical isolates were selected from the GenBank database and the phylogenetic relationships were inferred from the molecular data of these strains. Strains of S. trochoidea were found to cluster into three major clades (STR1, STR2 and STR3), as reported in previous studies. Two of the three strains ST-1 and ST-K, were grouped in clade STR2, the other strain, ST-D6, belonged to clade STR3. The intraspecific diversity of S. trochoidea in East Asian waters makes it necessary to carry out phylogenetic investigations in combination with data of biogeography, population dynamics, and life cycle on the ecophysiology of a region.     

First record of Biecheleria cincta (Dinophyceae) from Chinese coasts, with morphological and molecular characterization of the strains

The presence of Biecheleria cincta (=Woloszynskia cincta) in the Chinese coasts is reported for the first time. In scanning electron microscope, three to five series of vesicles and an elongated apical vesicle (EAV) were visible in the epicone, and both the hypocone and the cingulum had three series of vesicles each. Thin sections revealed that B. cincta possesses stalked pyrenoids and an unusual eyespot consisting of a stack of cisternae with brick-like materials (type E), thus supporting its transfer from Woloszynskia to Biecheleria. Spiny cysts formed spontaneously in culture, with an encystment rate of around 20%. Both large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequences in 12 strains from the Chinese coasts were determined. Phylogenetic analyses based on LSU rDNA and ITS sequences using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood revealed two distinct ribotypes (referred to as ribotype A and B) in B. cincta. ITS region pairwise distances within B. cincta ranged from 0.024 to 0.072, suggesting the existence of a complex of cryptic species.     

Development and evaluation of specific PCR primers targeting the ribosomal DNA-internal transcribed spacer(ITS) region of peritrich ciliates in environmental samples

Peritrich ciliates are highly diverse and can be important bacterial grazers in aquatic ecosystems. Morphological identifi cations of peritrich species and assemblages in the environment are time-consuming and expertise-demanding. In this study, two peritrich-specifi c PCR primers were newly designed to amplify a fragment including the internal transcribed spacer(ITS) region of ribosomal rDNA from environmental samples. The primers showed high specifi city in silico, and in tests with peritrich isolates and environmental DNA. Application of these primers in clone library construction and sequencing yielded exclusively sequences of peritrichs for water and sediment samples. We also found the ITS1, ITS2, ITS, D1 region of 28 S rDNA, and ITS+D1 region co-varied with, and generally more variable than, the V9 region of 18 S rDNA in peritrichs. The newly designed specifi c primers thus provide additional tools to study the molecular diversity, community composition, and phylogeography of these ecologically important protists in dif ferent systems.     

Nematode Diversity of Qingdao Coast Inferred from the 18S Ribosomal RNA Gene Sequence Analysis

The 18S ribosomal DNA gene （18S rDNA） sequences （approxtmately 1300 bp in length） were amplified from the DNA extracted from the free-living marine nematodes collected from the inter-tidal sediment of Qingdao coast in bulk with nematode specific primers. The PCR products were cloned, re-amplified, digested with Rsa I and Hin61 restriction endonucleases and separated in agarose gel. Among 17 restriction fragment length types, types 1, 2 and 6 covered 61.2%, 14.4% and 9.3% of the clones analyzed, respectively, while the remaining 14 only covered 21 clones, which accounted for 15.1% of the total. Twenty-four representative clones were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed by referring to those currently available in RDP and GenBank databases. Although it was hard to assign these sequences to known species or genera due to the lack of the 18S rDNA sequence data of known marine free-living nematodes, the obtained sequences were assigned to the nematodes of Adenophorea. Among them, twelve sequences were close to Pontonema vulgate and Adoncholaimus sp., four to Daptonema procerus and two （identical） to Enoplus brews. Our results showed that free-living marine nematode diversities could be determined by PCR retrieving and analysis of the 18S rDNA sequences and an 18S rDNA sequence could be assigned to a species or a genus only if the 18S rDNA sequences of the free-living marine nematodes were accumulated to some extent.     

Molecular identification based on ITS sequences for Kappaphycus and Eucheuma cultivated in China

The systematic classification of the Eucheumatoideae is difficult because of their variable morphology and interpretation of reproductive structures. Kappaphycus and Eucheuma specimens cultivated on the Hainan and Fujian coast of China were introduced from Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. Combined with morphological characteristics, all Kappaphycus and Eucheuma cultivated strains were identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood methods. The results indicate that different ITS sequence lengths occurred in the different genera and species. An obvious difference in morphology could be found in the protuberance shape between Kappaphycus and Eucheuma. The protuberance in Eucheuma was thorn-like and in Kappaphycus was wartlike or papillate. Their ITS sequence lengths differed significantly in nucleotide variation rates up to 58.55%-63.90%. All nucleotide variations occurred in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions except for five nucleotide transversions in the 5.8S rDNA region. In addition, the difference was at the branches among congeneric species. Kappaphycus sp. had branches with small buds, while K. alvarezii did not have such a feature. The nucleotide variation rates varied from 7.02% to 7.48% among species; within the same species of the clades it was <1.20%. Eucheumatoideae algae cultivated in China consisted of three clades, K. alvarezii, Kappaphycus sp., and E. denticulatum. The results indicate that ITS sequence analysis was an effective way for identification of interspecies and intraspecies phylogenetic relationships and might provide a clue for molecular identification of algal Eucheumatoideae.     

Preliminary identification of three new isolates in genus Alexandrium (Dinophyceae) from China sea area

The 5.8S ribosomal DNA sequences (5.8S rDNA) and their flanking regions, internal transcribed spacer 1 and spacer 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) of three new isolates in genus Alexandrium (Alexandrium sp. qd1, Alexandrium sp. qd2, Alexandrium sp. gz) from China were amplified, sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Alexandrium sp. gz and Alexandrium sp. qd1 were grouped with high bootstrap values with four strains/species, i.e., A. catenella South Korea strain, A. catenella Japan strain, and two from China, Alexandrium sp. AC03 and Alexandrium sp. AN01 being proposed to be A. catenalla in a previous study. Then Alexandrium sp. gz and Alexandrium sp. qd1 were identified as Alexandrium catenella. As A. catenella was isolated from Qingdao and Guangzhou sea areas, it supposedly distributed at least in these two areas and was genetically different. Alexandrium sp. qd2 differed greatly from species in Alexandrium. It clustered with Symbiodinium californium, Symbiodinium sp. G15 and Gymnodinium sp. Zhao 01 with 100% bootstrap value; so Alexandrium sp. qd2 affiliates to genus Symbiodinium, and is probably a free-living Symbiodinium species.     

蛤蜊科3种贝类16S rRNA基因片段及ITS2核苷酸序列分析

利用PCR技术分别扩增连云港及启东沿海蛤蜊科的西施舌(Coelomactra antiquata)、中国蛤蜊(Mactrachinensis)和四角蛤蜊(Mactra veneriformis)3种双壳贝的16S rRNA基因片段和ITS2核苷酸序列,测序后用DNA star软件分析了核苷酸差异。结果显示:三种贝类16S rRNA基因片段长度相同,均为306bp(去除引物),核苷酸存在多态性,共有45个变异位点,54个核苷酸发生了变异,全部为碱基置换。西施舌与中国蛤蜊此片段核苷酸的同源性为88.9%,与四角蛤蜊的同源性为88.6%,中国蛤蜊与四角蛤蜊的同源性为90.6%。三种蛤蜊ITS2序列分别为390 bp(西施舌)4、41 bp(四角蛤蜊)和466 bp(中国蛤蜊),存在长度多态性,ITS2核苷酸差异分析结果显示,西施舌与中国蛤蜊的同源性为70.9%-71.1%,西施舌与四角蛤蜊的为70.5%-71.0%,中国蛤蜊与四角蛤蜊的同源性为88.1%-88.8%。ITS2序列分析结果与16S rRNA基因片段分析结果一致,2种分子分析法均显示中国蛤蜊与四角蛤蜊的亲缘关系近。     

Morphology and molecular identification of Ulva forming green tides in Qingdao, China

Green tides are caused by the proliferation of chlorophytes under suitable hydrographic conditions.These blooms lead to environmental degradation and negatively impact the waters and seagrass beds,as well as fishing and other recreational activities in the bay.A comprehensive ecological understanding of the bloom dynamics,including the origin and persistence,is needed to foster management decisions.The algae in the great majority of green tide blooms usually belong to two genera of Ulvophyceae,Ulva and Enteromorpha.Ulva has been observed more often in recent years.In China,green tides occurred for the first time in the middle area of the Yellow Sea in 2007,and a large-scale algae blooming broke out in the middle and southern areas of the Yellow Sea in late May 2008.We identified them as Ulva prolifera by comparative analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1),5.8S and ITS2 sequences in combination with microscopic observation.Morphological differences were found between the free-floating algae and the attached thalli.Various reproduction patterns of the free-floating algae include sexual,asexual and vegetative propagations,which played important roles in the long-term green tide persistence in China.The ITS sequences of the blooming algae were identical to those of the samples from the Lianyungang sea area but were different from the attached samples from the Qingdao sea area.The results infer that the blooms are originated from other sea areas rather than from the local attached populations.     

近江牡蛎两个野生种群的遗传多样性分析

采用RAPD分子标记和rDNA-ITS1序列分析了近江牡蛎Crassostrea rivularis湛江官渡和阳江程村野生种群的遗传多样性。12个RAPD引物共扩增出8838条片段,157个位点,平均每个引物可产生13个位点,片段长度在200～2200bp之间。湛江种群和阳江种群的多态位点比例分别为89.62%和89.57%,遗传多样性指数分别为0.4170和0.4334。种群间平均遗传距离为0.0327,平均遗传相似性为0.9681,平均遗传分化系数为0.0437。得到近江牡蛎18S、5.8S部分序列和ITS1全部序列,其中ITS1序列片段长度为478～485bp,共有11个变异位点,两个为转换(A/G),其他为插入/缺失(A/-、T/-)。湛江和阳江种群各获得8个单倍型,其中有一个单倍型为两个种群共享。两个种群的CG碱基平均含量较高,分别为58.29%和58.41%。种群间的遗传分化系数0.0254。结果说明,近江牡蛎湛江种群和阳江种群间具有较高的遗传多样性和较低的遗传分化。     

3种柔鱼线粒体基因与核核糖体基因片段序列比较分析

为准确检测柔鱼（Ommαstrephesbartram川、茎柔鱼（ Dosidicus gigas）与阿根廷滑柔鱼（ IIIex argentinus ） 的种间遗传差异,对线粒体16SrRNA、细胞色素b（Cytb）与编码核糖体大亚基的基因（28SrDNA）片段序列进 行测定。经比对获得同源片段序列的长度分别为444、430、464坤,其中16SrRNA与28SrDNA基因片段上分别存在3处和47处碱基插入/缺失。核昔酸组成分析表明;3种柔鱼在3个基因片段上的核音酸组成差异不显著, 在线粒体2个基因片段上的A＋T含量（16SrRNA;69.90%、72.01%、74.66%; Cytb; 63.61%、68.91%、71.65% ） 均明显高于C＋C含量（16SrRNA;30.10%、27.99%、25.34%; Cytb; 36.39%、31.09%、28.35% ）,而在28SrDNA 基因片段上的A＋T含量（37.16%、36.74%、38.29% ）明显低于C＋C含量（62.84%、63.26%、61.71 %）0 3种柔鱼 在28SrDNA基因片段上检测到的核昔酸替代率最低,为6.68%,而蛋白质编码基因Cytb核昔酸替代率最高,为 20.93%,核营酸替代均发生在密码子第3位点上,而且未引起氨基酸替代。基于邻接法、最大简约法与最大似然 法重建的系统树显示,柔鱼与茎柔鱼的亲缘关系较近。根据C严b基因片段序列分析,柔鱼与茎柔鱼和阿根廷滑柔鱼的分歧时间分别为653-790万a和765 - 925万a,种间分化事件发生在中新世至上新世间。     

Ulva and Enteromorpha (Ulvaceae, Chlorophyta) from two sides of the Yellow Sea: analysis of nuclear rDNA ITS and plastid rbcL sequence data

Ulvacean green seaweeds are common worldwide; they formed massive green tides in the Yellow Sea in recent years, which caused marine ecological problems as well as a social issue. We investigated two major genera of the Ulvaceae, Ulva and Enteromorpha, and collected the plastid rbcL and nuclear ITS sequences of specimens of the genera in two sides of the Yellow Sea and analyzed them. Phylogenetic trees of rbcL data show the occurrence of five species of Enteromorpha (E. compressa, E. flexuosa, E. intestinalis, E. linza and E. prolifera) and three species of Ulva (U. pertusa, U. rigida and U. ohnoi). However, we found U. ohnoi, which is known as a subtropical to tropical species, at two sites on Jeju Island, Korea. Four ribotypes in partial sequences of 5.8S rDNA and ITS2 from E. compressa were also found. Ribotype network analysis revealed that the common ribotype, occurring in China, Korea and Europe, is connected with ribotypes from Europe and China/Japan. Although samples of the same species were collected from both sides of the Yellow Sea, intraspecific genetic polymorphism of each species was low among samples collected worldwide.     

Identification of two Skeletonema costatum-like diatoms by fluorescence in situ hybridization

A harmful algae bloom (HAB) is a dense aggregation of algae in a marine or aquatic environment that can result in significant environmental problems. To forecast the occurrence of HAB, development of a rapid and precise detection method is urgently required. In this study, two Skeletonema costatum-like diatoms (SK-1 and SK-2), were identified morphologically under a light microscope, and detected using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Strain SK-1 was isolated from a frequently HAB affected area of the East China Sea, and strain SK-2 from an aquatic farm in Qingdao, China. Fluorescent DNA probes were designed that were complementary to the ITS sequence (including 5.8S rDNA) of strain SK-1. After hybridization, strong green fluorescence was observed in cells of strain SK-1 under an epifluorescence microscope; however, no such fluorescence was observed with strain SK-2, which indicates that probes hybridized only the DNA of the target strain, SK-1, in species-specific manner, and that the two strains do not belong to a same species. This finding was confirmed by ITS sequence analysis. The FISH technique used in this study was sensitive, simple, and rapid, and is a promising tool for detecting target HAB species in natural environments.     

A re-investigation of the bloom-forming unarmored dinoflagellate Karenia longicanalis (syn. Karenia umbella ) from Chinese coastal waters

The dinoflagellate genus K arenia is known for recurrent harmful blooms worldwide. However, species diversity of the genus is generally overlooked owing to the difficulty of identifying small unarmored dinoflagellates. We have established four clonal cultures of K arenia longicanalis isolated from the type locality, Hong Kong harbor(strain HK01) and other three locations along the Chinese coasts(strains YB01, DT01, and NJ01). The morphology of the strain was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy(LM and SEM) and the pigment composition analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. We provide the first molecular data of K. longicanalis based on the large subunit(LSU) rRNA gene sequence and internal transcribed spacer(ITS). The four strains showed identical LSU rDNA sequences with a similarity of 99.4% to the holotype of K arenia umbella(strain KUTN05) from Australia. In the ITS phylogeny, the sequence of K. umbella branched between the Chinese strains of K. longicanalis. A careful comparison of the morphology of K. longicanalis and K. umbella reveals the similarity in the diagnostic characters. Diff erences may appear due to the sample treatment for SEM. We conclude that K. umbella is a junior synonym of K. longicanalis.