Identification of differentially expressed genes from the cross-subfamily cloned embryos derived from zebrafish nuclei and rare minnow enucleated eggs

Cross-species nuclear transfer (NT) has been used to retain the genetic viability of a species near extinction. However, unlike intra-species NT, most embryos produced by cross-species NT were unable to develop to later stages due to incompatible nucleocytoplasmic interactions between the donor nuclei and the recipient cytoplasm from different species. To study the early nucleocytoplasmic interaction in cross-species NT, two laboratory fish species (zebrafish and rare minnow) from different subfamilies were used to generate cross-subfamily NT embryos in the present study. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed to screen out differentially expressed genes from the forward and reverse subtractive cDNA libraries. After dot blot and real-time PCR analysis, 80 of 500 randomly selective sequences were proven to be differentially expressed in the cloned embryos. Among them, 45 sequences shared high homology with 28 zebrafish known genes, and 35 sequences were corresponding to 22 novel expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Based on functional clustering and literature mining analysis, up-and down-regulated genes in the cross-subfamily cloned embryos were mostly relevant to transcription and translation initiation, cell cycle regulation, protein binding, etc. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the determination of genes involved in the early development of cross-species NT embryos of fish. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization of novel microsatellite loci in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) and amplification in closely related species in Gobioninae

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is an endangered small fish endemic to upper reach of the Yangtze River. From a (GT)n enriched genomic library, 32 microsatellites were isolated and characterized. Nineteen of these loci were polymorphic in a test population with alleles ranging from 2-7, and observed and expected heterozygosities from zero to 0.8438, and 0.2679 to 0.8264, respectively. In the cross-species amplifications, 13 out of 19 polymorphic loci were found to be also polymorphic in at least one of the 7 closely related species of the subfamily Gobioninae. These polymorphic microsatellite loci should provide sufficient level of genetic diversity to evaluate the fine-scale population structure in rare minnow and its closely related species for the conservation purpose.

Development of EST-SSRs by an efficient FIASCO-based strategy: A case study in rare minnow (Gobiocyrpis rarus)

Type I markers are useful for comparative mapping and other genetic analyses, but relatively difficult to develop. In the present study a microsatellite (SSR)-enriched cDNA library was constructed for the first time using the fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) method in a small fish, Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus). A total of 97.4% of the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) contained targeted CA-repeats, in which 29 unique EST-SSRs were identified. Ten out of the 28 loci for which primer pairs were designed were polymorphic with alleles ranging from three to seven (mean 4.50). Some of these EST-SSRs can be amplified in other species. These results proved that cDNA-FIASCO is an efficient way to isolate novel EST-SSRs in a fish.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) vitellogenin and comparison of vitellogenin responses in rare minnow and zebrafish (Danio rerio)

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to determine vitellogenin (Vtg) in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) based on the separation and purification of rare minnow Vtg (r-Vtg) as well as the production of polyclonal antibody against r-Vtg in rabbits. Three different ELISAs for measuring r-Vtg were then compared: (1) indirect ELISA with the antibody against carp (Cyprinus carpio) Vtg (c-Vtg) (IC-ELISA); (2) competitive ELISA with the antibody against c-Vtg, and using r-Vtg for coating the plates and preparing standard curve (CC-ELISA); (3) competitive ELISA with the antibody against r-Vtg, and using r-Vtg for coating the plates and preparing standard curve (CR-ELISA). The result showed that the homologous CR-ELISA was the most sensitive among the three assays for quantifying r-Vtg. The sensitivities to 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) Of rare minnow and zebrafish (Danio rerio) were compared upon the establishment of homologous competitive ELISA. The lowest observed effect concentrations (LOECs) to induce Vtg were found to be 0.8 ng EE2 l(-1) for rare minnow and 4 ng EE2 l(-1) for zebrafish respectively. Afterwards, CR-ELISA was applied to measure Vtg concentration in whole body homogenate (WBH) of juvenile rare minnow fed by three diets (tubifex from wastewater treatment plant, Artemia nauplii and commercial pellet food), and the agreements between bioassay and GC-MS analysis demonstrated that rare minnow was a sensitive fish model for assessing estrogenic effects of endocrine disrupting compounds in aquatic environment. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) as an in vivo model for endocrine disruption in freshwater teleosts: a full life-cycle test with diethylstilbestrol

Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus), a freshwater teleost,. was exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 0.05, 0.5, 1 and 5 mug/L from fertilized eggs for up to mature period under flow-through condition. Several endpoints that related to development, reproductive fitness and transgenerational effects were evaluated. It was found that body length and body weight were significantly reduced and vitellogenin (Via) levels were significantly increased for fish exposed to DES. Histological examination showed that the sex ratios of F-0 fish skewed to female and about 2% of the fish exposed to 0.05 mug/L DES developed testes-ova. The reproductive success, as determined from data on egg production, was reduced in female fish exposed to 0.05, 0.5, 1 and 5 mug/L DES. The lowest-observed-effect concentrations (LOEC) for chances of sex ratios, reproductive success and histology alteration of F-0 are 0.05 mug/L. In the offspring, transgenerational effects on egg hatching rate. egg fertilization and Vtg levels of juvenile individuals were not observed. However. survival of F, generation fry significantly declined. The analysis of sex steroid levels revealed a significant decrease of testosterone (T) in the whole body homogenates (WBH) of male progeny and somewhat elevation of estradiol (E-T) in the WBH of female offspring. These findings indicate that exposure to DES causes a variety of developmental, reproductive and transgenerational effects. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vitellogenin in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): identification and induction by waterborne diethylstilbestrol

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is a tiny Chinese carp that has a short life cycle and is easily cultured in the laboratory. In this study, juvenile rare minnows were exposed to waterborne diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 0.05, 0.5 and 5 mug/l in laboratory aquaria. After exposure for 4, 8, 13 and 21 days, juvenile fish were collected and vitellogenin (Vtg) was measured in whole body homogenates. Native and SDS electrophoresis followed by Western blotting were performed for Vtg identification, and a non-competitive ELISA was developed. In the DES exposure groups (0.5 and 5 mug/l DES), Vtg appeared after 4 days, increased significantly after 8 days and reached a maximum on day 13. Further, a significant increase in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) was found in the 5 mug/l DES exposure group after 21 days. These results indicate that rare minnow provides a good model for assessing endocrine disruption by environmental estrogens. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Endocrine disrupting effects on Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) fed with field collected Limnodrilus sp.

The potential endocrine disrupting effects and other toxicity effects on aquatic biota resulted from food uptake was simulated by feeding the laboratory cultured rare minnow(Gobiocypris rarus) with field collected Limnodrilus sp. The results indicated that the food chain processes affected significantly the growth, slightly reduced gonadosomatic indices, and elevated hepatosomatic indices. There was an obvious vitellogenin(VTG) induction, which generally only occurred in mature female, in the serum of juvenile rare minnow and mature male when fed with Limnodrilus sp. In addition, the rare minnow feeding on Limnodrilus sp. had significantly high renal indices, it meant obvious renal hyperplasia. The present work suggested that. Limnodrilus sp. from field water may contain toxic pollutants and could lead to endocrine disruption effects to the predators. It was concluded that endocrine disruptors may not only be assimilated through water, but also be bioconcentrated through food web. The results also suggested the importance of food selection in conducting the study of endocrine disruption effects using sensitive species.

Cloning of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) histone H3 promoter and the activity analysis in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus)

Rainbow trout historic H3 (RH3) promoter was cloned via high fidelity PCR. The cloned RH3 promoter was inserted into a promoter-lacked vector pEGFP-1, resulting in an expression vector pRH3FGFP-1. The linearized pRH3EGFP-1 was microinjected into fertilized eggs of rare minnows and the sequential embryogenetic processes were monitored under a fluorescent microscope. Strong green fluorescence was ubiquitously observed at as early as the gastrula stage and then in various tissues at the fry stage. The results indicate that RH3 promoter, as a piscine promoter, could serve in producing transgenic Cyprinoid such as rare minnow. Promoter activity of RH3, CMV and common carp beta-actin (CA) were compared in rare minnow by the expression of respective recombinant EGFP vectors. The expression of pCMVEGFP occurred earlier than the following one, pRH3EGFP-1, and then pCAEGFP during the embryogenesis of the transgenics. Their expression activities demonstrated that the CMV promoter is the strongest one, followed by the CA and then the RH3.

Kinetic studies on the effects of rare earth elements (REES) on the growth of Microcystis and their accumulation by Microcystis

In the paper the kinetic effects of La3+ and Ce4+ on the growth of Microcystis and the accumulation kinetics of Microcystis in the single and combined systems of La3+ and Ce4+ were studied. The mechanism of the effects of La3+ and Ce4+ on the growth of Microcystis and their accumulation kinetics were also discussed. In the single system, La3+ stimulated the growth of Microcystis at initial concentrations below 2 mg / 1, but inhibited it above 2 mg / 1. Ce4+ accelerated the growth of Microcystis at initial concentrations below 0.2 mg / 1 and inhibited at above 0.2 mg /l. Furthermore, the stimulation weakened with the increase of initial concentrations of La3+ and Ce4+. In the combined system, the growth of Microcystis was accelerated in the over all cases. In the single system, the amount of La3+ and Ce4+ uptake was more at higher initial concentrations than at lower ones. At the same initial concentrations, La3+ and Ce4+ uptake in the combined system was less than that in the single system. The kinetic process of La3+ and Ce4+ adsorpted by Microcystis can be explained with the second order kinetics adsorption model.

Magnetic coupling properties of rare-earth metals (Gd, Nd) doped ZnO: First-principles calculations

The electronic structure and magnetic coupling properties of rare-earth metals (Gd, Nd) doped ZnO have been investigated using first-principles methods. We show that the magnetic coupling between Gd or Nd ions in the nearest neighbor sites is ferromagnetic. The stability of the ferromagnetic coupling between Gd ions can be enhanced by appropriate electron doping into ZnO Gd system and the room-temperature ferromagnetism can be achieved. However, for ZnO Nd system, the ferromagnetism between Nd ions can be enhanced by appropriate holes doping into the sample. The room-temperature ferromagnetism can also be achieved in the n-conducting ZnO Nd sample. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the conclusions of the recent experiments. The effect of native defects (V-Zn, V-O) on the ferromagnetism is also discussed. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI 10.1063/1.3176490]

Multiple energy transfers in rare earth complex-doped SiO2 spheres

Silica spheres doped with Eu(TTFA)(3) and/or Sm(TTFA)(3) were synthesized by using the modified Stober method. The transmission electron microscope image reveals that the hybrid spheres have smooth surfaces and an average diameter of about 210 nm. Fluorescence spectrometer was used to analyze the fluorescence properties of hybrid spheres. The results show that multiple energy transfer processes are simultaneously achieved in the same samples co-doped with Eu (TTFA)(3) and Sm(TTFA)(3), namely between the ligand and Eu3+ ion, the ligand and Sm3+ ion, and Sm3+ ion and Eu3+, ion. Energy transfer of Sm3+-> Eu3+, in the hybrid spheres leads to fluorescence enhancement of Eu3+ emission by approximately an order of magnitude. The lifetimes of the hybrid spheres were also measured.

高Tc超导体R_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)(R-rare earth)的磁性和超异电性研究

本论文合成了R_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x) (R = La、Nd、Sm、Eu、Gd、Dr、Ho、Er、Tm、Yb)、Y_2Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x) (x = 0.10～1.17)和Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(7-x)S_x (x = 0～2)，并对磁性和超导电性进行了较为系统的研究。R_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)的磁化率在T > Tc的很宽的温度范围内服从Curic-Weiss定律，求得的有效磁矩略大于理论值，差值与Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)中Cu~(2+)磁矩相近，说明Cu~(2+)的磁矩对体系磁性有额外贡献，这贡献随R~(3+)离子中自旋平行的电子权的增多而增大。其高温下的磁化率CT > 700K)相对Curic-Weiss定律发生较大偏离，这偏离可能的来源有三个：高温下稀土离子发生较大的能级反转效应，高温下结构相变对磁性的影响，高温下氧含量减少造成Cu~(2+)磁矩增大。R_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)磁化率在T < Tc时也服从Curic-Weiss定律，R~(3+)磁矩是定域的，表明超导与磁性相互独立。互不相关，稀土磁矩与传导电子间无相互作用。用Sr取代R_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)中的Ba，没能使体系产生磁有序的变化，但却使有效磁矩增大，并完全破坏了样品的超导电性。Sm~(3+)磁化率不服从Curic-Weiss定律，在Sm_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)中Sm~(3+)显示了典型Van VlccK离子的特性。Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)随氧含量减少发生超导体一半导体一绝缘体的转化，当氧含量由6.90减小至6.49时发生由正交到四方的结构相变。当(7-x) = 5.83时有较多杂质相出现，123相开始分解。样品磁化率均服从Curic-Weiss定律，并随氧含量增大磁化率－温度曲线越来越趋于平缓（直线），当(7-x) = 6.90时磁化率基本不随温度变化，这时Pauli顺磁性占主导地位，这说明氧含量增加定域磁矩减少，求得的有效磁矩Peff随氧含量增大总趋势减小。提出了电子“巡游”的观点，较好地解释了上述现象，并推测出Cu(2)的d电子是离域的，对样品磁矩没有贡献，样品Peff来源于部分Cu(1)的定域Cu~(2+)的磁矩，上述推测被EPR结果证实。正交相Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)的EPR谱显示了中心对称成准立方晶场中Cu~(2+)(d~9, S = 1/2, I = 3/2)的EPR物性。而四方相样品的EPR谱却出现了明显的各向异性，说明观察到的为Cu(1)的EPR信号，由Cu(1)~(2+)的写域磁矩产生。Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)的EPR信号束源于本体相，而非Y_2Cu_2O_5、BaCuO_2、Y_2BaCuO_5等杂质相。各样品EPR信号的自旋浓度远小于1spin/cu，并随氧含量减小而增大，当(7-x) = 6.49、6.40时自旋浓度出现陡增，这时伴随由正交到四方的转化，证明了电子“巡游”观点的正确。用硫部分取代Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_2g中的氧，当Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(2-x)Sx中x = 0.11时Tc = 92.6K，比Y_1Ba_2Cu_3O_(7-x)升高2K，但由于杂质相的存在，ΔTc加宽。其他样品多为半导体和绝缘体。硫取代0，当x = 0.04，0.06，0.11和1.20时磁化率服从Curic-Weiss定律，并且x = 0.87，1.2时分别在230K、240K出现反铁磁有序。其他样品由于Cu被还原为＋1价而变成抗磁性。x = 0.11 (Tc = 92.6K)，EPR谱为正交场中Cu~(2+)的信号。自旋浓度与温度无关。当所有Cu均为Cu~(1+)时，测问的是-s-的EPR信号，而Cu为混合价态(+1和+2时)测问是上述两种信号的叠加。