The carotenoid characteristics of the important wild shrimp Trachysalambria curvirostris(Stimpson,1860) in China

Trachysalambria curvirostris is an economically important shrimp in the coastal waters of the Western Indo-Pacific. However, there is no information about its carotenoid composition and distribution. The carotenoid profiles including concentration, composition, molecular forms (free or esterified) and configuration (geometrical and optical isomers) of raw and dried T. curvirostris (Stimpson, 1860) were qualitatively and quantitatively assessed. In the raw shrimp, astaxanthin and β-carotene were the two dominant carotenoids, which contributed 75.18%–88.86% and 2.86%–16.83% of the total carotenoid content. Traces of echinenone, canthaxanthin and astacene were also detected. The carotenoid content in the waste (80.28 mg/kg dry weight) was nearly two-fold higher than that in the meat (49.69 mg/kg dry weight). Of the total astaxanthin in these shrimp, 85.18%–90.59% was esterified. All- trans astaxanthin was the predominant geometrical isomer followed by 13- cis , 9- cis , di- cis and 15- cis isomers. A mix of three stereoisomers was found in all parts and the percentages of meso (3 S , 3’ R ) and (3 S , 3’ S ) forms were significantly higher than the (3 R , 3’ R ) isomer. Compared to the carotenoid content of the raw shrimp, only 26.17 mg/kg remained in the dried shrimp. Nearly half of the carotenoids were lost during the drying process. Substantial hydrolysis and isomerization also occurred.     

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.     

Intragenic and intergenic sequences regulating the expression of the 5'-to-5' linked adult αand β-globin genes from large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea

One adult α-globin gene and one β-globin gene have been cloned from the large yellow croaker Pseudosciaena crocea. Linkage analysis indicated that the α- and β-globin genes were oriented head-to-head relative to each other. To identify the regulatory elements present in the intergenic and intragenic regions of the globin complex, the intergenic region alone or together with the β-globin gene first intron was cloned into the luciferase-reporter vector pGL3-Basic respectively, and the chimeric constructs were tran- siently transfected into Vero cells and primary fish erythrocytes. The intergenic region cannot support the high-level expression of luciferase. However, the promoter activity of the intergenic region was strongly stimulated by the positive regulatory elements （PRE） located in the β-globin gene intron 1. Thus, it is proposed that the intergenic promoters and intragenic PRE were necessary for the effective expression of the linked α- and β-globin genes.     

Effects of temperature on growth,photophysiology, Rubisco gene expression in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prorocentrum donghaiense</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Karenia mikimotoi</Emphasis>

To explore the effects of temperature changes on dinoflagellate bloom succession in the coastal waters of the East China Sea, changes in the growth, photophysiology, and Rubisco gene expression of Prorocentrum donghaiense and Karenia mikimotoi, two harmful algal species, were investigated at different temperatures (16 to 28°C). The maximal specific growth rate and the maximal mRNA expression of Rubisco gene in P. donghaiense and K. mikimotoi occurred at 20 and 24°C, respectively. The photosynthetic activity of P. donghaiense was generally stable, but K. mikimotoi photosynthesis increased when temperatures rose from 16 to 28°C. The effective photochemical efficiency (F _q ^′ /F _m ^′ ) and the maximal relative electron transfer rate (rETR_max) of K. mikimotoi increased significantly with increasing temperature, and the lowest and highest values occurred at 16 and 28°C, respectively. It seems that P. donghaiense has higher photosynthetic capacity than K. mikimotoi due to its higher F _q ^′ /F _m ^′ , rETR_max, and photosynthetic efficiency (α). However, K. mikimotoi has a higher growth rate than P. donghaiense. These results suggest that the photosynthetic activity and genetic responses of dinoflagellates are species-dependent. It is likely that temperature changes affect species composition during blooms, leading to the observed patterns of bloom succession.     

On four closely related hypotrichous ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Spirotrichea): molecular characters, interspecific relationships and phylogeny defined with multigene sequence information

In order to clarify the phylogeny and relationships of the most confused hypotrichous ciliates, Holosticha-complex, four closely related holostichids (five populations), Holosticha bradburyae, H. diademata, Anteholosticha sp., and A. manca, were compared and analyzed using ITS2 secondary structures, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and SSrRNA gene sequences. The ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences of these four species were first sequenced, and they shared sequence identities ranging from 68.0% to 90.1%, while two populations of Anteholosticha sp. differed in three nucleotides (sequence identity 99.8%). There were several minor differences among ITS2 secondary structures of these species, while two populations of Anteholosticha sp. had the identical secondary structure. Phylogenetic trees inferred from the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences of stichotrichs using multiple algorithms (Neighbor-Joining, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian) revealed similar topologies. The results show that:(1) Holosticha bradburyae and H. diademata firmly clustered together with strong bootstrap supports, forming a sister clade with Anteholosticha sp., (2) Anteholosticha appeared to be a paraphyletic assemblage, in which the morphotype A. manca was more closely related to Diaxonella trimarginata than to its congener Anteholosticha sp. Phylogenetic analyses based on the SSrRNA gene and the combined sequences of SSrRNA gene and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region revealed the similar relationships between Holosticha and Anteholosticha, nevertheless their positions within the subclass Stichotrichia differed from each other inferred from different genes.     

利用扩增vvhA基因的环介导等温扩增技术快速，特异而敏感地检测创伤弧菌

创伤弧菌是一种可感染人类的河口病原菌。建立快速,特异而敏感的检测方法,有助于创伤弧菌感染的早期疾病诊断和及时治疗。本研究设计了针对vvhA基因的一系列引物（包括两对外部引物和两对内部引物）,采用环介导等温扩增技术（LAMP）来检测创伤弧菌。结果显示,本方法的最适扩增温度是63℃,反应仅需35分钟。扩增产物不仅可以用含有DNA ladder的琼脂糖凝胶电泳检出,也可借助钙黄绿素直接肉眼观察。采用45株菌株检测该方法的特异性,其中所有创伤弧菌均被检出而其他菌株检测结果皆为阴性。本方法的敏感性是普通PCR扩增的100倍,同时利用该方法可以准确检测出所有的模拟样品、临床标本及环境样品。与其他已知方法比较,针对vvhA基因的介导等温扩增技术可以快速、简单、敏感及特异地鉴定创伤弧菌。     

Phylogenetic relationship between symbionts of tubeworm <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lamellibrachia satsuma</Emphasis> and the sediment microbial community in Kagoshima Bay

Vestimentiferan tubeworms acquire their symbionts through horizontal transmission from the surrounding environment. In the present study, we constructed a 16S rRNA gene clone library to investigate the phylogenetic relationship between diverse microbes in the sediment and symbiotic bacteria in the trophosome of the tubeworm, Lamellibrachia satsuma, from Kagoshima Bay, Japan. Two symbiotic bacterial phylotypes belonging to the classes γ- and ε-Proteobacteria were found from this tubeworm trophosome. They were very closely related to the symbionts of several other marine invertebrates. The most predominant bacteria in the sediment were ε-Proteobacteria. A broad diversity of bacteria belonged to non-proteobacterial phyla such as Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi was observed. The presence of sulfur oxidizers (i.e., ε-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria) and sulfur reducers (i.e., δ-Proteobacteria) may play a significant role in the sulfur cycle in these habitats and provide multiple sources of nutrition to the cold-seep communities. Closely related clones of ε-Proteobacteria symbiont in the species level and of γ-Proteobacteria symbiont in the genus level were found in the surrounding sediment. The similarity of symbiont clones of L. satsuma with other symbionts and free-living bacteria suggests the possibility of opportunistic symbiosis in ε-Proteobacteria and the co-evolution of γ-Proteobacteria having occurred after symbiosis with the tubeworms.     

Features of the spatial distribution of phytoplankton in Nhatrang Bay of the South China Sea during the rainy season

The species composition, phytoplankton abundance, and relative yield of the variable fluorescence (F _v /F _m ) were determined in the mesotrophic Nhatrang Bay in October–November of 2004. The species diversity (250 taxonomic units) and heterogeneity of the phytoplankton structure were high. With respect to the number of species and their abundance, diatoms prevailed. In selected parts of the bay, dinoflagellates dominated. The mean biomass in the water column under 1 m² (B _t ) varied from 2.3 to 64.4 mg C/m³ being 31.0 mg C/m³ on average. The values of B _t were the lowest at the stations nearest to the river mouth. Seaward, B _t increased. The values of B _t increased with depth at some stations and decreased at others. In the surface sea layers, the biomass was lower than that in the underlying waters. The values of F _v /F _m ranged from 0.10 to 0.64 (at a mean value of 0.49). The lowest values of F _v /F _m were observed in the area close to the seaport. Over the greater part of the bay, the values of F _v /F _m were higher than 0.47. Such values are indicative of the relatively high potential photosynthetic activity of the phytoplankton. The abundance and species diversity were higher than those in the dry season (March–April).     

Cenoses of phototrophic algae of ultrasaline lakes in the Kulunda steppe (Altai krai,Russian Federation)

In 2012, expeditions of the Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, delivered samples of algo-bacterial mats from Kulunda steppe alkaline lakes (Petukhovskoe alkaline lake, Tanatar VI, and Gorchina III). The filamentous alga Ctenocladus circinnatus (Chlorophyta) acted as an edificator of the mats. The composition of cenoses algocomponents also included chlorophytes Dunaliella viridis and Picocystis salinarum as well as diatoms Anomeoneis sphaerophora, Brachysira brebissonii, B. zellensis, Mastogloia pusilla var. subcapitata, Nitzschia amphibia, N. cf. communis, and Nitzschia sp. 1. The composition and structure of phototrophic algae cenoses (including diatom taxocenes) were described for the investigated lakes for the first time. For the period from 2011 to 2012, the total mineralization significantly increased in lakes. This involved sensible alterations of cenoses. B. zellensis was the most permanent component of diatom taxocenes in both seasons. In the summer of 2011, it was often accompanied by A. sphaerophora and B. brebissonii. In the summer of 2012, A. sphaerophora was found only singularly in Lake Gorchina III, and some biotopes of Lake Tanatar VI were massively inhabited by N. cf. communis, including colonies that had not been previously described for the species. The genetic analysis of three diatoms, which are markedly different from each other in their appearance and were sampled from different lakes but were all determined as Nitzschia cf. communis, showed their complete similarity to each other with the 18S rRNA gene fragment and the highest similarity of all the three diatoms with the species Nitzschia communis.     

Features of the atmospheric boundary layer block for three versions of the WAM wind wave model

The estimated characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, obtained by the simulation of wind wave fields using three versions of the WAM numerical model are compared with the well-known empirical dependences of drag coefficient C _d on wind speed U ₁₀ and wave age A, as well as with the dependence of dimensionless roughness height z _n on inverse wave age u*/с р. Calculations carried out for several years in the areas of the Pacific and Indian oceans, based on the ERA-interim and CFSR wind reanalyses have shown good agreement between the model and empirical dependences C _d (U ₁₀) and C _d (A). The range of estimated variability for z _n (u*/с _р ) has been found to be significantly less than empirical. It has been also found that estimated values of wind speed U _10W (t) are overestimated from 5 to 10% in all versions of WAM models compared with the input wind reanalysis U _10R (t) at the moments of appearance maximum values of wind U _10R (t). The reasons for the established features of the WAM model and their dependence on the model version are discussed.     

A new formula for saturated water steam pressure within the temperature range −25 to 220°C

Instead of approximation formula ln(E(t)/E(0)) = [(a ? bt)t/(c + T)] commonly used at present for representing dependence of pressure of saturated streams of liquid water E upon temperature we suggested new approximation formula of greater accuracy in the form ln(E(t)/E(0)) = [(A ? Bt + Ct ²)t/T], where t and T are temperature in °C and K respectively. For this formula with parameters A = 19.846, B = 8.97 × 10^?3, C = 1.248 × 10^?5 and E(0) = 6.1121 GPa with ITS-90 temperature scale and for temperature range from 0°C to 110°C relative difference of approximation applying six parameter formula by W. Wagner and A. Pruß 2002, developed for positive temperatures, is less than 0.005%, that is approximately 15 times less than accuracy obtained with the firs formula. Increase of temperature range results in relative difference increasing, but for even temperature range from 0°C to 220°C it does not higher than 0.1%. For negative temperatures relative difference between our formula and a formula of D. M. Murphy and T. Koop, 2005, is less than 0.1% for temperatures higher than ?25°C. This paper also presents values of coefficients for approximation of Goff and Grach formula recommended by IMO. The procedure of finding dew point T _d for known water steam pressure e _n based on our formula adds up to solving an algebraic equation of a third degree, which coefficients are presented in this paper. For simplifying this procedure this paper also includes approximation ratio applying a coefficient A noted above, in the form T _d (e _n ) = \(\frac{{AT_0 }}{{A - \varepsilon }}\) + 0.0866?² + 0.0116?^10/3, where ? = ln(e _n /E(T ₀)). Error of dew point recovery in this ratio is less than 0.005 K within the range from 0 to 50°C.     

西太平洋深海海水中乙醛降解菌多样性及群落结构研究

As a major aldehyde pollutant widely existing in industry and our daily life, acetaldehyde is more and more harmful to human health. As characteristic habitat niche, bacteria from deep sea environments are abundant and distinctive in heredity, physiology and ecological functions. Thus, the development of acetaldehyde-degrading bacteria from deep sea provides a new method to harness acetaldehyde pollutant. Firstly, in this study,acetaldehyde-degrading bacteria in the deep sea water of the West Pacific Ocean were enriched in situ and in the laboratory respectively, and then the diversity of uncultured bacteria was studied by using 16 S r RNA genes. Then acetaldehyde-degrading strains were isolated from two samples, including enrichment in situ and enrichment in laboratory samples of deep sea water from the West Pacific Ocean using acetaldehyde as the sole carbon source,and then the ability of acetaldehyde degradation was detected. Our results showed that the main uncultured bacteria of two samples with different enrichment approaches were similar, including Proteobacteria,Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, but the structure of bacterial community were significant different.Four subgroups, α, γ, δ and ε, were found in Proteobacteria group. The γ-Proteobacteria was dominant(63.5%clones in laboratory enriched sample, 75% clones in situ enriched sample). The species belonged to γ-Proteobacteria and their proportion was nearly identical between the two enrichment samples, and Vibrio was the predominant genus(45% in laboratory enriched sample, 48.5% in situ enriched sample), followed by Halomonas(9% in situ enriched sample) and Streptococcus(6% in laboratory enriched sample). A total of 12 acetaldehyde-degrading strains were isolated from the two samples, which belonged to Vibrio, Halomonas,Pseudoalteromonas, Pseudomonas and Bacillus of γ-Proteobacteria. Strains ACH-L-5, ACH-L-8 and ACH-S-12,belonging to Vibrio and Halomonas, have strong ability of acetaldehyde degradation, which could tolerate 1.5 g/L acetaldehyde and degrade 350 mg/L acetaldehyde within 24 hours. Our results indicated that bacteria of γ-Proteobacteria may play an important role in carbon cycle of deep sea environments, especial the bacteria belonging to Vibrio and Halomonas and these strains was suggested for their potentials in government of aldehyde pollutants.