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.

A novel anti-tumor protein extracted from Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus induces cell death by increasing cell permeability and inhibiting tubulin polymerization

Discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals from marine organisms are attracting increasing interest. Several agents derived from marine organisms are under preclinical and clinical evaluation as potential anticancer drugs. We extracted and purified a novel anti-tumor protein from the coelomic fluid of Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus by ammonium sulphate fractionation, ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The molecular weight of the highly purified protein, designated MML, was 40 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE analysis. MML exhibited significant cytotoxicity to several cancer cell types, including human hepatoma BEL-7402, human breast cancer MCF-7 and human colon cancer HCT116 cells. However, no inhibitory effect was found when treating murine normal fibroblasts NIH3T3 and benign human breast MCF-10A cells with MML. The cell death induced by MML was characterized by cell morphological changes. The induction of apoptosis of BEL-7402 cells by MML was weak by DNA ladder assay. The possible mechanisms of its anti-tumor effect might be the changes in cell membrane permeability and inhibition of tubulin polymerization. MML may be developed as a novel, highly selective and effective anti-cancer drug.

龙须菜和文蛤混养互利机制的模拟研究

近年来，在“清洁生产”、“生态养殖”以及“生物修复”理论的指导下，在贝类稚贝培育和成贝养殖过程中实施贝藻混合模式，已经成为国内外学者研究的热点之一。本文在封闭水体中进行了龙须菜（Gracilaria lemaneiformis Weber-van Bosse）和文蛤（Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus）稚贝以及成贝的混养实验，初步探索了混养系统中的互利机制，监测了水体中理化因子和生物因子的变化规律，测定了养殖生物的生长情况及营养成分，构建了混养系统中贝藻混养的合理模式。并且采用新技术－T-RFLP监测了养殖水体中细菌的动态变化。主要研究成果如下： 1． 在龙须菜与稚贝混养实验中，平均水温为17.5±3.2℃。研究结果表明较低的温度抑制了龙须菜的生长，总平均日生长率最高为0.81％/d，小于与成贝混养实验的最高特定生长率1.79％/d。养殖水体中氨氮和磷酸盐是最主要的无机污染物，而龙须菜对养殖水体营养盐的去除作用显著， 35天后混养系统中养殖水体的氨氮和磷酸盐平均浓度较单养系统低43.37μmol/L、1.23μmol/L，分别相差95.06%、94.85％。 2． 在龙须菜与成贝混养实验中，平均水温为23.1±2.3℃，适合龙须菜的生长，结果表明龙须菜对氨氮和亚硝氮的吸收高达86％～98％，对无机磷的吸收可达99％，养殖生物的生长情况良好，养殖生物体内的营养成分要好于单养系统中的养殖生物。对于氨基酸总含量，加入龙须菜的养殖系统中文蛤体内的氨基酸总含量要比单养系统中文蛤体内氨基酸总含量高26.0mg/g，高出后者5.01％。引入龙须菜在一定程度上可以抑制异养细菌和致病性弧菌的生长，相对抑制率达到77.75％。在本实验中，尽管龙须菜可以抑制异养细菌的生长，但如果引入过多会导致嗜江蓠细菌过度增加，可能反而会破坏原有的微生态平衡。 3． 采用T-RFLP技术对养殖水体中的总细菌群落进行了分析，摸索出合理的方法和步骤，通过聚类分析将养殖水体中细菌群落分为两个群落，并且认为在养殖水体中，微生物群落的变化是及其复杂的，第六周时两个群落变化不一致。并且相对来说，龙须菜的引入可能会对某些群落造成抑制，但也可能会对其它细菌群落起到促进作用。 4． 稚贝和成贝分别与龙须菜的混养实验结果表明，在养殖系统中引入龙须菜可以改善养殖环境，龙须菜和文蛤的适宜混合比例为1：1能取得较好的生态效应。

亚历山大藻对海产贝类胚胎和蒙古裸腹溞的影响及致毒机制研究

本文研究了典型有毒赤潮藻——亚历山大藻(Alexandrium)对海湾扇贝(Argopecten irradians Lamarck)、文蛤(Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus)和太平洋牡蛎(Ostrea gigas Thunberg)受精卵孵化的影响和致毒机制以及对蒙古裸腹溞(Moina mongolica Daday)生命活动的影响。此外，还针对我国赤潮发生特点，模拟研究了我国东海大规模赤潮对菲律宾蛤仔（Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams et Reeve)）受精卵孵化和蒙古裸腹溞种群数量的影响。 结果发现：8株产PSP毒素的亚历山大藻：塔玛亚历山大藻( ATHK, AT5-1, AT5-3, ATCI02, ATCI03)，链状亚历山大藻, A. lusitanicum、微小亚历山大藻和2株不产PSP毒素的相关亚历山藻(AC-1, AS-1)对海湾扇贝受精卵的孵化均有显著抑制作用，说明在亚历山大藻属中，这种抑制作用具有一定的普遍性，并与PSP毒素的产生无直接关系，表明存在非PSP毒素的其它毒性物质。一种PSP标准毒素STX也没有这种抑制作用，进一步证明该抑制作用与PSP毒素不直接相关。 相关亚历山大藻AC-1对海湾扇贝、文蛤和太平洋牡蛎受精卵孵化的有显著的毒害作用，其藻液、重悬液、去藻液和内容物均显著影响受精卵的孵化。相关亚历山大藻AC-1对海湾扇贝、文蛤和太平洋牡蛎担轮幼虫细胞的超微结构有显著破坏作用，破坏膜结构和胞内结构，影响细胞内的功能器官如溶酶体的稳定性，使卵黄颗粒萎缩变形；对文蛤和太平洋牡蛎的受精卵显示出极强的毒害作用： 3000cells•ml-1时，使二者胚胎完全溶掉消失；在2000cells•ml-1的藻液中培养2h后，担轮幼虫的外膜发生溶解，整个幼体呈葡萄串样。相关亚历山大藻AC-1产生的这种毒性物质可能对贝类胚胎细胞的结构和功能有影响。 亚历山大藻对蒙古裸腹溞的毒性效应与不同藻种/藻株密切有关：塔玛亚历山大藻（AT-6, ATCI02）、链状亚历山大藻、A. lusitanicum和微小亚历山大藻不影响蒙古裸腹溞的存活，而塔玛亚历山大藻（ATHK、ATCI03和AT5-1）和相关亚历山大藻(AC-1, AS-1)有显著影响。蒙古裸腹溞能摄食塔玛亚历山大藻(AT-6, ATHK, ATCI02, ATCI03, AT5-1)，链状亚历山大藻, A. lusitanicum和微小亚历山大藻，很少或基本不摄食相关亚历山大藻。亚历山大藻影响蒙古裸腹溞的RNA/DNA比值和蛋白质含量以及Na+,K+-ATP酶活性。相关亚历山大藻AC-1对蒙古裸腹溞的存活有极强的毒性作用，藻液、重悬液、内容物和碎片均有显著影响；即使与3×106cells•ml-1小球藻混合，10和50cells•ml-1的相关亚历山大藻AC-1仍能使蒙古裸腹溞的产幼数和存活时间显著下降。亚历山大藻对蒙古裸腹溞生命活动的影响不仅与PSP毒素有关，还与非PSP毒素有关；蒙古裸腹溞可能也是研究有害藻急性和慢性毒性的一种理想生物。 应用菲律宾蛤仔胚胎和蒙古裸腹溞评价我国东海特大规模赤潮对海洋生物资源的潜在危害时发现：单种链状亚历山大藻对菲律宾蛤仔受精卵的孵化和蒙古裸腹溞的种群增长均有显著不利影响；单种东海原甲藻（1~10×104cells•ml-1）对菲律宾蛤仔受精卵的孵化没有影响；较低密度的东海原甲藻能维持蒙古裸腹溞（2~5×104cells•ml-1）的种群增长；较高密度的东海原甲藻对蒙古裸腹溞（10×104cells•ml-1）种群有显著的抑制作用。两种藻以赤潮密度混合后，适当密度的东海原甲藻能在一定程度上减轻链状亚历山大藻对菲律宾蛤仔受精卵和蒙古裸腹溞的毒性。可见，东海连年爆发的大规模赤潮不仅对浮游生态系统有不利影响，若同时爆发亚历山大藻赤潮，则对海洋浮游生态系统和贝类资源的恢复产生更加不利的影响。

文蛤体液抗肿瘤蛋白的分离纯化与作用方式研究

恶性肿瘤是严重威胁人类健康的疾病，目前的抗肿瘤药物虽然具有一定疗效，但存在选择性差、毒副作用大等缺点，药物治疗期待着新的突破。因此，寻找高效低毒的抗肿瘤药物已经成为当前肿瘤研究的重要内容。传统抗肿瘤天然药物的来源局限在陆地，近年来在海洋来源的具有抗肿瘤活性物质的开发上取得了很多成果，获得了多种高活性、毒副作用小、作用机制新颖的活性化合物，为新型抗肿瘤药物的研发提供了新思路。 本研究采用硫酸铵分级沉淀、弱阳离子交换层析、疏水层析、强阴离子交换层析等分离技术，结合MTT活性追踪方法，从海洋软体动物文蛤体液中纯化得到单一蛋白组份MML，SDS-PAGE检测其分子量约为40kD。该蛋白在体外具有显著的抗人肝癌细胞BEL-7402的活性，其IC50达到52µg/mL。相差显微镜下观察发现，MML起效较快，细胞处理半小时后，形态开始发生改变，细胞膜逐渐与胞内物质分离，最终形成明显的空泡状结构。 为进一步研究MML的作用方式，分别从细胞膜毒性、细胞周期阻滞及诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡的角度开展了相关研究。在细胞膜毒性方面，采用扫描电镜观察、Hoechst33342/ PI双染色和乳酸脱氢酶漏出率检测的方法，初步证明了MML对BEL-7402具有细胞膜毒性。结合流式细胞仪、微管蛋白免疫荧光检测技术，研究了MML作用后的细胞周期及微管蛋白的变化情况，结果发现MML的抗肿瘤作用方式可能是通过改变肿瘤细胞膜通透性，进而破坏微管蛋白聚合、阻滞细胞周期，产生抑制肿瘤细胞增殖的活性。DNA Ladder琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析发现，MML作用后的细胞出现一定程度的凋亡，这种凋亡现象的产生是由于MML的直接诱导，还是间接作用产生，尚有待于深入研究。

Casta meretrix. Acerca de la traducción y aplicación eclesiológica frecuente de una expresión patrística

Resumen: Muy a menudo se escucha hablar de la Iglesia como santa y prostituta o como santa y pecadora, invocando como argumento decisivo que los Santos Padres decían que la Iglesia es una casta meretrix. Algún que otro teólogo lo pone por escrito sin citar la fuente; lo mismo dice algún predicador. Según parece, este testimonio patrístico cuadraría para poder hablar de los pecados de la Iglesia. Ahora bien, respecto a esta fórmula lo primero que hay que señalar es que se trata de un hapax de la literatura patrística, sólo se encuentra una vez en San Ambrosio. La figura retórica utilizada indica algo insólito que el lector moderno debe tratar de entender. Sobre todo, porque para quien acuñó la frase, lejos de aludir a algo pecaminoso, quiere indicar la santidad de la Iglesia. El artículo presenta la reflexión eclesiológica de este padre de la Iglesia que lo lleva a expresarse de esa manera y, a la vez, invita a situar en su contexto y en sus perspectivas concretas las afirmaciones patrísticas para traducirlas, interpretarlas y relacionarlas con nuestro modo de plantear los problemas.

Cloning, characterization and expression of ferritin subunit from clam Meretrix meretrix in different larval stages

Shell formation is one of the important events during larval development and metamorphosis in bivalves. However, the molecular mechanisms and environmental cues regulating shell initiation and growth are unclear. Here, we report that ferritin, a principal protein for biological iron storage and metabolism, might play a role in larval shell development of the bivalve mollusk Meretrix meretrix. A full-length ferritin subunit cDNA, named as MmeFer, was cloned and characterized. The MmeFer mRNA expression in different developmental stages, from trochophore to post larvae, was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MmeFer mRNA expression in larvae of later developmental stages increased at least 8-fold following trochophores. Moreover, the temporal and spatial expressions of MmeFer mRNA were examined by whole mount in situ hybridization. In the trochophore stage, MmeFer was detectable where it was supposed to be for shell initiation. In the later developmental stages, MmeFer was found near digestive glands and mantle that secret larval shell. MmeFer expression was also detected in larvae cultured in artificial seawater with different iron concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 mu M. These results suggest that ferritin may play a role in the shell formation of mollusks. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of cathepsin B in nutrient metabolism during larval development in Meretrix meretrix

Seed rearing is an important part in large scale clam culture industry. Since the nutritional history affects early development in bivalve, the condition of larval nutrition plays a key role in successful seed rearing. So far, the molecular mechanism of nutrient uptake in bivalve larvae is unclear. As one of the important proteolytic enzymes, cathepsin B of several organisms has been reported to be involved in digestion. We intended to analyze whether cathepsin B is involved in larval nutrient metabolism in the economic bivalve, clam Meretrix meretrix. The full length of M. meretrix cathepsin B (MmeCB) cDNA was cloned, which is 1647 bp with an open reading frame of 1014 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence encoded a preproenzyme of 337 residues with Cys-114, His-282 and Asn-302 composing cathepsin B activity center. The temporal and spatial expressions of MmeCB mRNA were examined from trochophore to post larva stages by whole mount in situ hybridization. In trochophore stage, no detectable signal was found. In the later three stages, MmeCB mRNA was detected in the digestive gland, suggesting a possible role of MmeCB in digestion. Moreover, MmeCB mRNA was also observed in the epidermal cells in D-veligers. Cathepsin B specific inhibitor (CA074 methyl ester) was applied to block the activity of cathepsin B in unfed larvae. The average shell lengths of treated larvae were smaller than that in control groups. The results of mRNA epidermal distribution and inhibitor treatment in D-veligers indicated that MmeCB may be also associated with other pathway of nutrient metabolism in larval epidermis. The overall results in this paper revealed that MmeCB might play a role in larval nutrient metabolism. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of stocking density on growth, settlement and survival of clam larvae, Meretrix meretrix

To determine the optimal larval density for hatchery culture of the clam Meretrix meretrix, experiments with stocking densities of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 larvae ml(-1) were designed, which included the developmental stages from D-veliger to 8 days postsettlement. Shell length, settlement time and survival rate of the larvae were recorded. Results showed that, at each sampling time, larvae reared at the highest density had the smallest mean size, whereas larvae reared at the lowest density had the largest mean size. Statistical differences in mean shell length at different stocking densities appeared from day 2, and greater differences occurred with increased culture time. Specific growth rate (SGR) in the rapid growing stage (day 0-3) was negatively correlated with density; however, no correlation was found between SGR and density in the slow growing stage (days 3-7). Settlement time was prolonged and shell length of settled larvae decreased as density increased. However, larval survival rate (74.8-79.1%) was independent of stocking density. Results showed that a high stocking density, in the designated range, is feasible for larval culture of the clam M. meretrix. However, for large-scale culture, in the interest of costs and safety, a stocking density of 10-20 larvae ml(-1) is recommended. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of various algal diets and starvation on larval growth and survival of Meretrix meretrix

Effects of food availability on larval growth and survival of Meretrix meretrix were studied in two experiments by feeding the larvae with different algae diets and by starving the larvae for different periods of time. Newly hatched larvae of M meretrix were fed with five different marine microalgae species, singly and in various mixtures. Best growth was with Isochrysis galbana as a single species diet. Nutritional value of the other single species diets was in the order of Dunaliella sp.> Phaeodactylum tricornutum > Platymonas subcordiformis > Pavlova viridis. Of the mixtures tested, 50% I. galbana/50% Dunaliella sp., 50% I. galbana/50% P tricornutum, and 50% 1 galbana/50% P subcordiformis, supported growth and metamorphosis equivalent to those of the I. galbana control. At 25 degrees C, larvae of M meretrix were deprived of food for various days to study the growth compensation from the outset of development. The results showed that M meretrix larvae could survive long feeding delays, and even reach metamorphosis without food added, although starvation had significant effects on growth. These results suggested that M meretrix larvae had the capacity to survive 'starvation' using alternative sources of energy. It also showed that growth, survival and metamorphosis of M meretrix were affected by many factors besides food quality and quantity. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pharmacological and immunocytochemical investigation of the role of catecholamines on larval metamorphosis by beta-adrenergic-like receptor in the bivalve Meretrix meretrix

Catecholamines regulate several physiological processes in mollusks. Many pharmacological experiments have been conducted to determine the effects of adrenergic agonist and antagonist of catecholamine receptors on Meretrix meretrix metamorphosis. Results showed that adrenaline (AD) and noradrenaline (NA) had substantial effects (p < 0.05) on larval metamorphosis at concentrations ranging from 10 mu M to 100 mu M. 10 mu M beta-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist isoproterenol showed the same inducement effect as that of NA and AD on metamorphosis, whereas the alpha-AR agonist phenylephrine had no significant effect at concentrations between 0.1 mu M and 100 mu M concentrations (p > 0.05). Furthermore, I mu M beta-AR antagonist propanolol, but not alpha-AR antagonist prazosin, depressed the larval metamorphosis induced by NA or AD. By immunocytochemistry, two cell bodies of beta-adrenergic-like receptor, C/A1, C/A2, were observed in the cerebral/apical ganglion of competent larvae. In addition, there were other immunoreactive dots near C/A1 and C/A2. The results of pharmacology and immunocytochemistry suggests that beta-adrenergic-like receptor located in the larval CNS, might play a considerable role in the larval metamorphosis of M meretrix by AD or NA. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

文蛤（Meretrix meretrix）幼虫生长发育相关基因的克隆和功能分析

贝类养殖是我国海水养殖业中最重要的组成部分之一。贝类人工大规模养殖中的关键环节是种苗的人工繁育，早期幼虫能否正常生长发育，对幼虫变态和变态后生长率及成活率有很大的影响，直接关系到生产产量和经济效益，所以，了解幼虫发育机制对于生产实践具有重要的指导意义。 文蛤（Meretrix meretrix）是一种在东亚各国沿海和滩涂地区广泛分布的双壳贝类，是我国一种重要的经济品种。本论文以文蛤幼虫为研究对象，分别对文蛤幼虫发育过程中贝壳形成相关的铁蛋白（MmeFer）、营养及变态相关的组织蛋白酶B（MmeCB）及变态过程中细胞凋亡相关的caspase三个基因进行了克隆，分析了基因及编码蛋白在担轮幼虫期（L1）、D形幼虫期（L2）、壳顶幼虫期（L3）和稚贝期（L4）的时空表达特征，解析了其可能的功能，并研究了相应酶类的特异性抑制剂作用对幼虫发育过程的影响，进行了目标蛋白的功能验证，详述如下： 研究结果显示，在文蛤胚胎发育到原肠胚时放入不含铁离子的人工海水中培养，发育成无壳的畸形，随着人工海水中铁离子添加浓度的升高，幼虫长出壳状组织接近正常状态；而发育到L1期幼虫放入不含铁离子的人工海水中培养却可以发育出正常的壳，推测铁和铁代谢相关蛋白在幼虫贝壳初始形成有重要的作用。根据构建的文蛤幼虫cDNA文库中提供的序列信息，从文蛤中克隆了与铁离子代谢密切相关的铁蛋白（MmeFer）的全长cDNA 序列；通过Real time PCR发现，MmeFer mRNA的表达量在贝壳形成前后有明显改变；整体原位杂交结果显示MmeFer mRNA在L1期的表达部位刚好是贝壳生成的起始部位，推断文蛤铁蛋白与文蛤幼虫贝壳初始形成密切相关。 利用文蛤幼虫cDNA文库中的EST信息在幼虫中克隆到文蛤组织蛋白酶B（MmeCB）全长cDNA序列；通过整体原位杂交分析发现MmeCB mRNA在L2至L4期幼虫的消化腺部位表达，而且在L2期的幼虫表皮也有表达，说明MmeCB可能和幼虫消化相关，而且可能参与幼虫从表皮摄取营养的过程。利用MmeCB特异性抑制剂（CA074Me）处理饥饿幼虫，发现其生长受到明显抑制，验证了MmeCB参与幼虫表皮营养代谢的推论。利用免疫组织化学技术，研究了MmeCB蛋白在文蛤幼虫中的时空分布，发现其在L2期幼虫表面和胃部有阳性信号，而在L3期，MmeCB在幼虫面盘基部有强烈的表达，提示MmeCB在文蛤幼虫中不仅起到营养的作用，而且可能和幼虫附着变态有关。利用CA074Me分别处理文蛤胚胎和变态期幼虫，发现抑制MmeCB的活性对胚胎发育和幼虫变态都有显著影响。研究结果提示MmeCB在幼虫发育各阶段均具有重要的生物学功能。 根据caspase在不同物种中的保守区域设计简并引物，在文蛤幼虫中扩增到cDNA序列片段；检测有活性的caspase在文蛤幼虫各发育时期的分布部位，发现其在L1至L3期幼虫中都有分布，说明整个幼虫形态变化过程中都有caspase的参与；细胞凋亡检测结果显示，幼虫主要发生细胞凋亡的部位在L3期幼虫的面盘，即变态过程中要退化的器官，说明细胞凋亡可能是文蛤幼虫变态过程中面盘退化的主要机制；用caspase特异性抑制剂处理变态前幼虫，发现幼虫变态率下降，初步验证了caspase在文蛤幼虫变态过程中的作用。 通过对上述三种基因的研究，分别探讨了文蛤幼虫发育阶段中的几个主要事件（L1期到L2期的贝壳形成、L2到L3期的幼虫营养摄食及L3到L4期的附着变态）相关的基因及其功能，为研究贝类生长发育调控的分子机理提供了新的线索。

Toxicity of lead, cadmium and mercury on embryogenesis, survival, growth and metamorphosis of Meretrix meretrix larvae

In order to assess the toxicity of heavy metals on the early development of Meretrix meretrix, the effects of mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) on embryogenesis, survival, growth and metamorphosis of larvae were investigated. The EC50 for embryogenesis was 5.4 mu g l(-1) for Hg, 1014 mu g l(-1) for Cd and 297 mu g l(-1) for Pb, respectively. The 96 h LC50 for D-shaped larvae was 14.0 mu g l(-1) for Hg, 68 mu g l(-1) for Cd and 353 mu g l(-1) for Pb, respectively. Growth was significantly retarded at 18.5 mu g l(-1) (0.1 mu M) for Hg, 104 mu g l(-1) (1 mu M) for Cd and 197 mu g l(-1) (1 mu M) for Pb, respectively. The EC50 for metamorphosis, similar to 48 h LC50, was higher than 96 h LC50. Our results indicate that the early development of M. meretrix is highly sensitive to heavy metals and can be used as a test organism for ecotoxicology bioassays in temperate and subtropical regions.

studies on the clam meretrix casta(chemnitz)off cochin barmouth.

It is the object of the present study to contribute so much information as possible on the biology and economy of M.casta on the south west coast of India. It includes investigations on the growth of the species in three dimensions.