小鲵属分子系统发育研究

小鲵属为亚洲特有的有尾两栖类，是小鲵科之模式属。现记载小鲵属动物有29种，占全科物种数一半以上（Frost, 2007），为小鲵科第一大属。该属分布跨越古北界和东洋界，分布于中国、朝鲜、韩国、日本等地区，其系统学研究一直以来颇为中外学者所关注。澄清该属的物种分类问题，阐明其种间的系统发育关系对整个小鲵科的系统演化与分布格局关系的研究具有关键性意义。 本论文以中国及周边地区的小鲵属物种为主要对象，主要利用分子生物学实验与生物信息学途径相结合的手段，运用支序系统学与分子进化生物学理论及分析方法，展开系统发育的研究。在此基础上诠释现存的分类问题，并探讨该属系统发育关系。 研究材料上，本研究采用野外采集与网络下载数据相结合的方法，获取了较为全面的小鲵属物种DNA序列资料。技术手段上，选取了线粒体DNA的Cytb、12S、16S、NADH 2、COI等多个基因部分片段序列，对小鲵属开展了较为全面系统的研究。分析方法上，针对小鲵属物种各类群的具体情况，运用了处于领域前沿的多种分析方法。应用PAUP、MrBayes、Modeltest、Mega等软件，采用了最大简约法（MP）、邻接法（NJ）、贝叶斯推断（BI）及K2P遗传距离分析等方法。 本研究对小鲵属进行了较为全面的系统发育研究，弥补了有关小鲵属系统发育研究的不足，并得出了以下结果： （1）关于豫南小鲵Hynobius yunanicus的有效性，基于细胞色素b序列的系统发育关系联合形态和染色体组型等证据证明了豫南小鲵是商城肥鲵的同物异名。 （2）获得了较为全面的小鲵属物种系统发育树，并以此解释了北海道滞育小鲵、东北小鲵、中国小鲵与义乌小鲵等存在的分类问题。 （3）本研究利用DNA条形码技术对小鲵属及小鲵科物种进行了鉴定，再次证明豫南小鲵为商城肥鲵的同物异名；并认为猫儿山小鲵与挂榜山小鲵为同物异名。 综上，本研究较为完整地勾勒了小鲵属的系统发育关系全貌，并对小鲵属物种的起源进行了推测。 Hynobius, the type genus of the Family Hynobiidae, is the only exclusively Asian salamander genus. This genus which contains 29 species (beyond half of total Family), is the key group in Hynobiidae. The genus distributed across Palaearctic and Oriental Realm, and was found in China, Korea, and Japan. Systematics of genus Hynobius draws attention of researchers all the times. Resolving the taxonomic and phynogenetic questions of Hynobius is very important to the evolutionary research of Family Hynobiidae. Firstly, studies on systematics of genus Hynobius based on morphology, karyotype and molecular phylogeny of Hynobius are reviewed along with existing questions of this genus. The sequential reaserch project of phylogenetics is perspectively outlined. Using molecular data, we compared Hynobius yunanicus with a sympatric species Pachyhynobius shangchengensis. Our cytb sequences associating with karyotypic and morphological data supportted that H. yunanicus is not a valid species, but a synonym of P. shangchengensis. Because of phenotypic plasticity, some morphological characters are not even suitable for identifying hynobiids. The taxonomy of hynobiids is still controversial to a certain extent (Zhao et al. 1993; Fei, 1999; Chen et al. 2001; Zeng et al. 2006) and needs to be resolved by a new method. Here we examined the utility of COI barcoding for the discrimination of hynobiids. Meantime, the taxonomy of this Family was looked-over again. Our result show that the DNA Barcoding based on COI is easier and more rapidly than classic methods. And the DNA Barcodes data supported the actual taxonomy of Hynobiidae. Based on the achievements of our research, the phylogeny of Hynobius was reconstructed including some new species (H. maoershanensis, H. guabangshanensis, etc). Besides the phylogenetics of Hynobius was outlined, some questions and the hypothesis about the origin of genus Hynobius was put out.

a new client-to-client password-authenticated key agreement protocol

Natl Univ Defen Technol, China & Nanyang Technol Univ, NUDT

Tight intermolecular packing through supramolecular interactions in crystals of cyano substituted oligo(para-phenylene vinylene): a key factor for aggregation-induced emission

Strong supramolecular interactions, which induced tight packing and rigid molecules in crystals of cyano substituent oligo(para-phenylene vinylene) (CN-DPDSB), are the key factor for the high luminescence efficiency of its crystals; opposite to its isolated molecules in solution which have very low luminescence efficiency.

A key gene of the RNA interference pathway in the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon: Identification and functional characterisation of Dicer-1

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) initiates post-transcriptional silencing of homologous genes. Here we report the amplification and characterisation of a full length cDNA from black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) that encodes the bidentate RNAase III Dicer, a key component of the RNAi pathway. The full length of the shrimp Dicer (Pm Dcr1) cDNA is 7629 bp in length, including a 51 untranslated region (UTR) of 130 bp, a 3' UTR of 77 bp, and an open reading frame of 7422 bp encoding a polypeptide of 2473 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 277.895 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 4.86. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated that the mature peptide contains all the seven recognised functional domains and is most similar to the mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Dicer-1 sequence with a similarity of 34.6%. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that Pm Dcr1 mRNA is most highly expressed in haemolymph and lymphoid organ tissues (P 0.05). However, there was no correlation between Pm Dcr1 mRNA levels in lymphoid organ and the viral genetic loads in shrimp naturally infected with gill-associated virus (GAV) and Mourilyan virus (P > 0.05). Treatment with synthetic dsRNA corresponding to Pm Dcr1 sequence resulted in knock-down of Pm Dcr1 mRNA expression in both uninfected shrimp and shrimp infected experimentally with GAV. Knock-down of Pm Dcr1 expression resulted in more rapid mortalities and higher viral loads. These data demonstrated that Dicer is involved in antiviral defence in shrimp. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of a homogeneous taxonomic group of marine magnetotactic cocci within a low tide zone in the China Sea

Magnetotactic bacteria are a heterologous group of motile prokaryotes, ubiquitous in aquatic habitats and cosmopolitan in distribution. Here, we studied the diversity of magnetotactic bacteria in a seawater pond within an intertidal zone at Huiquan Bay in the China Sea. The pond is composed of a permanently submerged part and a low tide subregion. The magnetotactic bacteria collected from the permanently submerged part display diversity in morphology and taxonomy. In contrast, we found a virtually homogenous population of ovoid-coccoid magnetotactic bacteria in the low tide subregion of the pond. They were bilophotrichously flagellated and exhibited polar magnetotactic behaviour. Almost all cells contained two chains of magnetosomes composed of magnetite crystals. Intriguingly, the combination of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP) and sequencing of cloned 16S rDNA genes from the low tide subregion samples as well as fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed the presence of a homogenous population. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Qingdao Huiquan low tide magnetotactic bacteria belong to a new genus affiliated with the alpha-subclass of Proteobacteria. This finding suggests the adaptation of the magnetotactic bacterial population to the marine tide.

Main geochemical characteristics and key biogeochemical carbon processes in the East China Sea

Research related to carbon geochemistry and biogeochemistry in the East China Sea is reviewed in this paper. The East China Sea is an annual net sink for atmospheric CO, and a large net source of dissolved inorganic carbon to the ocean. The sea absorbs CO, from the atmosphere in spring and summer and releases it in autumn and winter. The East China Sea is a CO, sink in summer because Changjiang River freshwater flows into it. The net average sea-air interface carbon flux of the East China Sea is estimated to be about 4.3 X 10(6) t/y. Vertical carbon transport is mainly in the form of particulate organic carbon in spring; more than 98% of total carbon is transported in this form in surface water, and the number exceeds 68% in water near the bottom. In the southern East China Sea, the average particulate organic carbon inventory was about one-tenth that of the dissolved organic carbon. Research indicates that the southern Okinawa Trough is an important site for particulate organic carbon export from the shelf. The annual cross-shelf exports are estimated to be 414 and 106 Gmol/y for dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic carbon, respectively. Near-bottom transport could be the key process for shelf-to-deep sea export of biogenic and lithogenic particles.

Holosticha hamulata n. sp and Holosticha heterofoissneri Hu and Song, 2001, two urostylid ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from intertidal sediments of the Yellow Sea

Two marine urostylid ciliates, Holosticha hamulata n. sp. and Holosticha heterofoissneri Hu and Song, 2001, were investigated using live observation and protargol impregnation. Both species were isolated from Korean intertidal sediments of the Yellow Sea. Holosticha hamulata measures about 150 x 25 pro in vivo, and is characterized by a tripartite body shape with a narrow head, an inflated trunk, and a tail that distally projects ventrally forming a hook-like structure. It is the characteristic body shape that distinguishes H. hamulata distinctly from congeners. Holosticha hamulata differs from H. heterofoissneri, possibly the nearest relative, also by the location of the contractile vacuole (ahead of mid-body versus near posterior body third) and the configuration of the macronucleus (on average, 33 scattered nodules assuming a Y-shape versus 17 nodules that may form a U shape). The average number of the macronuclear nodules is a pronounced feature showing great consistency in populations of each species. However, their arrangement is variable in H. heterofoissneri where the nodules are basically scattered or connected by fine fibers forming an elongate U-shape. The location of the contractile vacuole as a taxonomic feature is discussed and a dichotomous key to the species of Holosticha sensu stricto is provided.

Taxonomic study on the family Mitridae (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Neogastropoda) from the China's Seas. Subfamilies: Imbricariinae and Cylindromitrinae

Ninteen species of subfamilies Imbricariinae and Cylindromitrinae, family Mitridae, are recorded from the China's seas. Of which, one genus and six species are recorded for the first time from China's seas, i.e., genus Ziba Adams H and Adams A, Cancilla (Cancilla) carnicolor, Ziba duplilirata, Z. insculpta, Neocancilla circula, Scabricola (Scabricola) desetangsii, Scabricola (Swainsonia) ocellata ocellata.

A close phylogenetic relationship between Sipuncula and Annelida evidenced from the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Phascolosoma esculenta

Background: There are many advantages to the application of complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes in the accurate reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships in Metazoa. Although over one thousand metazoan genomes have been sequenced, the taxonomic sampling is highly biased, left with many phyla without a single representative of complete mitochondrial genome. Sipuncula (peanut worms or star worms) is a small taxon of worm-like marine organisms with an uncertain phylogenetic position. In this report, we present the mitochondrial genome sequence of Phascolosoma esculenta, the first complete mitochondrial genome of the phylum. Results: The mitochondrial genome of P. esculenta is 15,494 bp in length. The coding strand consists of 32.1% A, 21.5% C, 13.0% G, and 33.4% T bases (AT = 65.5%; AT skew = -0.019; GC skew = -0.248). It contains thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs) with 3,709 codons in total, twenty-two transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and a non-coding AT-rich region (AT = 74.2%). All of the 37 identified genes are transcribed from the same DNA strand. Compared with the typical set of metazoan mt genomes, sipunculid lacks trnR but has an additional trnM. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses of the protein sequences show that Myzostomida, Sipuncula and Annelida (including echiurans and pogonophorans) form a monophyletic group, which supports a closer relationship between Sipuncula and Annelida than with Mollusca, Brachiopoda, and some other lophotrochozoan groups. Conclusion: This is the first report of a complete mitochondrial genome as a representative within the phylum Sipuncula. It shares many more similar features with the four known annelid and one echiuran mtDNAs. Firstly, sipunculans and annelids share quite similar gene order in the mitochondrial genome, with all 37 genes located on the same strand; secondly, phylogenetic analyses based on the concatenated protein sequences also strongly support the sipunculan + annelid clade (including echiurans and pogonophorans). Hence annelid "key-characters" including segmentation may be more labile than previously assumed.

On the taxonomic system of Eurasian Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera)

This paper provides a new taxonomic system for the Eurasian Pamphagidae, in which the 47 known genera are divided into 6 subfamilies including 4 new subfamilies: Prionotropisinae nov., Thrinchinae, Pamphaginae, Tropidaucheninae nov., Nocarodesinae nov., Orchaminae nov.

A new species and key to known species of genus Oxya Serville (Orthoptera : Acrididae : Catantopinae) from China

During routine identification of the grasshoppers of the Dasa river, Guizhou Province of China in 2004, a new species [ Oxya guizhouensis sp, nov.] of the genus Oxya Serville ( Orthoptera, Acrididae, Catantopinae) was discovered. It is described here. A key to all known species of the genus from China is given. The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University (MHU), Baoding, Hebei, China.