Growth and size distribution of some large brown algae in Ohori,east coast of Korea

About fifty individuals of four dominant large brown algae were collected by random sampling at monthly intervals using SCUBA. Size frequencies of Sargassum confusum and S. horneri were concentrated mainly in the small size classes during the initial growth phase, but were more or less evenly distributed in most size classes during the fast growing phase. Undaria pinnatifida and Costaria costata showed the same tendency as Sargassum spp., that frequency distribution became even when the plants reached their maximum growth. The kelp species recorded their maximum lengths in March, whereas Sargassum spp. showed their peaks in early summer. The relationships between the length and weight in different growth phases appeared to be dependent on the phenology of each species.     

Variation of photoautotrophic fatty acid production from a highly CO2 tolerant alga,Chlorococcum littorale,with inorganic carbon over narrow ranges of pH

Photoautotrophic fatty acid production of a highly CO₂‐tolerant green alga Chlorococcum littorale in the presence of inorganic carbon at 295 K and light intensity of 170 µmol‐photon m^?2 s^?1 was investigated. CO₂ concentration in the bubbling gas was adjusted by mixing pure gas components of CO₂ and N₂ to avoid photorespiration and β‐oxidation of fatty acids under O₂ surrounding conditions. Maximum content of total fatty acid showed pH‐dependence after nitrate depletion of the culture media and increased with the corresponding inorganic carbon ratio. Namely, [HCO₃^?]/([CO₂]+n[ ]) ratio in the culture media was found to be a controlling factor for photoautotrophic fatty acid production after the nitrate limitation. At a CO₂ concentration of 5% (vol/vol) and a pH of 6.7, the fatty acid content was 47.8 wt % (dry basis) at its maximum that is comparable with land plant seed oils. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:1053–1057, 2015     

Algal chloroplast produced camelid VHH antitoxins are capable of neutralizing botulinum neurotoxin

We have produced three antitoxins consisting of the variable domains of camelid heavy chain‐only antibodies (V_HH) by expressing the genes in the chloroplast of green algae. These antitoxins accumulate as soluble proteins capable of binding and neutralizing botulinum neurotoxin. Furthermore, they accumulate at up to 5% total soluble protein, sufficient expression to easily produce these antitoxins at scale from algae. The genes for the three different antitoxins were transformed into Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts and their products purified from algae lysates and assayed for in vitro biological activity using toxin protection assays. The produced antibody domains bind to botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) with similar affinities as camelid antibodies produced in Escherichia coli, and they are similarly able to protect primary rat neurons from intoxication by BoNT/A. Furthermore, the camelid antibodies were produced in algae without the use of solubilization tags commonly employed in E. coli. These camelid antibody domains are potent antigen‐binding proteins and the heterodimer fusion protein containing two V_HH domains was capable of neutralizing BoNT/A at near equimolar concentrations with the toxin. Intact antibody domains were detected in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of mice treated orally with antitoxin‐producing microalgae. These findings support the use of orally delivered antitoxins produced in green algae as a novel treatment for botulism.     

Getting specific: making taxonomic and ecological sense of large sequencing data sets

Eukaryotic microbes comprise a diverse collection of phototrophic and heterotrophic creatures known to play fundamental roles in ecological processes. Some can be identified by light microscopy, generally the largest and with conspicuous shapes, while the smallest can be counted by epifluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry but remain largely unidentified. Microbial diversity studies greatly advanced with the analysis of phylogenetic markers sequenced from natural assemblages. Molecular surveys began in 1990 targeting marine bacterioplankton (Giovannoni et al. 1990 ) and first approached microbial eukaryotes in three studies published in 2001 (Díez et al. 2001 ; López‐García et al. 2001 ; Moon‐van der Staay et al. 2001 ). These seminal studies, based on cloning and Sanger sequencing the complete 18S rDNA, were critical for obtaining broad pictures of microbial diversity in contrasted habitats and for describing novel lineages by robust phylogenies, but were limited by the number of sequences obtained. So, inventories of species richness in a given sample and community comparisons through environmental gradients were very incomplete. These limitations have been overcome with the advent of high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) methods, initially 454‐pyrosequencing, today Illumina and soon others to come. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Egge et al. ( 2015 ) show a nice example of the use of HTS to study the biodiversity and seasonal succession of a particularly important group of marine microbial eukaryotes, the haptophytes. Temporal changes were analysed first at the community level, then at the clade level, and finally at the lowest rank comparable to species. Interesting and useful ecological insights were obtained at each taxonomic scale. Haptophyte diversity differed along seasons in a systematic manner, with some species showing seasonal preferences and others being always present. Many of these species had no correspondence with known species, pointing out the high level of novelty in microbial assemblages, only accessible by molecular tools. Moreover, the number of species detected was limited, agreeing with a putative scenario of constrained evolutionary diversification in free‐living small eukaryotes. This study illustrates the potential of HTS to address ecological relevant questions in an accessible way by processing large data sets that, nonetheless, need to be treated with a fair understanding of their limitations.     

FXR1真核表达载体的构建与表达及其对神经节苷脂浓度的影响

目的:构建脆性X相关基因1(FXR1)的真核表达载体并检测其对神经节苷脂(GM1)浓度的影响。方法:以pYESTrp3-FXR1为模板,利用PCR扩增FXR1基因,PCR产物经EcoR I和Xho I双酶切后插入真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(-)中,获得的阳性克隆进一步酶切及测序鉴定;将构建成功的pcDNA3.1(-)-FXR1转染SH-SY5Y细胞后,采用Western blot检测FXR1的表达情况,同时采用ELISA试剂盒检测细胞内GM1的浓度。结果:PCR扩增产物为1.9 Kb的片段,与FXR1基因大小相符,阳性克隆经双酶切后获得两条分别为5.4 Kb和1.9 Kb的片段,测序结果与GeneBank中序列相同。构建成功的重组质粒pcDNA3.1(-)-FXR1转染SH-SY5Y细胞后,细胞中FXR1的表达增加,同时有效提高了细胞内GM1的浓度(P0.05)。结论:成功构建了真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(-)-FXR1,FXR1的表达增加可以提高SH-SY5Y细胞中的GM1浓度,这些为后续深入研究FXR1基因在神经组织发育中的调控功能及其在脆性X综合征(FXS)中的作用机制奠定了基础。     

人Cuedc2真核表达载体的构建及其在HEK293细胞中的表达

目的:构建人Cuedc2的真核表达载体,并进行体外验证。方法:提取人卵巢癌细胞总RNA,通过RT-PCR的方法其反转录为cDNA;以之为模板,利用PCR获得Cuedc2的编码区,纯化后克隆入pcDNA3.1myc-his(-),利用菌落PCR及DNA测序进行鉴定。最后,采用瞬时转染的方法,将所构建的重组CUEDC2真核表达载体通过脂质体转染HEK293细胞,48h后通过western blot检测Cuedc2蛋白的表达。结果:Cuedc2编码区cDNA正确地插入真核表达载体pcDNA3.1myc-his(-)中,western blot检测证实其在HEK293细胞中表达,而空载体转染的细胞为阴性,表明所构建的pcDNA3.1myc-his(-)-Cuedc2能够在体外有效表达。结论:本研究成功地克隆了人Cuedc2 cDNA,构建了重组真核表达载体,并在HEK293细胞中有效表达,为进一步研究人Cuedc2的功能及其与肿瘤的关系奠定了实验基础。     

Direct exchange of vitamin B12 is demonstrated by modelling the growth dynamics of algal–bacterial cocultures

The growth dynamics of populations of interacting species in the aquatic environment is of great importance, both for understanding natural ecosystems and in efforts to cultivate these organisms for industrial purposes. Here we consider a simple two-species system wherein the bacterium Mesorhizobium loti supplies vitamin B₁₂ (cobalamin) to the freshwater green alga Lobomonas rostrata, which requires this organic micronutrient for growth. In return, the bacterium receives photosynthate from the alga. Mathematical models are developed that describe minimally the interdependence between the two organisms, and that fit the experimental observations of the consortium. These models enable us to distinguish between different mechanisms of nutrient exchange between the organisms, and provide strong evidence that, rather than undergoing simple lysis and release of nutrients into the medium, M. loti regulates the levels of cobalamin it produces, resulting in a true mutualism with L. rostrata. Over half of all microalgae are dependent on an exogenous source of cobalamin for growth, and this vitamin is synthesised only by bacteria; it is very likely that similar symbiotic interactions underpin algal productivity more generally.     

pcDNA3.1/CXCR7真核细胞表达载体的构建及其在内皮细胞中的表达鉴定

目的:CXCR7是基质衍生因子1(stroma derived factor-1,SDF-1)的新受体,且该受体在血管新生部位的内皮细胞中表达上调,故本研究拟构建CXCR7的真核表达载体pcDNA3.1/CXCR7,并检测其在人脐静脉内皮细胞中的表达.方法:采用RT-PCR法从人肝癌细胞HepG2的cDNA中扩增出约1100 bp的CXCR7基因片段.采用KpnI、XbaI将目的基因和载体pcDNA3.1进行双酶切,将酶切产物加入T4 DNA连接酶16℃连接过夜.将连接产物转化到感受态大肠杆菌中.挑取阳性克隆、提质粒,用双酶切、质粒DNA PCR扩增及DNA序列分析鉴定正确后,采用阳离子脂质体LipofectamineTM 2000将其转染人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUwc),通过western-blot检测目的基因在内皮细胞中的表达.结果:阳性克隆经双酶切法鉴定含有CXCR7基因片段,质粒DNAPCR扩增出与CXCR7同等大小的基因片段,基因测序结果与GenBank中序列相同.转染HUVEC后,细胞中CXCR7的表达水平显著上升.结论:成功构建了CXCR7的真核表达栽体,可在内皮细胞中正常表达并.为进一步研究其作用机制奠定了基础.