Diagnosis of iridovirus in large yellow croaker by PCR

A rapid and sensitive PCR-based method for the detection of the large yellow croaker iridovirus(LYCIV) is described,which involves the amplification of a 295 bp fragment of the LYCIV ATPase gene from DNA isolated from naturally infected fish spleen.Sequencing of LYCIV ATPase gene fragment showed it shared 100% nucleotide sequence homology with the corresponding region of the ATPase gene of red sea bream iridovirus(RSIV) and sea bass iridovirus(SBIV),suggesting that LYCIV was homologous with RSIV and SBIV at least in part of the gemone.The specificity and sensitivity of the PCR procedure were tested on the iridovirus-infected fishes,the expected fragment was detected from spleen DNA samples of infected fishes,whereas no fragments were amplified from healthy fish spleen DNA,white spot syndrome baculoviruses(WSBV) DNA and pseudorabies virus(PRV) DNA.Detection limit of this method was 10^-7 ng positive plasmid DNA containing target sequence,equal to about 100 virions.In the infected experiment,first positive detection(1/4) appeared at Day 3 post-infection,all fish(4/4) tested positive at Day 7,however obvious symptoms were observed at Day 8,so LYCIV infection could be detected prior to the appearance of obvious symptoms.These results indicate that this PCR method could be used for early,rapid and specific detection of LYCIV infection.     

Isolation and identification of a marine killer yeast strain YF07b and cloning of the gene encoding killer toxin from the yeast

It was found that the marine yeast strain YF07b could secrete a large amount of killer toxin against a pathogenic yeast strain WCY which could cause milky disease in Portunus trituberculatus.The marine yeast strain YF07b was identified to be Pichia anomala according to the results of routine yeast identification and 18S rDNA and ITS sequences.The gene encoding killer toxin in the marine yeast strain YF07b was amplified by PCR technology.After sequencing,the results show that an open reading frame,consisting of 1 281 bp,encoded a presumed protein of 427 amino acids.The sequence of the cloned gene was found to have 99% match with that of the gene encoding killer toxin in Pichia anomalas strain K.A signal peptide including 17 amino acids appeared in the N-terminal domain of the killer toxin.Therefore,the mature protein consisted of 410 amino acids,its molecular mass was estimated to be 47.4 ku and its isoelctronic point was 4.5.     

Minicistron from a gene of prawn white spot bacilliform virus (WSBV) and its expression

By the sequencing and analysis of genomic DNA and cDNA of WSBV, it was found that these existed a minicistnni in the leading sequence of p204 gene.The minicistron utilized rare oodons of genes from prawn and WSBV.The p204 gene could be expressed in Escherichia coli whether a miniciston exited in its leading sequence or not, but the amounts of the expressed products of them were different.The minicistron might be related to the expression of p204 gene.     

Distribution of ammonia-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria community in surface sediment off the Changjiang River Estuary in summer

The spatial distribution of ammonia-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria ( β AOB) was investigated by FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) and DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) techniques in the sediment off the Changjiang River Estuary.Sediment samples were collected from eight stations in June before the formation of hypoxia zone in 2006.The abundance of β AOB ranged from 1.87 × 10 5 to 3.53 × 10 5 cells/g of sediment.β AOB abundance did not present a negative correlation with salinity,whereas salinity was implicated as the primary factor affecting nitrification rates.The DGGE profiles of PCR-amplified amo A gene fragments revealed that the β AOB community structure of sample S2 separated from other samples at the level of 40% similarity.The variations in composition of β AOB were significantly correlated with the salinity,temperature,absorption ability of sediments and TOC. The statistical analysis indicates that the β AOB abundance was a main factor to influence nitrification rates with an influence ratio of 87.7% at the level of 40% biodiversity similarity.Considering the good correlation between β AOB abundance and nitrification estimates,the abundance and diversity of β AOB community could be expected as an indirect index of nitrification activity at the study sea area in summer.     

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of Crustin-like gene from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis

A new member of antimicrobial protein genes of the Crustin family was cloned from haemocytes of the Chinese shrimp Fennero- penaeus chinensis by 3 ′and 5′ RACE. The full-length cDNA of Crustin-like gene contains a 390 bp open reading frame, encoding 130 amino acids. The deduced peptide contains a putative signal peptide of 17 amino acids and mature peptide of 113 amino acids. The molecular mass of the deduced mature peptide is 12. 3 ku. It is highly cationic with a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.5. The deduced amino acids sequence of this Crustin showed high homology with those of Penaeus （ Litopenaeus ） setferus. Northern blotting showed that the cloned Crustin gene was mainly expressed in haemocytes, gill, intestine, and RNA in situ hybridization indicated that the Crustin gene was constitutively expressed exclusively in haemocytes of these tissues. Capillary elec- trophoresis RT-PCR analysis showed that Crustin was up-regulated dramatically from 12 to 48 h after a brief decrease of mRNA during first 6 h in response to microbe infection. The level of Crustin mRNA began to restore at 72 h post-challenge. This indicated that Crustin gene might play an important role when shrimps are infected by bacterial pathogen.     

苯并（a）芘诱导下岩虫CYP基因的表达特征

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE) and real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) were carried out to analyze the CYP4 gene expression in polychaete Marphysa sanguinea exposed to benzo[a]pyrene(BaP) in this study. The full length of MsCYP4 cDNA was 2 470 bp, and it encoded 512 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence showed 47% identity with CYP4 F from frog Xenopus tropicalis and shared high homology with other known CYP4 sequences. To analyse the role of CYP4 in protecting M. sanguinea from BaP exposure, three BaP groups were established: 0.5, 5 and 50 μg/L. Polychaetes were sampled after 3, 7 and 12 d. At 0.5 μg/L, the effect of BaP on MsCYP4 gene expression increased with time prolonged. MsCYP4 gene expression curve showed Ushaped trend with time in 5 and 50 μg/L BaP groups. Therefore, MsCYP4 gene may play an important role in maintaining the balance of cellular metabolism and protecting M. sanguinea from BaP toxicity.     

Expressed sequence tag analysis and cloning of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene from marine alga Laminaria japonica (Phaeophyta)

A high quality cDNA library was constructed from the brown alga Laminaria japonica,with the titer of 1.2×10 5 pfu/ml.The average insert size of the cDNA library is about 1.6 kb.From the cDNA library,591 cDNA clones were randomly selected and sequenced.As a result,574 EST(expressed sequence tag) sequences were generated.All of the 574 ESTs were submitted to the dbEST database section of GenBank with the accession numbers from CX942625 to CX943198.The cDNA library was screened with a α-32 p labeled 453 bp T P S gene probe,which is a partial sequence yielded from Porphyra yezoensis.Four positive cDNA clones were screened and the sequencing data showed that these four cDNA clones covered majority of L.japonica TPS cDNA sequence.After PCR amplification,sequencing and assembling,the entire ORF(open reading frame) sequence of the T P S gene was obtained,which was named LjTPS.LjTPS encodes a protein containing 908 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 101 674 Daltons.The LjTPS gene was successfully expressed in E.coli and rice.The LjTPS gene has potential application both in plant breeding to stress tolerance and in deciphering the T P S gene function and mechanism to stress tolerance.     

Cloning, expression and characterization of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT)-like gene subunit (LCB2) from marine Emiliania huxleyi virus (Coccolithovirus)

The authors have isolated and characterized a novel serine palmitoyltransferase(SPT)-like gene in marine Emiliania huxleyi virus(EhV-99B1).The open-reading frame(ORF) of EhV99B1-SPT encoded a protein of 496 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 96 kDa and Ip 6.01.The results of sequence analysis showed that there was about 31%-45% identity in amino acid sequence with other organisms.The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree suggested that the EhV99B1-SPT gene possibly horizontally transferred from the eukaryote.Hydrophobic profiles of deduced amino acid sequences suggested a hydrophobic,globular and membrane-associated protein with five transmembrane domains(TMDs) motifs.Several potential N-linked glycosylation sites were presented in SPT.These results suggested that EhV99B1-SPT was an integral endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein.Despite lower sequence identity,the secondary and three-dimensional structures predicted showed that the "pocket" structure element composed of 2α-helices and 4βsheets was the catalytic center of this enzyme,with a typical conserved "TFTKSFG" active site in the N-terminal region and was very close to those of prokaryotic organisms.However,the N-terminal domain of EhV99B1-SPT most closely resembled the LCB2 catalysis subunit and the C-terminal domain most closely resembled the LCB1 regulatory subunit of other organisms which together formed a spherical molecule.This "chimera" was highly similar to the prokaryotic homologous SPT.For a functional identification,the EhV99B1-LCB2 subunit gene was expressed in Escherichia coli,which resulted in significant accumulation of new sphingolipid in E.coli cells.     

Cloning and expression analysis of the chloroplast fructose- 1,6-bisphosphatase gene from Pyropia haitanensis

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase(FBPase) is one of the key enzymes in Calvin circle and starch biosynthesis. In this study, the full-length of cpFBPase gene from Pyropia haitanensis was cloned by using rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE) technology. The nucleotide sequence of PhcpFBPase consists of 1 400 bp, including a 5′ untranslated region(UTR) of 92 bp, a 3′?UTR of 69 bp, and an open reading frame(ORF) of 1 236 bp, which can be translated into a 412-amino-acid putative peptides with a molecular weight of 44.3 kDa and a theoretical pI of 5.23. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that the protein belonged to the chloroplast FBPase enzyme. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the protein assembled with the cpFBPase of a thermal tolerant unicellular red micro-algae Galdieria sulphuraria. Expression patterns analyzed by qRT-PCR revealed that the expression of PhcpFBPase gene in the thallus phage was 7-fold higher than in the conchocelis phage, which suggested the different mechanisms of inorganic carbon utilization among the different life phages of P. haitanensis. And the different response modes of PhcpFBPase mRNA levels to high temperature and desiccation stress indicated that PhcpFBPase played an important role in responsing to abiotic stress.     

Effect of oil pollution on gluthione and relative enzyme in oyster(Saccostrea cuculiata)

The oysters ( Saccostrea cuculiata ) were collected from four stations around Xiamen Island (Lundu Port, Xinglin Bay, Tong" an Bay, Huangcuo). The relation between the level of petroleum hydrocarbon in whole tissue and the contents of glutathione (GSH), the activity of selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in digestive gland and gill were investigated. The results showed: (1) The contents of petroleum hydrocarbon in oyster collected from four stations (Lundu Port, Xinglin Bay, Tong'an Bay, Huangcuo) were 380.68, 112.34, 27.31, 20.37μg/g wet weight, respectively; (2) the activity of Se-GPx and GST in digestive gland was lower than that in gill, and the content of GSH seemed reversibly; (3) among the four stations, both Se-GPx and GST activity of digestive gland and gill in Saccostrea cuculiata sampled from the four stations showed a good correlation with whole tissue petroleum hydrocarbon, could be as biomarkers of sea oil pollution.     

织锦巴菲蛤(Paphia textile)过氧化氢酶基因cDNA全长克隆、序列同源分析与组织表达

Catalase is an important antioxidant protein that can protect organisms against various forms of oxidative damage by eliminating hydrogen peroxide. In this study, the catalase c DNA of Paphia textile(Pt CAT) was cloned using RTPCR and rapid amplification of c DNA ends(RACE). Pt CAT is 1 921 bp long and consists of a 5′-UTR of 50 bp, a 3′-UTR of 349 bp, and an ORF of 1 542 bp that encodes 513 amino acids with a molecular weight of 58.4 k D and an estimated isoelectric point of 8.2. Sequence alignment indicated that Pt CAT contained a highly conserved catalytic signature motif(~(61)FNRERIPERVVHAKGAG~(77)), a proximal heme-ligand signature sequence(~(352)RLFSYSDP~(359)), and three catalytic amino acid residues(H~(72), N~(145), and Y~(356)). Pt CAT also contains two putative N-glycosylation sites(~(34)NKT~(36) and ~(437)NFT~(439)) and a peroxisome-targeting signal(~(511)AQL~(513)). Furthermore, Pt CAT shares 53%–88% identity and 29%–89% similarity with other catalase amino acid sequences. Pt CAT m RNA was present in all tested organs, including the heart, digestive gland, adductor muscle, gonad, gill, and mantle, but its expression was highest in the digestive gland. High-temperature-induced stress produced two expression patterns of Pt CAT m RNA: first, an initial up-regulation followed by a down-regulation in the heart, digestive gland, and gonad and, second, consistent down-regulation in all other organs. These results demonstrate that Pt CAT is a typical member of the catalase family and might be involved in the responses to harmful environmental factors.     

Studies on the absorption and utilization of amino acids in the test diets by the prawn Penaeus orientalis

This experiment was conducted to study the characteristics of absorption of amino acids by different regions of the alimentary tract and the utilization of free amino acids in the test diets of the prawn, Penaeus oricntolis.The midgut gland is the principal site of nutrient absorption. In the foregut, the digestibility coefficient of 15 amino acids tested accounted for 52.5% of the total digestibility coefficient in the entire alimentary tract. In the midgut, the digestibility coefficient was 47.5 % of the total. There was no evidence of the hindgut assimilating amino acids.The free amino acid in the test diet, methionine, was almost absorbed before entering the midgut. Methionine could not be absorbed synchronously with other amino acids bound in the dietary protein, but it did affect the synchronization of other essential amino acids. [3H]-lysine, incorporated into the test diet, was almost totally assimilated within the midgut gland. Five and a half hours after feeding, the labelled amino acid had be