A small trypsin inhibitor from the frog of Odorrana grahami

A novel peptide inhibitor (OGTI) of serine protease with a molecular weight of 1949.8, was purified from the skin secretion of the frog, Odorrana grahami. Of the tested serine proteases, OGTI only inhibited the hydrolysis activity of trypsin on synthetic chromogenic substrate. This precursor deduced from the cDNA sequence is composed of 70 amino acid residues. The mature OGTI contains 17 amino acid residues including a six-residue loop disulfided by two half-cysteines (AVNIPFKVHFRCKAAFC). In addition to its unique six-residue loop, the overall structure and precursor of OGTI are different from those of other serine protease inhibitors. It is also one of the smallest serine protease inhibitors ever found. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Fecundity of the Indian horseshoe crab, Tachypleus gigas (Muller) from Balramgari (Orissa)

In Tachypleus gigas (Muller) the fecundity varied from 1242 to 6565 with a mean of 3758±1962. Maximum fecundity was recorded in T. gigas ranging in carapace length between 161 and 170 mm. The ova diameter was between the range of 1.54 and 2.09 mm with a mean modal value of 1.81 mm. The mean number of ova per mm carapace length, per g body mass and per g ovary mass were 22±12.8, 7±2.0 and 27±3.3 respectively. Linear relationships were obtained between fecundity, carapace length, body mass and ovary mass of T. gigas.

Development of canned products from Indian major carp, catla (Catla catla)

Pieces of catla fish (Catla catla, a major carp of lndian subcontinent) of length 10 to 11 cm and thickness 1.0 to 1.5cm were precooked by two methods; steam precooking and frying. The precooked pieces were packed_in No.1 tall can (30lx411) with various hot filling media like oil, brine, tomato sauce and curry. Cans were seamed by a hand seamer and retorted at 117.2° C (12 psi) for 90 minutes. All the canned products had satisfactory cut-out, biochemical and organoleptic characteristics. Steam precooked canned products had moisture content of 65.6 to 74%, protein content of 20.8 to 22%, fat content of 1.1 to 6.6% and ash content of 2.1 to 2.5%; whereas fried canned products had moisture content of 65.4 to 68.2%, protein content of 21.3 to 22%, fat content of 7 to 10.2% and ash content of 2.1 to 2.7% on wet wt. basis. Salt content in steam precooked and fried canned products varied from 1.2 to 1.9% and 2.0 to 2.5% respectively. All the canned products were organoleptically good. However, degree of preference varied for different products. Canned fried catla in curry was the best product among all types of packs. Among the precooking methods, frying was more efficient than steam precooking in controlling the amount of exudate to a desirable limit in canned products. However, crispness, the characteristic quality for a fried fish, was lost during retorting. There was no change in quality characteristics during a storage period of 3 months at ambient temperature (32±2°C).

Shelf life of dried products from small indigenous fish species under various packing and storage conditions

The overall quality of five SIS products was found in good condition up to 2 months storage on the basis of organoleptic, biochemical and bacteriological characteristics and all the products was excellent in sealed packed condition up to 45 days of storage. However, quality of the products stored in open air atmospheric temperature was found excellent for first 15 days. In an average the initial moisture content was in the range of 13.5 to 15.0% with highest moisture content in puti and lowest in chapila. At the end of the 60 days the moisture content reached to the range of 18.5 to 19.0% which was more or less near the recommended limit of 16% for dried fishery products. The moisture content beyond the recommended limit as the storage period increased further and at the end of 90 days the moisture content increased to the range of 22.9 to 24% when organoleptically the product quality became very poor. The changes in the value of total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PO), moisture and aerobic plate count (APC) of solar tunnel dried products in sealed polythene packages were investigated during 60 days of storage. There was little or no differences in TVB-N, PO and bacterial load of each species packed under various polythene density. The initial TVB-N values were in the range of 10.30 to 12.40 mg/100g of the samples. TVB-N value increased slowly up to the end of the storage period and was to in the range of 46.20 to 57.00 mg/1 00 g of sample. Initially the peroxide values (P.O.) were in the range of 6.54 to 8.40 m.eq./kg oil of the samples. During 60 days of storage, P.O. values increased slowly and at the end of the storage period these values reached to the range of 22.00 to 25.30meq./kg of sample. The initial APC was in the range 5.3xl04-7.3x104 CFU/g. The bacterial load increased slowly and at the end of the 60 days storage period reached to the range 6.6x106 - 8.6x107 CFT/g.

A new record of Excirolana Orientalis (Dana, 1853), a cirolanid genus and species (Isopoda, Flabellifera) from the Pakistan coast

Excirolana orienta/is (Dana, 1853) belonging to the Cirolanidae, hitherto unknown from Pakistan, is collected from the rocky intertidal region of Manora Island, Karachi coast The specimens are fully described and illustrated. A list of the known species of the genus Excirolana is also provided since the genus is also first time reported from here.

Length-weight relationship and condition factor of Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Meretrix meretrix (Linnaeus, 1758) from Mumbai waters

Length weight relationship of the two commercially important molluscs P. viridis and M. meretrix was found to be W=-0.40263L super(2.044719) & W=-0.04359L super(2.2315498) respectively. Condition factor was recorded to be less than 1.0 for most part of the year in P. viridis and for M. meretrix it ranged from 0.39 to 4.61. The present study reveals that there was allometric growth in both the species and the growth was not satisfactory since it showed lower K-value during most part of the year.

Reproductive biology of freshwater crab, Paratelphusa spinigera, Wood Mason (Crustacea-Decapoda)

This study was aimed to analyze the annual reproductive cycle of the freshwater crab Paratelphusa spinigera (Wood Mason, 1871). P. spinigera breeds only once in a year; hence, it is a monovoltine species. Gonad maturation, changes in abdomen shape, size and female maturity index (FMI) marked the onset of sexual maturity of female P. spinigera. The occurrence of berried females marked the onset of breeding season. The fecundity of P. spinigera ranged from 533 to 1306 in number, with an average of 699.11 ± 217.38. The correlation of fecundity with carapace width and body weight was also found to be positively significant (r = 0. 780 and 0.933, respectively). The eggs were carried on the pleopods and nurtured for approximately 30-35 days, until the eggs hatch, showing perfect maternal care. The FMI values ranging between 0.70 and 0.80 represented immature stage of gonadal development. When the FMI ranged from 0.91 to 1.00, all stages of gonadal development, i.e. developing, maturing and mature stages were observed. The females with fully ripe ovary had FMI values greater than 1.00.

Antihemostatic molecules from saliva of blood-feeding arthropods

The ability to feed on vertebrate blood has evolved many times in various arthropod clades. Consequently, saliva of blood-feeding arthropods has proven to be a rich source of antihemostatic molecules. A variety of platelet aggregation inhibitors antagonize platelet responses to wound-generated signals, including ADP, thrombin, and collagen. Anticoagulants disrupt elements of both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Vasodilators include nitrophorins (nitric oxide storage and transport heme proteins), a variety of peptides that mimic endogenous vasodilatory neuropeptides, and proteins that catabolize or sequester endogenous vasoconstrictors. Multiple salivary proteins may be directed against each component of hemostasis, resulting in both redundancy and in some cases cooperative interactions between antihemostatic proteins. The complexity and redundancy of saliva ensures an efficient blood meal for the arthropod, but it also provides a diverse array of novel antihemostatic molecules for the pharmacologist.

Maximins S, a novel group of antimicrobial peptides from toad Bombina maxima

Amphibian skin secretions are rich in antimicrobial peptides acting as important components of innate defense system against invading microorganisms. A novel type of peptide, designated as maximin S, was deduced by random sequencing of 793 clones from a constructed Bombina maxima skin cDNA library. The putative primary structures of maximin S peptides can be grouped into five species, in which maximin S I has 14 amino acid residues and the rest of maximin S peptides (S2-S5) all have 18 amino acid residues. Unlike most of the amphibian antimicrobial peptides so far identified, the newly characterized four maximin S precursors are composed of maximin S I and different combinations of tandem repeated maximin S2-S5 linked by internal peptides. Except maximin S I, the predicted secondary structures of maximin S2-S5 show a similar amphipathic alpha-helical structure. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis of partially isolated skin secretions of the toad indicates that most of the deduced maximin S peptides are expressed. Two deduced maximin S peptides (S1, S4) were synthesized and their antimicrobial activities were tested. Maximin S4 only had an antibiotic activity against mycoplasma and had no antibacterial or antifungal activity toward tested strains. Maximin S1 had no activity under the same conditions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel family of antimicrobial peptides from the skin of Amolops loloensis

While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Sichuan region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the rufous-spotted torrent frog, Amolops loloensis. Members of the new peptide family named amolopins are composed of 18 amino acids with a unique sequence, for example, NILSSIVNGINRALSFFG. By BLAST search, amolopins did no show similarity to any known peptides. Among the tested microorganisms, native and synthetic peptides only showed antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC2592 and Bacillus pumilus, no effects on other microorganisms. The CD spectroscopy showed that it adopted a structure of random combined with beta-sheet in water, Tris-HCl or Tris-HCl-SDS. Several cDNAs encoding amolopins were cloned from the skin cDNA library of A. loloensis. The precursors of amolopin are composed of 62 amino acid residues including predicted signal peptides, acidic propieces, and mature antimicrobial peptides. The preproregion of amolopin precursor comprises a hydrophobic signal peptide of 22 residues followed by an 18 residue acidic propiece which terminates by a typical prohormone processing signal Lys-Arg. The preproregions of precursors are very similar to other amphibian antimicrobial peptide precursors but the mature amolopins are different from other antimicrobial peptide families. The remarkable similarity of preproregions of precursors that give rise to very different antimicrobial peptides in distantly related frog species suggests that the corresponding genes form a multigene family originating from a common ancestor. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.