Involvement of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase in termination of cell cycle arrest during development of Artemia-encysted embryos

Artemia has evolved a unique developmental pattern of encysted embryos to cope with various environmental threats. Cell divisions totally cease during the preemergence developmental stage from gastrula to prenauplius. The molecular mechanism of this, however, remains unknown. Our study focuses on the involvement of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK), a family of serine/threonine kinase-mediating signal transduction downstream of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, in the termination of cell cycle arrest during the post-embryonic development of Artemia-encysted gastrula. With immunochemistry, morphology, and cell cycle analysis, the identified Artemia RSK was established to be specifically activated during the post-embryonic and early larval developmental stages when arrested cells of encysted embryos resumed mitoses. In vivo knockdown of RSK activity by RNA interference, kinase inhibition, and antibody neutralization consistently induced defective larvae with distinct gaps between the exoskeleton and internal tissues. In these abnormal individuals, mitoses were detected to be largely inhibited in the affected regions. These results display the requirement of RSK activity during Artemia development and suggest its role in termination of cell cycle (G(2)/M phase) arrest and promotion of mitogenesis. Our findings may, thus, provide insights into the regulation of cell division during Artemia post-embryonic development and reveal further aspects of RSK functions.

Identification, Characterization, and Molecular Application of a Virulence-Associated Autotransporter from a Pathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain

A gene, pfa1, encoding an autotransporter was cloned from a pathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens strain, TSS, isolated from diseased fish. The expression of pfa1 is enhanced during infection and is regulated by growth phase and growth conditions. Mutation of pfa1 significantly attenuates the overall bacterial virulence of TSS and impairs the abilities of TSS in biofilm production, interaction with host cells, modulation of host immune responses, and dissemination in host blood. The putative protein encoded by pfa1 is 1,242 amino acids in length and characterized by the presence of three functional domains that are typical for autotransporters. The passenger domain of PfaI contains a putative serine protease (Pap) that exhibits apparent proteolytic activity when expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli as a recombinant protein. Consistent with the important role played by PfaI in bacterial virulence, purified recombinant Pap has a profound cytotoxic effect on cultured fish cells. Enzymatic analysis showed that recombinant Pap is relatively heat stable and has an optimal temperature and pH of 50 degrees C and pH 8.0. The domains of PfaI that are essential to autotransporting activity were localized, and on the basis of this, a PfaI-based autodisplay system (named AT1) was engineered to facilitate the insertion and transport of heterologous proteins. When expressed in E. coli, AT1 was able to deliver an integrated Edwardsiella tarda immunogen (Et18) onto the surface of bacterial cells. Compared to purified recombinant Et18, Et18 displayed by E. coli via AT1 induced significantly enhanced immunoprotection.

A serpin from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis is responsive to bacteria and WSSV challenge

Arthropod defence responses (e.g. prophenoloxidase (proPO) activation and Toll pathway initiation) are mediated by serine proteinase cascades and regulated by serpins in haemolymph. A serpin (Fc-serpin) cDNA was cloned from the haemocytes of Fenneropenaeus chinensis by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR and haemocyte cDNA library screening. The full-length cDNA consists of 1734 bp, encoding 411 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 46.55 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 7.70. Fc-serpin contains a typical serpin-like homologue (serine proteinase inhibitors domain). The deduced protein contains a putative signal peptide of 19 amino acids and the serpin's signature sequence ((FHCNRPFLFLI389)-F-379). Fc-serpin showed some identity with Pacifastacus leniusculus serpin (42%) and Manduca sexta serpin-6 (34%). The reactive centre loop (RCL) sequences of Fc-serpin, P leniusculus serpin, M. sexta serpin-6 and Bombyx mori serpin-2 are highly similar. An Arg at the PI position of the reactive site indicates that Fc-serpin may have inhibitory activity against prophenoloxidase activating proteinase (PAP) and clotting enzyme. Transcripts of Fc-serpin mRNA were mainly detected in haemocytes and the lymphoid organ by RT-PCR. The variation of the mRNA transcription level in haemocytes followed by artificial infection with bacteria OF white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) was quantified by SYBR Green real-time PCR analysis. Expression profiles of Fc-serpin greatly fluctuated after challenge. This work represents the first report Of a serpin in penaeid shrimp. The data provide clues that Fc-serpin might play potential roles in the innate immunity of shrimp. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular characterization and mRNA transcript profile of vitellogenin in Chinese shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis

A full-length cDNA encoding vitellogenin (Vg) was cloned from Chinese shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis using RACE method. The full-length cDNA consist of 7,942 nucleotides including a 7,761 bp open reading frame, which encodes 2,587 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high (from 94% to 37%) identity with other known crustacean Vgs. In addition, a consensus cleavage site (R-X-K/R-R) recognized by an endopeptidase and a member of subtilisin family of serine protease were identified in the deduced Vg precursor. RT-PCR analysis shown that Vg mRNA can be detected in both ovary and hepatopancreas of vitellogenic females but not in other experimental tissues including muscle, heart, lymph organ, gill, haemocytes and intestine. These results suggest that the Vg gene may be expressed exclusively in mature females, and both ovary and hepatopancreas are the possible tissues for Vg synthesis in F. chinensis. In addition, Vg gene is detected in genomic DNA of both females and males.

Discovery of immune related factors in Fenneropenaeus chinensis by annotation of ESTs

A total of 10446 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are obtained by a large-scale sequencing of a cDNA library from cephalothorax of adult Fenneropenaeus chinensis. An EST analysis platform was built up based on local computers and bioinformatic techniques were used to annotate these ESTs in order to promptly find possible functional genes, especially for immune related factors. About 4% of the ESTs show similarity to the coding sequences of such factors, including lectin, serine protease, serpin, lysozyme, etc. These ESTs provide a partial profile of the immune system in F. chinensis and useful information for further study on these genes.

Discovery of genes involved in defense/immunity functions in a haemocytes cDNA library from Fenneropenaeus chinensis by ESTs annotation

Crustacean haemocytes play important roles in the host immune response including recognition, phagocytosis, melanization, cytotoxicity and inter-cellular signal communication. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analysis is proved to be an efficient approach not only for gene discovery, but also for gene expression profiles performance. In order to further understand the innate immune system and defense mechanisms of Chinese shrimp at molecular level, complementary DNA library is constructed from the haemocyte tissue of Fenneropenaeus chinensis. A total of 2371 cDNA clones are successfully sequenced and the average sequence length is 460 bp. About 50% are identified as orthologs of known genes from other organisms by BLASTx and BLASTn program. By sequences comparability and analysis, 34 important genes including 177 ESTs are identified that may be involved in defense or immune functions in shrimp based on the known knowledge. These genes are categorized into five categories according to their putative functions in shrimp immune system: 13 genes are different types of antimicrobial peptides (AMP, penaeidin, antilipopolysaccharide factor, etc.), and their proportion is about 3 8%; 11 genes belong to prophenoloxidase system (prophenoloxidase, serine proteinase, serine proteinase inhibitor, etc.), and their proportion is about 32%; five genes have high homology with clotting protein (lectin, transglutaminase, etc), and their proportion is about 15%; three genes may be involved in inter-cell signal communication (peroxinectin, integrin), and their proportion is about 9%; two genes have been identified to be chaperone proteins (Hsc70, thioredoxin peroxidase), and their proportion is about 6%. These EST sequences enrich our understanding of the immune genes of F chinensis and will help farther experimental research into immune factors and improve our knowledge of the immune mechanisms of shrimp. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

cDNA cloning, characterization and mRNA expression of a pacifastin light chain gene from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

The pacifastin family, characterized by several conserved arrays of six cysteine residues, is a newly identified serine protease inhibitor (SPI) family discovered uniquely in arthropods and plays important roles in multiple biological processes. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of a pacifastin light chain (designated ESPLC) was cloned from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis by expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and PCR techniques. The 1036 bp ESPLC cDNA contained an 831 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative pacifastin-related peptide of 276 amino acids, a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 67 bp, and a 3'-UTR of 138 bp. Six putative conserved domains sharing a characteristic cysteine array (Cys-Xaa(9-12)-Cys-Asn-Xaa-Cys-Xaa-Cys-Xaa(2-3)-Gly-Xaa(3-4)-Cys-Thr-Xaa(3)-Cys) were identified in the deduced amino acid sequence of ESPLC. The conservation of these PLDs (pacifastin light chain domains) and the relative higher similarity of ESPLC to other pacifastin-related precursors suggested that ESPLC was a member of pacifastin family. The mRNA transcripts of ESPLC were found to be higher expressed in hepatopancreas, gill and haemolymph than in gonad, muscle and heart, with the highest expression level in hepatopancreas. The ESPLC mRNA expression in haemolymph of Chinese mitten crab was up-regulated at 2 h and 12 h after challenged with Listonella anguillarum. The tissue distribution and temporal characteristics of ESPLC mRNA expression, similar to that of prophenoloxidase gene in E. sinensis, suggested that ESPLC was potentially involved in the response against invading bacteria, with the possibility that it functioned in the prophenoloxidase system in E sinensis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Gene Expression Profiles of Fenneropenaeus chinensis Challenged with WSSV and Vibrio

Microarray technique was used to analyze the gene expression profiles of shrimp when they were challenged by WSSV and heat-inactivated Vibrio anguillarum, respectively. At 6 h post challenge (HPC), a total of 806 clones showed differential expression profile in WSSV-challenged samples, but not in Vibrio-challenged samples. The genes coding energy metabolism enzyme and structure protein were the most downregulated elements in 6 h post WSSV-challenged (HPC-WSSV) tissues. However, a total of 155 clones showed differential expression in the Vibrio-challenged samples, but not in WSSV-challenged samples. Serine-type endopeptidase and lysosome-related genes were the most upregulated elements in tissues 6 h post Vibrio challenge (HPC-Vibrio). Totally, 188 clones showed differential expression in both 6 and 12 HPC-WSSV and HPC-Vibrio samples. Most of the differentially expressed genes (185/188) were downregulated in the samples of 12 HPC-WSSV, whereas upregulated in the samples at 6 and 12 HPC-Vibrio and 6 HPC-WSSV. The expression profiles of three differentially expressed genes identified in microarray hybridization were analyzed in hemocytes, lymphoid organ, and hepatopancreas of shrimp challenged by WSSV or Vibrio through real-time PCR. The results further confirmed the microarray hybridization results. The data will provide great help for us in understanding the immune mechanism of shrimp responding to WSSV or Vibrio.

Development of expressed sequence tags from the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians

The bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians, introduced from North America, has become one of the most important aquaculture species in China. Inan effort to identify scallop genes involved in host defense, a high-quality cDNA library was constructed from whole body tissues of the bay scallop. A total of 5828 successful sequencing reactions yielded 4995 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) longer than 100 bp. Cluster and assembly analyses of the ESTs identified 637 contigs (consisting of 2853 sequences) and 2142 singletons, totaling 2779 unique sequences. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis showed that the majority (73%) of the unique sequences had no significant homology (E-value >= 0.005) to sequences in GenBank. Among the 748 sequences with significant GenBank matches, 160 (21.4%) were for genes related to metabolism, 131 (17.5%) for cell/organism defense, 124 (16.6%) for gene/protein expression, 83 (11.1%) for cell structure/motility, 70 (9.4%) for cell signaling/communication, 17 (2.3%) for cell division, and 163 (21.8%) matched to genes of unknown functions. The list of host-defense genes included many genes with known and important roles in innate defense such as lectins, defensins, proteases, protease inhibitors, heat shock proteins, antioxidants, and Toll-like receptors. The study provides a significant number of ESTs for gene discovery and candidate genes for studying host defense in scallops and other molluscs.

Extracellular hydrolytic enzyme screening of culturable heterotrophic bacteria from deep-sea sediments of the Southern Okinawa Trough

The Southern Okinawa Trough is an area of focused sedimentation due to particulate matter export from the shelf of the East China Sea and the island of Taiwan. In order to understand the geomicrobiological characteristics of this unique sedimentary environment, bacterial cultivations were carried out for an 8.61 m CASQ core sediment sample. A total of 98 heterotrophic bacterial isolates were characterized based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. These isolates can be grouped into four bacterial divisions, including 13 genera and more than 20 species. Bacteria of the gamma-Proteobacteria lineage, especially those from the Halomonas ( 27 isolates) and Psychrobacter ( 20 isolates) groups, dominate in the culturable bacteria assemblage. They also have the broadest distribution along the depth of the sediment. More than 72.4% of the isolates showed extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities, such as amylases, proteases, lipases and Dnases, and nearly 59.2% were cold-adapted exoenzyme-producers. Several Halomonas strains show almost all the tested hydrolases activities. The wide distribution of exoenzyme activities in the isolates may indicate their important ecological role of element biogeochemical cycling in the studied deep-sea sedimentary environment.

利用荧光原位杂交技术（FISH）对中国明对虾和栉孔扇贝若干重要基因定位的研究

本研究将荧光原位杂交（Fluorescence in situ hybridization, FISH）技术引入中国明对虾和栉孔扇贝这两种重要的海水养殖动物的染色体研究中，建立了相关技术平台，在染色体上定位了部分功能基因，详述如下： 1. 在中国明对虾和栉孔扇贝中建立了FISH平台，利用单色和双色FISH技术在中国明对虾和栉孔扇贝染色体上成功定位了多拷贝基因，发现5S rDNA定位于中国明对虾的一对同源染色体上，栉孔扇贝18S rDNA和组蛋白序列也各自定位于一对同源染色体上，它们均可以作为染色体特异性探针来鉴别染色体。 2. 在栉孔扇贝中发展了BAC-FISH技术，定位了包含热休克蛋白70（HSP70）、丝氨酸蛋白酶（Serine Protease）和脂多糖葡聚糖结合蛋白（LGBP）等免疫相关基因的BAC克隆，发现它们均定位于一对同源染色体的长臂上。利用双色BAC-FISH技术，发现6个包含栉孔扇贝LGBP基因的BAC克隆在间期细胞核上共定位。对栉孔扇贝5个探针进行了同时定位，初步鉴别了栉孔扇贝5条染色体。 3. 在栉孔扇贝热休克蛋白70（HSP70）、丝氨酸蛋白酶（Serine Protease）和脂多糖葡聚糖结合蛋白（LGBP）等免疫相关基因内部发掘了数个潜在的SNP位点，展示了栉孔扇贝SNP位点的丰富性。这些SNP位点可以用于图谱整合。

弧菌琼胶酶和丝氨酸蛋白酶的筛选、分析以及免疫应用

从山东黄岛海水养殖场分离到一株弧菌V134，从中克隆得到琼胶酶基因agaV，并将其在大肠杆菌中表达，纯化得到重组的琼胶酶AgaV。酶活分析发现该琼胶酶的最适温度在40℃左右，对pH比较敏感，pH 7.0时具有最高的琼胶裂解活性。对AgaV进行了两种应用性探索：（1）利用AgaV从琼脂糖凝胶中回收DNA，回收效率可达90%以上；（2）利用agaV作为报告基因构建了捕获分泌序列的载体pBU，并用其从革兰氏阳性细菌（G+菌）和革兰氏阴性细菌（G-菌）中筛选出了一系列分泌蛋白。将利用pBU从一株哈维氏弧菌T4中筛选出的6个分泌蛋白分别进行基因克隆、蛋白表达纯化和牙鲆免疫实验，发现其中一个蛋白，命名为DegQVh，具有免疫保护效应，其免疫保护率（RPS）可达64%。为了提高DegQVh的免疫保护效应，将AgaV的分泌结构域与DegQVh融合，构成融合抗原AgaV－DegQVh。利用大肠杆菌作为载体菌构建了AgaV－DegQVh融合抗原递呈系统，用其作为疫苗进行免疫，发现其RPS可达到95%。酶活分析表明DegQVh在50℃、pH 8.0时具有最高的活性。突变分析表明83位的组氨酸、113位的天冬氨酸和188位的丝氨酸以及两个PDZ结构域是DegQVh活性所必需的。表达分析发现degQVh表达受温度和细胞浓度调控，并且其上游有一个受E调控的启动子。进一步的分析发现DegQVh能够与大肠杆菌的DegP功能互补。

中国明对虾体内凝结作用相关免疫基因的克隆与表达研究

对虾疾病在世界范围内的频频爆发，给地区经济造成了重大损失。然而到目前为止，我们对于对虾免疫系统的分子机制还知之甚少，深入了解其免疫应答过程，包括异物识别，信息传递以及作用方式等是从根本上解决疾病问题的关键之一。本论文从中国明对虾血细胞中分别克隆了一种C型凝集素基因（Fclectin）、参与凝结过程的谷氨酰胺转移酶基因（FcTG）以及参与凝结级联反应和酚氧化酶原激活系统的两种丝氨酸蛋白酶基因（SP-1和SP-2）和两种丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂基因（SPI-1和SPI-2），分析了它们的分子结构特征，预测了其可能的作用，并对它们的组织分布及应答不同病原感染的表达变化模式进行了研究。 首次从对虾中克隆了Fclectin基因，比对结果发现该基因属于C型凝集素超家族的成员之一；Northern blot和原位杂交结果显示，Fclectin基因在部分血细胞中呈组成型表达；利用毛细管电泳半定量RT-PCR方法分别研究了细菌和病毒感染后该基因的表达特征，并初步尝试了利用体外培养的原代血细胞系统研究LPS刺激后Fclectin的表达变化。该基因在感染或刺激后表达水平有明显的改变。 利用RACE技术从中国明对虾血细胞中克隆了一个FcTG基因，它与斑节对虾的谷氨酰胺转移酶基因有93%的相似性，可能编码一种具有活性的TG；原位杂交结果FcTG主要在血细胞中表达，在淋巴器官管腔的血细胞中表达尤为丰富，推断该基因可能主要在吞噬细胞中表达；病原的刺激未能使该基因的表达明显改变，但损伤（注射）的刺激会对其表达产生一定影响。 利用本组构建的对虾血液cDNA文库，克隆到了两个不同的丝氨酸蛋白酶基因，命名为SP-1和SP-2。前者为具有假clip结构域的胰蛋白酶样SP类似物（SPH），后者是一个具有完整的clip结构域的SPH，这在对虾中是首次发现。SP-1和SP-2都主要在血细胞中表达，此外SP-1在淋巴器官中的表达水平也很高；细菌的刺激对SP-1的影响不大，但会诱导SP-2表达量的增加，这两个基因的表达模式在病毒刺激后很相似，都出现先上调后下降的过程，可见病毒的感染会导致这两个基因转录的增强。 利用SMART-RACE技术结合对虾血液cDNA文库的利用，从中国明对虾血细胞中克隆到了两种SPI基因，它们分别为kazal-SPI和serpin-SPI，属于两个不同的家族。SPI-1与斑节对虾的SPI有76%的相似性，推断SPI-1可能主要对弹性蛋白酶、枯草杆菌蛋白酶、胰凝乳蛋白酶等有抑制作用；SPI-2为对虾中首次报道的serpin型抑制剂，它与淡水螯虾的serpin有42%的相似性，SPI-2可能主要对胰蛋白酶、酚氧化酶原激活酶、凝血酶和凝结酶有抑制活性。组织分别特征显示这两个抑制剂基因都在鳃、血细胞和淋巴器官中有高水平的表达。细菌的刺激都会导致这两个基因的表达在感染后出现下调，随后又上升至原有水平；病毒感染后，SPI-1和SPI-2的表达变化情况相似，感染后前12h基本没有明显的改变，到了感染的晚期（感染后24h和48h），随着病毒在体内大量复制，这两个基因的表达都急剧下降至接近基因关闭的状态，这可能暗示着与SPI相对应的蛋白酶的活力将很大程度的异常的增加，机体内稳定的免疫系统平衡状态可能已被破坏。

螺旋藻丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶基因家族的克隆与表达分析

螺旋藻（Spirulina)，是丝状不形成异型胞的蓝藻，由于其所蕴涵的高品质营养成分而成为一属具有重要经济价值的微藻。丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶（serine/threonine kinases，STK）系统在螺旋藻的信号转导中发挥了重要作用。螺旋藻生活环境复杂，其中温度是中国北方温带地区螺旋藻大规模养殖的主要限制性因素。本文克隆了一条螺旋藻STK基因，并初步从STK激酶基因家族的角度探索了螺旋藻对高温环境的适应。主要结果如下： 1. 构建了插入片段为1-2kb的螺旋藻基因组文库。基于该文库用简并引物PCR的方法得到了一条螺旋藻STK基因5'端长度为504bp的基因组序列。 2．以本实验室构建的螺旋藻基因组草图为基础，在基因组水平上研究了螺旋藻STK基因家族的特点。发现螺旋藻草图中STK基因家族共包含33个基因，这些基因基于蛋白结构域分析可以分为三大类群。序列保守性分析发现，螺旋藻STK激酶具有与真核STK激酶相同的保守域，此外螺旋藻STK激酶还具有特有的保守氨基酸。 3．在中国北方温带地区，螺旋藻大规模养殖的主要限制性因素是温度。由于北方地区温度较低，螺旋藻规模养殖普遍存在年养殖期较短的问题，造成设备浪费，若采用加温措施又增加养殖成本；而在夏季晴天中午，又存在高温胁迫的问题。跨膜蛋白是信号转导的第一阶段，因此我们设置了不同温度来诱导螺旋藻，对其中7个跨膜STK基因进行半定量RT-PCR分析，结果显示STK2103在不同温度下表达量不同，推测该蛋白参与了螺旋藻温度相关的信号转导过程。 本文将基础研究与实验验证相结合，为螺旋藻的信号转导研究提供了线索。

两种大型水母毒素的分离纯化及其蛋白酶活性和抗氧化活性的研究

水母在我国分布广，种类多，数量大，是一种丰富的海洋生物资源。已研究的水母毒素主要分布于触角和刺丝囊中，是一类结构新颖独特的肽类毒素。水母种类的不同，其毒素的结构、生物活性往往不同。本文首次报道了海蜇（Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye）毒素 和白色霞水母（Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye）毒素的提取、纯化、理化性质及蛋白酶和抗氧化方面的生物学活性，主要结果如下： 1.用DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow分离海蜇毒素，用含0.4 mol/L NaCl 的PBS (0.02 M，pH 8.0) 进行阶段洗脱时，得到的组分是组蛋白H4。 2.水母毒素的蛋白酶活性实验结果为：海蜇毒素和白色霞水母毒素都有蛋白酶活性。该两种毒素的蛋白酶活性都受理化因素的影响，其中0.5%甘油和1%邻菲罗啉可以有效的抑制海蜇毒素的蛋白酶活性。 3.对海蜇毒素蛋白的体外抗氧化活性研究表明：蛋白样品均具有抗氧化性，它们对超氧阴离子和羟自由基具有显著的清除作用。对白色霞水母毒素蛋白的体外抗氧化活性研究表明：白色霞水母蛋白具有较高的清除羟自由基的能力，白色霞水母蛋白对超氧阴离子的清除作用较弱。白色霞水母蛋白有较强的还原能力，但没有螯合能力。 通过本文的研究表明水母毒素具有蛋白酶活性和抗氧化活性，能够清除氧自由基。这些研究结果为开发利用水母资源和毒素的合理、综合利用打下了坚实的基础。