Competition Among Dinoflagellate Alexandrium Tam—arense, Raphidophyte Heterosigma Carterae and Diatom Skeletonema Costatum under Combinations ofTwo Temperatures and Five Salinities

Competition among HAB (Harmful Algal Bloom) species Dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense, Raphidophyte Heterosigma carterae, and Diatom Skeletonema costatum was studied in the laboratory. Experiments with these three major HAB species under combinations of different salinities (10, 18, 25, 30, 35) and temperatures (19℃, 25℃) were carried out. The results showed that S. costatum successfully competed with the other two species at salinities of 18, 25,30, and 35 at temperatures of 19℃ and 25℃. However, H. carterae showed its advantage at low salinity of 10 and became the single dominant species at salinity 10 and 25℃. A. tamarense could not compete successfully with the other two species especially at low salinities. However, it could remain at low density in the presence of higher densities of other algae.     

CYTOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF GAMETOGENESIS OF SCALLOPS, ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS AND CHLAMYS FARRERI

Histological characteristics of gametogenesis of two kinds of scallops, gonochoric Chinese scallop, Chlamys farreri and hermaphroditic bay scallop, Argopecten irradians were investigated in this study. Spermatogenesis in C. farreri has different developmental stages: spermatogonia, primary spermatocyte, second spermatocyte, spermatid and spermatozoon. A large number of same developmental stage spermatic cells converge at a definite area of the testis. Premeiotic, previtellogenic and vitellogenic oocytes can be found during oogenesis in C. farreri, where oocyte distribution is obviously irregular. The A. irradians gonad consists of two different parts in one individual: one part functions as testis, the other as ovary. Between these two parts is a special appearance area, where a large number of spermatic cells are bound with two layers of acellular substance with many oocytes in it.     

EFFECTS OF CO—CULTURE AND SALINITY ON THE GROWTH AND AGAR YIELD OF GRACILARIA TENUISTIPITATA VAR LIUI ZHANG ET XIA

Gracilaria tenuistipitata var Liui were mono-cultivated and co-cultivated with Pinctada martensii under high(33) and low(21) salinity conditions in laboratory.The daily growth rate of the alga was determined.Tissue carbon and nitrogen contents,the yield and fractional composition of agar were analyzed.Results showed that:1.Gracilaria grew better under low salinity conditions,the daily growth rate was twice that under high salinity conditions.Co-cultivated algae grew faster than mono-culti-vated algae under low salinity conditions,the daily growth rate was about 37.6?higher.2.Compared with mono-cultivated algae,tissue nitrogen contents of co-cultivated algae were higher,while the C:N ratios were much lower.3.The agar yields of co-cultivated algae were much lower than those of mono-culti-vated algae.Agar yield was found to be negatively correlated to the tissue nitrogen contents,and positively correlated to the C:N ratios.4.The highest fractional yields obtained from co-cultivated algae were extracted with 40?ethanol,while from mono-cultivated algae,the highest fractional yields obtained were extracted with distilled water at room temperature.     

Temperature Influences on the Expression of GFP Promoted by the Upstream Sequence of cpcB from Arthrospiraplatensis

In order to investigate the regulation mechanism of the phycocyanin gene,a series of functional analyses of the upstream sequence of cpcB gene from Arthrospira platensis were conducted in E. coli with green fluorescent protein encoding gene(gfp) as the reporter. Results showed that the gfp gene could express at a high level under the promotion of the upstream sequence,suggesting the existence of some strong promoter elements in it. The expression of GFP was influenced by temperature. Higher temperature led to higher expression level. The bioinformatics analyses followed by mutation analyses on the secondary structure of translation ini-tiation region(TIR) revealed that RNA thermosensor might account for the temperature regulation.     

In vitro acute cytotoxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid to gill cell line of flounder Paralichthy olivaceus

In vitro acute cytotoxicity of neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) to the gill cell line of flounder (FG) that collected in the gill of Paralichthys olivaceus, was examined by 3 widely used endpoint bioassays: NR (neutral red), MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and TCP (total cell protein). The result shows that the IMI increased at concentrations ≥0.5 μg/ml. The IC50 value of NR, MTT, and TCP was 41.86, 38.46, and 39.08 μg/ml, respectively. The ultrastructural observation revealed that the mitochondria of the cells exposed to 60 μg/ml IMI for 48 h were severely damaged, swollen or disrupted, while their nuclei and rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) remained normal. This would suggest that the mitochondria are probably the primary target of IMI.     

Cylindrotheca closterium Is a Species Complex as Was Evidenced by the Variations of rbcL Gene and SSU rDNA

The genus Cylindrotheca consists of a small group of marine diatoms with a few species described. Eleven isolates of diatoms identified as Cylindrotheca closterium morphologically were obtained from Jiaozhou Bay with their nuclear-encoded small-subunit ribosomal RNA （SSU rDNA） and chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene sequences determined in this study. Interestingly, very high sequence divergences of SSU rDNA and rbcL gene were found among these isolates, and numerous nucleotide variation of rbcL gene caused relatively few variation of deduced amino acid sequence. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA and rbcL gene, respectively, grouped the isolates into 6 clades. Phylogenetic tree of SSU rDNA placed all the Cylindrotheca isolates together, separating them into two lineages clearly. LineageⅠ was composed of the eleven C. closterium isolates obtained in this study together with another C. closterium isolate, but some clades were not well supported. LineageⅠwas contained two C. closterium isolates and one C. fusiformis isolate. Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL gene also separated the Cylindrotheca isolates into two well-defined lineages. The eleven C. closterium isolates formed a lineage and all clades were supported strongly. Statistical comparisons of SSU rDNA indicated that the average distance within lineageⅠwas significantly higher than that of other microalgae species （P 〈0.01）. These results suggested the existence of cryptic species within C. closterium.     

In Silico Screening for Microsatellite Markers from Expressed Sequence Tags of Porphyra yezoensis （Bangiales,Rhodophyta）

The genomic resources of Porphyra yezoensis expressed sequence tags （ESTs） were utilized to identify simple sequence repeats （SSRs）, or microsatellites. This method took the advantage of using ESTs and microsatellites either for the establishment of gene identities or for the acquisition of high polymorphism. The microsatellites can be used as gene markers when microsatellites are tagged to genes. Revealed by bioinformatics analysis, 1162 out of 21954 ESTs contained microsatellites and cluster analysis indicated that 984 of these ESTs fell into 112 contigs, while the other 178 ESTs were singletons. A total of 290 unique SSR-containing genes were identified. The AAC SSRs were the most populous type of microsatellites. GC-rich microsatellites were predominant among all the microsatellites.     

Antioxidant enzyme activities in different genders and tissues of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense

Information regarding antioxidant enzymes in amphioxus remains lacking, and this study was carried out to examine the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in different genders and tissues of amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense. Results show that (1) CuZn-SOD, CAT and GPX activities in the whole amphioxus B. belcheri tsing- tauense were basically at the same levels in male and female amphioxus, whereas both T-SOD and Mn-SOD activities in male amphioxus were significantly higher than that in the female (P<0.05); (2) The testis had significantly higher T-SOD and CuZn-SOD activities than the ovary (P<0.05); (3) CuZn-SOD activity was undetectable in the guts of male and female amphioxus; (4) For both male and female am- phioxus, the activities of CAT and GPX in the gonads including testis and ovary were the lowest (P<0.05) among the tissues examined; (5) The gut and gill had the same level GPX activities while the gut had a higher CAT activity; (6) There was no clear difference in CAT and GPX activities in the corresponding tissues between male and female amphioxus. The study on SOD, CAT and GPX activities in different genders and tissues of the protochordate provides data for future comparison of amphioxus antioxidant enzymes with those of invertebrates and vertebrates.     

Acute Toxicity of Formalin to the Red-tide Dinoflageilate Prorocentrum minimum Schiller （Protozoa, Mastigophora）

The acute toxic levels of formalin to a marine red-tide dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum Schiller (Mastigophora, Dinoflagellida) were determined by linear regression analysis. The data obtained revealed that there is a close regression relationship between logarithmic concentrations of formalin and mortality probit scales of the organism when exposure times are 1, 2, 6, 12, 24 h. The median lethal concentrations (LC50 values) obtained from correlation analysis for these exposure times (with 95% confidence intervals), were 11.83, 6.76, 4.37, 4.27 and 3.98mgL^-1 respectively. A toxicity curve was obtained to connect the exposure time and LC50 value from the correlation between them. The results indicated that P. minimum could be killed or fixed by formalin in the concentration range of 4-12mgL^-1 within 1-24h.     

AGE STRUCTURES OF MODULES OF CLONAL PEATLAND SEDGE Carex middendorffii

Age structure of a plant population carries important information on population dynamics. The traditional age classification of individuals by development phases could not explain the generation relationship neither between individuals nor between modules, and it could not accurately predict the future of population or the tendency of peatland evolution. In a peatland of the Xiao Hinggan Mountains, China, at the middle of the growth season, the age structures of 3 modules, ramets, active buds and rhizomes of a Carex middendorffii clonal population were investigated, with the method of classifying age classes of ramets and active buds by counting generation quantity of tiller nodes, and classifying age classes of rhizomes by their real survival time. The quantity of vegetative ramets was dominant. Tiller nodes of ramets can propagate vegetatively for a maximum of 3 generations. The population of ramets consisted of 3 age classes of ramets at the middle of the growth season, and showed a stable age structure. In the two sampling events, there was no significant difference between quantities and age structure of the population. The maximum age of an excavated rhizome was 12 years old. Rhizomes were classified in 8 age classes, and age classes 4-6 contributed most to the total biomass. There was no significant difference in total length and total biomass per unit area, or in biomass per unit length in rhizomes between the two samplings. Four age classes of active buds were recognized, and their number increased from July to August. The Carex middendorffii clonal population achieved regeneration by budding from the tiller nodes of ramets. The age structures of the 3 modules suggested that the Carex middendorffii clonal population could persist in the early development phase of the oligotrophic peatland in the Xiao Hinggan Mountains, but it could not be dominant. It also faces the risk to disappear from the community as the peatland develops further.     

The Antitumor Components from Marine-derived Bacterium Streptoverticillium luteoverticillatum 11014 Ⅱ

Eight known compounds were isolated from a marine-derived bacterium Streptoverticillium luteoverticillatum 11014 using bioassay-guided fractionations. Their structures were identified by spectral analysis as bis （4-hydroxybenzyl） ether （1）, p-hydroxyphenylethyl alcohol （2）, N-（4-hydroxyphenethyl） acetamide （3）, indole-3 carboxylic acid methyl ester （4）, dibenzo[b,e] [1,4]dioxine （5）, thymine （6）, cytosine deoxyribonucleoside （7） and 2, 3-butanediol （8）. These compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against K562 cell line with the SRB method for the first time. Compounds 2 and 4 showed cytotoxcities with IC50 values of 101.1 and 165.3 μolL^-1, respectively. All compounds were isolated from S. luteoverticillatum 11014 for the first time.     

Stress Responses to Rapid Temperature Changes of the Juvenile Sea Cucumber （Apostichopusjaponicus Selenka）

Activities of hexokinase （HK）, pyruvate kinase （PK）, superoxide dismutase （SOD） and catalase （CAT） and Hsp70 level were measured to evaluate the response of the commercially important sea cucumber （Apostichopus japonicus Selenka） to rapid temperature changes in laboratory. Animals were subjected to a higher temperature （from 10 to 20℃） （Tinc treatment） or to a lower temperature （from 20 to 10℃） （Tddec treatment） for 72 h. At 1, 3, 12, 24, 72 h of exposure, animals were removed and prepared for further analysis. Results showed that the effect of acute temperature changes on enzyme activities was significant. In Tinc treatment, activities of SOD and CAT increased immediately. The significant enhancement of SOD and CAT activities suggested that oxidative stress increases significantly when ambient temperature increasing from 10 to 20℃. The up-regulation of Flsp70 in Tinc and Tdec treatments indicated that Hsp70 was a bioindicator of thermal stress in the sea cucumber, and the expression pattern depended on the thermal treatment.     

Preparation and in vitro Release Performance of Sustained-release Captopril/Chitosan-gelatin Net-polymer Microspheres

The captopril/Chitosan-gelatin net-polymer microspheres(CTP/CGNPMs) were prepared using Chitosan(CTS) and gelatin(GT) by the methods of emulsification,cross-linked reagent alone or in combination and microcrystalline cellulose(MCC) added in the process of preparation of microspheres,which aimed to eliminate dose dumping and burst phenomenon of microspheres for the improvement of the therapeutic efficiency and the decrease of the side effects of captopril(CTP). The results indicated that CTP/CGNPMs had a spherical shape,smooth surface and integral structure inside but no adhesive phenomena in the preparation. The size distribution ranged from 220 μm to 280 μm. The CTP release test in vitro demonstrated that CTP/CGNPMs played the role of retarding the release of CTP compared with ordinary CTP tablets. The release behaviors of CGNPMS were influenced by preparation conditions such as experimental material ratio(EMR) and composition of cross linking reagents. Among these factors,the EMR(1/4),CLR(FA SPP) and 0.75% microcrystalline cellulose(MCC) added to the microspheres constituted the optimal scheme for the preparation of CTP/CGNPMs. The ER,DL and SR of CTP/CGNPMs prepared according to the optimal scheme were 46.23±4.51%,9.95±0.77% and 261±42%,respectively. The CTP/CGNPMs had the good characteristics of sustained release of drug and the process of emulsification and cross-linking were simple and stable. The CGNPMs are likely to be an ideal sustained release formulation for water-soluble drugs.     

Observations on shell growth and morphology of the bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum

The bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum is not only one of the main mollusc species in the west Pacific Ocean, but also one of the main species for aquaculture in China. Knowledge of growth of the R. philippinarum shell will improve our understanding of the shell as an environmental archive. It is also useful for the aquaculture of R. philippinarum. In this research, a hanging box culture method was introduced in the culture of R. philippinarum. The bivalves were cultured for 126 days, from March 31 to August 3, 2002. The average growth rates of shell width, height, and thickness were 0.069, 0.046, and 0.032 mm/d, respectively. The mean increase of average individual wet mass was 0.028 g/d. The largest growth rates of both shell and average individual wet mass occurred in June, indicating that water temperature and bivalve reproduction were 2 important factors. The shell morphology underwent significant changes with shell growth. The ratio of height to thickness (value of B/C) shifted 1.58 in the first 60 days to 1.54 in the last 30 days, which was resulted from the change in major shell growth direction. Periodic changes in the B/C ratio led to corrugated shell form, which could be used to determine the age of the shell.     

Characterization of SNAP-25 gene from marine teleostean, Lateolabrax japonicus

The t-SNARE protein SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa) plays an essential role in regulating fusion between the vesicle and plasma membranes during exocytosis. To clone and characterize SNAP-25 gene, the first step in the functional study of SNARE proteins in marine teleostean, was to obtain the cDNA of sea perch SNAP-25 (SPsn25) by RT-PCR and RACE-PCR amplification of a Japanese sea perch. The full-length cDNA of 831bp contains a CDS of 615 bp, coding 204 amino acid residues, and a 5′UTR of 219bp. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that SPsn25 corresponds with SNAP-25a isoform and shares 91.1% identity with SNAP-25a of a goldfish and a zebrafish. The SPsn25 expression in both mRNA and protein levels in the Japanese sea perch had been identified through semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western Blot assay. Together, these data again confirmed the nerve tissue specificity of the fish SNAP-25 gene expression.     

Positive effect of porphyrans on the lifespan and vitality of Drosophila melanogaster

The effects of degraded porphyran (P1) and natural porphyran (P) on the lifespan and vitality of Drosophila melanogaster are studied. The porphyrans, added daily to the food medium at 0.2% and 1% concentrations, can significantly increase the lifespan in average of 55.79 and 58.23 d in 0.2% P1 diet females and 1% P1 diet males, extending by 12.29% and 8.60% over the corresponding controls, respectively. The effects of porphyrans on D. melanogaster in heat-stress condition were also examined, and found a remarkable increase in survival time. The results which are consistently associated with the use of porphyrans are related to their free radical scavenger action. Considerable increase in vitality demonstrated that vitalities of middle-aged fly (assessed by measuring their mating capacity) was observed after porphyrans addition. Therefore, porphyrans are effective in reducing the rate of aging, and P1 in low molecular weight is better than natural P.     

Isozymes Analysis of the Golden Cuttlefish Sepia esculenta（Cephalopoda ： Sepiidae）

Thirty-nine isozymes in four tissues (mantle muscle, buccal bulb muscle, eye and liver) of Sepia esculenta were screened for enzymatic analysis using starch gel electrophoretic technique. Eighteen enzymes (G3PDH, LDH, MDH, MEP, IDHP, PGDH, GRS, NP, AAT, CK, AK, EST, ALP, ACP, FBP, MPI, GPI and PGM) show strong activities and good convergence in zymogram. They are proved to be suitable genetic markers in Sepia esculenta. Among the tissues used, mantle muscle is the best for electrophoretic analysis of isozymes. Eye and liver are fairly good for some special enzymes, such as LDH, EST, MPI, etc. Twenty-six loci are detected. The proportion of polymorphic loci is 0.115 in the Qingdao sample and 0.153 in the Rizhao sample (P<0.99). The mean values of the observed and expected heterozygosity per locus of Qingdao sample are 0.016 and 0.017, while those of the Rizhao sample are 0.023 and 0.025 respectively.     

Antioxidant and isozyme features of two strains of Laminaria japonica （Phaeophyceae）

Healthy sporophytes of two gametophyte mutants of Laminaria japonica with different heat resistances: kelp 901 (901, with comparatively stronger heat-resistance) and Rongcheng No.1 (RC, sensi- tive to heat stress), were respectively collected during October to December 2002 from Yantai and Rong- cheng Sea Farm in the Shandong Peninsula of China. The contents of some biochemical materials and antioxidant capacity were analyzed under controlled laboratory conditions to identify if there is any rela- tion between the overall antioxidant capacity and the heat-resistance in L. japonica and to understand possible mechanism of heat-resistance. Results show that: (1) the overall antioxidant capacity in healthy sporophyte of 901, such as vitamin E, polyphenol, and ascorbic acid contents and the enzymatic activity of SOD, POD, CAT, Gpx, PPO, and PAL, were not always higher than that of RC under controlled labo- ratory conditions, and no significance (P>0.05) was shown in total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in 901 and RC. Result suggested that the difference in antioxidant capacity was not a decisive factor for different heat-resistances in L. japonica; (2) the simultaneous assay on isozymes was carried out using vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Considerable differences in peroxide (PRX), malate dehy- drogenase (MDH), malic enzyme (ME), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) were obtained in 901 and RC from either the band number, relative mobility (Rf), or staining intensity, and ME could be used as an indicator to distinguish healthy sporophyte of 901 and RC under controlled labo- ratory conditions.     

Two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of proteins extracted from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alexandrium</Emphasis> sp. LC3

Two-dimensional electrophoresis(2-DE) of protein extracted and purified from Alexandrium sp. LC3 was conducted. In the SDS-PAGE study, the relative molecular weights of the proteins were mainly in the range of 14 kDa?31 kDa and 43 kDa?66 kDa, and more proteins were detected between 14 kDa and 31 kDa. With the improved protein preparation, the two-dimensional electrophoresis patterns indicated that the relative molecular weights of the proteins were between 14 kDa and 100 kDa, and most of them ranged from 14 kDa to 31 kDa. This was consistent with the result of the SDS-PAGE analysis. The isoelectric points were found to lie between 3.0 and 8.0, and most of them were in the range of 3.0?6.0. Better separation effect was acquired with pre-prepared immobilized gradient (IPG) strip (pH 3?5.6), and about 320 protein spots could be visualized on the 2-DE map by staining. Within pH 3?10 and pH 3?5.6 strips, the protein samples of Alexandrium sp. LC3 could be separated well.