Detection of serum and mucosal antibody production and antibody secreting cells (ASCs) in large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) following vaccination with Vibrio harveyi via different routes

The kinetics of mucosal and serum antibody response is well as antibody secreting cells (ASCs) production were studied in large yellow croaker following vaccination with inactivated Vibrio harveyi by different routes: oral administration. intraperitoneal (IP) injection and immersion. Indirect ELISA was used to measure the antibody level in serum and cutaneous mucus, and ELISPOT was used to monitor the ASCs derived from gill, blood and head kidney. The data demonstrated that IP injection resulted in the highest antibody levels in the systemic circulation, whereas immersion induced significant antibody levels in mucous. As for the ASCs response, IP injection induced high numbers of ASCs in the head kidney and blood; oral intubation only induced a slight ASCs response in the head kidney: immersion induced a much stronger ASCs response in the gill. These results indicate that mucosal antibodies following immersion immunization are independent of a systemic response and more sensitive, since it could be triggered earlier than serum antibodies. The mucosal antibodies following IP injection immunization may depend oil a systemic immune response. The protective effects of the three vaccination methods were compared by challenging with live V. harveyi. Survival of the three groups of vaccinated fish varied front 40 to 60%. while 100% mortality was found in control fish. Compared with IP and oral vaccination, immersion stimulated higher specific antibody titers in the mucosal system and achieved similar protection, so it is in effective and efficient method for immunizing a large number of fish against V harveyi (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification and characterization of hypoxia-induced genes in Carassius auratus blastulae embryonic cells using suppression subtractive hybridization

Organisms living in water are inevitably exposed to periods of hypoxia. Environmental hypoxia has been an important stressor having manifold effects on aquatic life. Many fish species have evolved behavioral, physiological, biochemical and molecular adaptations that enable them to cope with hypoxia. However, the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance in fish, remain unknown. in this study, we used suppression subtractive hybridization to examine the differential gene expression in CAB cells (Carassius auratus blastulae embryonic cells) exposed to hypoxia for 24 h. We isolated 2100 clones and identified 211 differentially expressed genes (e-value <= 5e-3; Identity > 45%). Among the genes whose expression is modified in cells, a vast majority involved in metabolism, signal transduction, cell defense, angiogenesis, cell growth and proliferation. Twelve genes encoding for ERO1-L, p53, CPO, HO-1, MKP2, PFK-2, cystatin B, GLUT1, BTG1, TGF beta 1, PGAM1, hypothetical protein F1508, were selected and identified to be hypoxia-induced using semi-quantitive RT-PCR and real-time PCR. Among the identified genes, two open reading frames (ORFs) encoding for CaBTG1 and Cacystatin B were obtained. The deduced amino acid sequence of CaBTG1 had 94.1%, 72.8%, 72.8%, 72.8%, 68.6% identity with that of DrBTG1, HsBTG1, BtBTG1, MmBTG1 and XIBTG1. Comparison of Cacystatin B with known cystatin B, the molecules exhibited 49.5 to 76.0% identity overall. These results may provide significant information for further understanding of the adaptive mechanism by which C. auratus responds to hypoxia. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

UV-B-induced Oxidative Damage and Protective Role of Exopolysaccharides in Desert Cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus

UV-B-induced oxidative damage and the protective effect of exopolysaccharides (EPS) in Microcoleus vaginatus, a cyanobacterium isolated from desert crust, were investigated. After being irradiated with UV-B radiation, photosynthetic activity (Fv/Fm), cellular total carbohydrates, EPS and sucrose production of irradiated cells decreased, while reducing sugars, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production and DNA strand breaks increased significantly. However, when pretreated with 100 mg/L exogenous EPS, EPS production in the culture medium of UV-B stressed cells decreased significantly; Fv/Fm, cellular total carbohydrates, reducing sugars and sucrose synthase (SS) activity of irradiated cells increased significantly, while ROS generation, MDA production and DNA strand breaks of irradiated cells decreased significantly. The results suggested that EPS exhibited a significant protective effect on DNA strand breaks and lipid peroxidation by effectively eliminating ROS induced by UV-B radiation in M. vaginatus.

Expressional induction of Paralichthys olivaceus cathepsin B gene in response to virus, poly I:C and lipopolysaccharide

Cathepsin B is a lysosomal cysteine protease of the papain-like enzyme family with multiple biological functions. In this study, Paralichthys olivaceus cathepsin B (PoCatB) cDNA was isolated from flounder embryonic cells (FEC) treated with UV-inactivated grass carp hemorrhage virus (GCHV) and subsequently identified as a vitally induced gene. The full length cDNA of PoCatB is 1801 bp encoding 330-amino acids. The deduced protein has high homology to all known cathepsin B proteins, containing an N-terminal signal peptide, cysteine protease active sites, the occluding loop segment and a glycosylation site, all of which are conserved in the cathepsin B family. PoCatB transcription of FEC cells could be induced by turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) rhabdovirus (SMRV), UV-inactivated SMRV, UV-inactivated GCHV, poly I:C or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and SMRV or poly I:C was revealed to be most effective among the five inducers. In normal flounder, PoCatB mRNA was detectable in all examined tissues. Moreover, SMRV infection could result in significant upregulation of PoCatB mRNA, predominantly in spleen, head kidney, posterior kidney, intestine, gill and muscle with 18.2,10.9, 24.7,12, 31.5 and 18 fold increases at 72 h post-infection respectively. These results provided the first evidence for the transcriptional induction of cathepsin B in fish by virus and LPS, indicating existence of a novel function in viral defense. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterization and expression pattern of fetuin-B in gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Fetuin-B has recently been cloned and identified from rats, mice, and humans; their expression patterns, however, have not been elucidated yet. In this study, Cagfetuin-B has been cloned in gibel carp. RT-PCR and Western blot detection revealed that Cagfetuin-B is first transcribed from the blastula stage and at a relatively stable level afterward during embryogenesis and the larval stage. Cagfetuin-B transcripts are predominantly distributed over the yolk syncytial layer in the early embryos and later restricted to the cells of liver and brain in newly hatched larvae. Moreover, a dynamic distribution of Cagfetuin-B protein was observed in brain, kidney, liver, and skin during morphogenesis. In adult fish, Cagfetuin-B transcripts are restricted in liver and ovary. Our work, for the first time, revealed the extra-hepatic transcription and a dynamic distribution of fetuin-B during embryogenesis and in adults, which indicates the potential roles of fetuin-B in fish organogenesis.

Plasmonic silver nanoparticles for improved organic solar cells

In the present work we compare the performance of organic solar cells, based on the bulk heterojunction system of P3HT:PCBM when adequate silver nanoparticles (NPs) are incorporated in two distinct places among the device structure. Introduction of NPs on top of the transparent anode revealed better overall performance with an increased efficiency of 17%. Alternatively, placing the NPs on top of the active photovoltaic layer resulted to 25% higher photo-current generation albeit with inferior electrical characteristics (i.e series and shunt resistance). Our findings suggest that enhanced scattering to non-specular directions from NPs site is maximized when penetrating light meets the particles after the polymer blend, but even this mechanism is not sufficient enough to explain the enhanced short circuit current observed. A second mechanism should be feasible; that is plasmon enhancement which is more efficient in the case where NPs are in direct contact with the polymer blend. J-V characteristics measured in the dark showed that NPs placed on top of the ITO film act as enhanced hole conducting sites, as evident by the lower series resistance values in these cells, suggesting this mechanism as more significant in this case. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TRAIL in the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi: Gene and its apoptotic effect in HeLa cells

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is one of the TNF superfamily members, participating in many biological processes including cell proliferation and apoptotic death. In this study, a TRAIL gene was cloned from a perciform fish, the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi, a major cultured fish in China's aquaculture, and is named as SCTRAIL for S. chuatsi TRAIL. The full-length cDNA of SCTRAIL is 1359 bp, encoding a 283-amino-acid protein. This deduced protein contains the CYS231, a 23-mer fragment of transmembrane region, a glycosylation site and a TNF family signature, all of which are conserved among TRAIL members. SCTRAIL gene consists of six exons, with five intervening introns, spaced over approximately 9 kb of genomic sequence. Southern blotting demonstrated that the SCTRAIL gene is present as a single copy in mandarin fish genome. A 620 bp promoter region obtained by genome walking contains a number of putative transcription factor binding sites, such as Oct-1, Sp-1, NF-1, RAP-1, C/EBPaLp, NF-kappa B and AP-1. The SCTRAIL is constitutively expressed in all the analyzed tissues, as revealed by RT-PCR, which is confirmed by Western blotting analysis using polyclonal antibody against bacteria-derived recombinant SCTRAIL protein. As an apoptosis-inducing ligand, the overexpression of SCTRAIL but not the mutant SCTRAIL-C203S in HeLa cells induced changes characteristic of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation, nucleus fragmentation, DNA ladder, and increase of sub-G0/G1 cells in FACS analysis. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The involvement of the antioxidant system in protection of desert cyanobacterium Nostoc sp against UV-B radiation and the effects of exogenous antioxidants

In this study, we found that UV-B radiation decreased photosynthetic activity and boosted lipid peroxidation of desert Nostoc sp., and exogenous chemicals (ascorbate acid (ASC), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)) had obvious protective effects on photosynthesis and membranes under UV-B radiation. High-concentration SNP boosted the activities of antioxidant enzymes, but low-concentration SNP reduced the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Both NAC and ASC treatments of cells decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes. The results suggested that those chemicals possibly had different mechanisms of protection of algae cells against UV-B radiation. SNP might play double roles as a signal molecule in the formation of algae cell protection of Photosystem 11 under UV-B radiation and as a (reactive oxygen species) scavenger, while NAC and ASC might function as antioxidant reagents or precursors of other antioxidant molecules, which could protect cells directly against ROS initiated by UV-B radiation. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by Rana grylio virus infection in fish cells

A fish cell line, fathead minnow (FHM) cell, was used to investigate the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and the mechanism of apoptosis under Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection. Microscopy observations, flow-cytometry analysis and molecular marker detection revealed the apoptotic fate of the RGV-infected cells. Some typical apoptotic characteristics, such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial fragmentation, were observed, and significantly morphological changes of mitochondria, including size, shape, internal structure and distribution, were revealed. The mitochondria in RGV-infected cells were aggregated around the viromatrix, and the aggregation could be blocked by colchicine. Moreover, the Delta psi m collapse was induced, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the RGV-infected cells. In addition, NF-kappa B activation and intracellular Ca2+ increase were also detected at different times after infection. The data revealed the detailed dynamics of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by an iridovirus, and provided the first report on mitochondrial fragmentation during virus-induced apoptosis in fish cells.

Non-destructive optical characterization of phase separation in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells

The dithiophene donor-acceptor copolymers that are bridged either with carbon (C-PCPDTBT) or silicon atoms (Si-PCPDTBT) belong to a promising family of materials for use in photoactive layers for organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs). In this work, we implement the non-destructive Spectroscopic Ellipsometry technique in the near infrared to the far ultraviolet spectral region in combination with advanced theoretical modeling to investigate the vertical distribution of the C-PCPDTBT and Si-PCPDTBT polymer and fullerene ([6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester - PC70BM) phases in the blend, as well as the effect of the polymer-to-fullerene ratio on the distribution mechanism. It was found that the C-PCPDTBT:PC70BM blends have donor-enriched top regions and acceptor-enriched bottom regions, whereas the donor and acceptor phases are more homogeneously intermixed in the Si-PCPDTBT:PC70BM blends. We suggest that the chemical incompatibility of the two phases as expressed by the difference in their surface energy, may be a key element in promoting the segregation of the lower surface phase to the top region of the photoactive layer. We found that the increase of the photoactive layer thickness reduces the polymer enrichment at the cathode, producing a more homogeneous phase distribution of donor and acceptor in the bulk that leads to the increase of the OPV efficiency. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

The first non-mammalian CXCR3 in a teleost fish: Gene and expression in blood cells and central nervous system in the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

A novel fish chemokine receptor gene, chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 3 (CXCR3)-like was isolated from the grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella , with its full-length genomic sequence. The cDNA of grass carp CXCR3-like (gcCXCR3-like) consists of 1261 bp with a 49bp 5'-UTR and a 189 bp 3'-UTR. An open reading frame of 1023 bp encodes a 341-amino acid peptide, with seven transmembrane helices. The deduced amino acid sequence showed the same sequence identities (37.8%) with its counterparts in goat and human. The gcCXCR3-like gene consists of two exons, with one intervening intron, spaced over approximately 2 kb of genomic sequence. Phylogenetic analyses clearly demonstrated that the gcCXCR3-like resembles the CXCR3s of other vertebrates. Real-time PCR analysis showed that gcCXCR3-like was expressed in all tested organs except heart and the expression level of gcCXCR3-like was highest in brain. Flow cytometric analyses showed the positive rate of labelled leukocytes from the healthy grass carp was 17.3%, and the labelled leukocytes were divided into three types by cell sorting. Immunohistochemical localization revealed that gcCXCR3-like expressed in whole brain regions including cerebel, diencephalon, medulla oblongata, optic lobe, and rhinencephalon, and that the labelled leukocytes are actually populations of monocyte and/or phagocyte, lymphocyte and the granulocyte. It is considered that fish CXCR expression and their function may need to be investigated in both nervous and immune systems. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Primary cultured cells as sensitive in vitro model for assessment of toxicants-comparison to hepatocytes and gill epithelia

In an effort to develop cultured cell models for toxicity screening and environmental biomonitoring, we compared primary cultured gill epithelia and hepatocytes from freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to assess their sensitivity to AhR agonist toxicants. Epithelia were cultured on permeable supports (terephthalate membranes, "filters") and bathed on the apical with waterborne toxicants (pseudo in vivo asymmetrical culture conditions). Hepatocytes were cultured in multi-well plates and exposed to toxicants in culture medium. Cytochrome P4501A (measured as 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase, EROD) was selected as a biomarker. For cultured gill epithelia, the integrity of the epithelia remained unchanged on exposure to model toxicants, such as 1,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), benzo(a)pyrene B[a]P, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture (Aroclor 1254), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) mixture (DE71). A good concentration-dependent response of EROD activity was clearly observed in both cultured gill epithelia and hepatocytes. The time-course response of EROD was measured as early as 3 h, and was maximal after 6 h of exposure to TCDD, B [alp and Aroclor 1254. The estimated 6 h EC50 for TCDD, B [a]P, and Aroclor 1254 was 1.2x10(-9), 5.7x10(-8) and 6.6x10(-6) M. For the cultured hepatocytes, time-course study showed that a significant induction of EROD took place at 18 h, and the maximal induction of EROD was observed at 24 h after exposure. The estimated 24 It EC50 for TCDD, B[a]P, and Aroclor 1254 was 1.4x10(-9), 8.1x10(-8) and 7.3x10(-6) M. There was no induction or inhibition of EROD in DE71 exposure to both gill epithelia and hepatocytes. The results show that cultured gill epithelia more rapidly induce EROD and are slightly more sensitive than cultured hepatocytes, and could be used as a rapid and sensitive tool for screening chemicals and monitoring environmental AhR agonist toxicants. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cultured gill epithelial cells from tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): a new in vitro assay for toxicants

A culture gill epithelium from seawater-adapted tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was developed for testing PAHs and dioxin-like contaminants in seawater. The epithelia consists two to three layers of epithelial cells incorporating both pavement cells and mitochondria-rich cells (MRCs). Polarity and a stable transepithelial resistance (TER) were maintained. and closely resembled those in fish gills in vivo. The tightness (integrity) of the epithelia remained unchanged upon exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P). 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB#126), while a concentration-dependent response of EROD activity in the epithelia was induced within 18-24 h when the apical side was exposed to these toxicants. The 24 h EC50 of EROD activity was 2.77 x 10(-7) M for PCB#126, 1.85 x 10(-7) M for B[a]P and 7.38 x 10(-10) M for TCDD. showing: that the preparation was not only sensitive to PAHs and dioxin-like compounds, but also able to produce inductive potency of AhR agonists that generally agreed with those derived from other established in vitro and in vivo systems. The results suggest, that the cultured gill epithelia from seawater-adapted tilapia may serve as a simple. rapid and cost-effective tool for assessing exposure and potential effects of toxicants in marine waters. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gene transfer into genomes of human cells by the sleeping beauty transposon system

The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon system, derived from teleost fish sequences, is extremely effective at delivering DNA to vertebrate genomes, including those of humans. We have examined several parameters of the SB system to improve it as a potential, nonviral vector for gene therapy. Our investigation centered on three features: the carrying capacity of the transposon for efficient integration into chromosomes of HeLa cells, the effects of overexpression of the SB transposase gene on transposition rates, and improvements in the activity of SB transposase to increase insertion rates of transgenes into cellular chromosomes. We found that SB transposons of about 6 kb retained 50% of the maximal efficiency of transposition, which is sufficient to deliver 70-80% of identified human cDNAs with appropriate transcriptional regulatory sequences. Overexpression inhibition studies revealed that there are optimal ratios of SB transposase to transposon for maximal rates of transposition, suggesting that conditions of delivery of the two-part transposon system are important for the best gene-transfer efficiencies. We further refined the SB transposase to incorporate several amino acid substitutions, the result of which led to an improved transposase called SB11. With SB11 we are able to achieve transposition rates that are about 100-fold above those achieved with plasmids that insert into chromosomes by random recombination. With the recently described improvements to the transposon itself, the SB system appears to be a potential gene-transfer tool for human gene therapy.

Development of a positive-negative selection procedure for gene targeting in fish cells

The gene targeting technique is a powerful tool for analyzing functions of cloned genes and for generating transgenic animals with site-directed integration of foreign genes. In order to develop this technique in fish, positive-negative selection (PNS) and homologous recombination vectors were constructed, and their expression was examined in fish cells. A vector (pNK) for PNS consists of the neomycin resistance gene (neo) as a positive selectable marker gene and the herpes simplex virus (HSV) thymidine kinase (tk) gene as a negative selectable marker gene. Positive selection with geneticin (G418) of epithelioma papulosum of carp (EPC) cells transfected with linearized pNK vector yielded 350 colonies, while double selection of transfected EPC cells with G418 and gancyclovir (Gc) resulted in nearly complete cell death, demonstrating that the PNS procedure is effective in fish cells. Homologous recombination vectors consist of the Xiphophorus melanoma receptor kinase (X mrk(Y)) gene as homologous sequence in addition to the neo and tk genes. Conditions for homologous recombination vector transfection and drug selection were established. After verification of the feasibility of expression of homologous recombination vectors in EPC cells, the first gene targeting experiments were attempted in the Xiphophorus melanoma cell line, PSM. Positive-negative selection of the targeting vector-transfectants led to a low enrichment in this particular cell line. The reasons for the low enrichment in PSM cells were discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.