Bdellovibrio-like parasite of cyanobacteria symbiotic in marine sponges

A bdellovibrio-like bacterium was observed infecting unicellular symbiotic cyanobacteria in two coral reef sponges, Neofibularia irata and Jaspis stellifera. The infecting bacterium, which was located between the cell wall and the cytoplasmic membrane of the cyanobacteria, was similar in size and appearance to previously described bdellovibrios. This observation is believed to extend the host range of the bdellovibrios.     

Fluorescent thin-layer peptide mapping for protein identification and comparison in the subnanomole range

Conditions and simple precautions are presented for carrying out highly reproducible and sensitive peptide mapping by thin-layer chromatography and subsequent electrophoresis of subnanomole amounts of tryptic digest on silica gel G or GHL plates. The fluorogenic reagent “fluorescamine” is employed for visualization under long-wavelength ultraviolet illumination. Permanent photorecording of high-contrast images, using readily available filters, is substituted for subjective hand scoring of plates. Contrast reversal is used to produce peptide maps suitable for half-tone reproduction.     

Les otolithes des Téléostéens du Plio-Pleistocène belge

The study of approximately twenty three thousand otoliths from Plio-Pleistocene sites in the harbour region of Antwerp, as well as a critical revision of already published material allowed us to identify a teleostean fauna with fourty seven species (including two subspecies and seven species in open nomenclature). Two of these, Ophidion springeri and Uranoscopus septentrionalis are new to science. The fauna is typical for coastal waters slightly warmer than those of the actual North Sea and caracterized by the predominance of Gadidae. Biostratigraphically this fauna is well individualized with respect to preceeding ones (only seven species in common with the Miocene fauna) and those following twenty-three species in common with the extant fauna). The following biostratigraphical subdivision has been recognized in the Upper Miocene and the Plio-Pleistocene of the Antwerp region: (1) an association with «genus? Macrouridarum labiatus, Trisopterus sculptus, Gadiculus benedeni and Trisopterus luscus spectabilis, in the Sands of Deurne (Upper Miocene); (2) an association with Gadiculus benedeni and Merlangius pseudaeglephinus, in the Formation of Kattendijk (Pliocene); (3) an association with Gadiculus verticalis and Merlangius pseudaeglefinus in the Formation of Lillo (Plio-Pleistocene); (4) an association with Gadus morhua and Merlangius pseudaeglefinus in the so called «Icenian deposits not present in Belgium but found in the Netherlands.     

L'intensité lumineuse,son influence sur la teneur en phosphore des carapaces d'Ostracodes

Actual and fossil shells of ostracodes have beenanalyzed with an electronic microprobe: all of them contain phosphorus. X—pictures teach us that the repartition of this chemical element is homogeneous in all the points of the shell. There is no relationship between phosphorus contents in the shells of ostracodes and salinity. In return, there is a relationship between phosphorus contents and temperature and, chiefly, organic phosphorus contents in the environment. However, it is interesting to observe that the analyzed shells of fresh-water ostracodes contain less phosphorus that the generality of the shells of marine ostracodes. The contents of organic phosphorus, in the biotope, depends on the growth of phytoplancton in the upper layers of water which needs a minimum light intensity.     

Benthic ecoregionalization based on echinoid fauna of the Southern Ocean supports current proposals of Antarctic Marine Protected Areas under IPCC scenarios of climate change

The Southern Ocean (SO) is among the regions on Earth that are undergoing regionally the fastest environmental changes. The unique ecological features of its marine life make it particularly vulnerable to the multiple effects of climate change. A network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has started to be implemented in the SO to protect marine ecosystems. However, considering future predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the relevance of current, static, MPAs may be questioned under future scenarios. In this context, the ecoregionalization approach can prove promising in identifying well‐delimited regions of common species composition and environmental settings. These so‐called ecoregions are expected to show similar biotic responses to environmental changes and can be used to define priority areas for the designation of new MPAs and the update of their current delimitation. In the present work, a benthic ecoregionalization of the entire SO is proposed for the first time based on abiotic environmental parameters and the distribution of echinoid fauna, a diversified and common member of Antarctic benthic ecosystems. A novel two‐step approach was developed combining species distribution modeling with Random Forest and Gaussian Mixture modeling from species probabilities to define current ecoregions and predict future ecoregions under IPCC scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5. The ecological representativity of current and proposed MPAs of the SO is discussed with regard to the modeled benthic ecoregions. In all, 12 benthic ecoregions were determined under present conditions, they are representative of major biogeographic patterns already described. Our results show that the most dramatic changes can be expected along the Antarctic Peninsula, in East Antarctica and the sub‐Antarctic islands under both IPCC scenarios. Our results advocate for a dynamic definition of MPAs, they also argue for improving the representativity of Antarctic ecoregions in proposed MPAs and support current proposals of Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources for the creation of Antarctic MPAs.     

新疆特色药食两用植物恰玛古内生放线菌的分离与鉴定

恰玛古（Qamgur, Brassica rapa L.）内生菌的研究主要集中在内生真菌,内生放线菌的研究报道较少。通过研究新疆药食两用植物恰玛古内生放线菌多样性,以期发现产新活性物质的放线菌或新种放线菌,为研究微生物药物奠定基础。从恰玛古根、茎和叶三个部位分离培养获得内生放线菌,对其菌落与个体形态进行观察,并利用序列测定方法进行鉴定,以获取其分类地位。从恰玛古三个部位共分离得到17株内生放线菌,其中12株为革兰氏阳性杆菌,3株为革兰氏阳性球菌,2株为革兰氏阳性丝状菌;17株内生放线菌分属于红球菌属（Rhodococcus）、拟诺卡氏菌属（Nocardiopsis）、链霉菌属（Streptomyces）、短杆菌属（Brevibacterium）、小短杆菌属（Brachybacterium）、两面神菌属（Janibacter）和微杆菌属（Microbacterium）。从新疆药食两用植物恰玛古中分离获得17株内生放线菌以稀有放线菌为主。     

A safe haven for potential reproductive aggregations of the critically endangered Brazilian guitarfish (Pseudobatos horkelii)

Brazilian endemic batoid elasmobranch populations have declined dramatically in the past 40 years due to anthropic activities (e.g., overfishing). The Brazilian guitarfish, Pseudobatos horkelii, included in the IUCN red list of endangered species [Critically Endangered (CR)], has been captured as by-catch by trawling fishing boats to the edge of extinction. Despite governmental conservation initiatives, the species is still caught and commercialized along the Brazilian coast. In this study, the authors report three rare aggregation events for the Brazilian coast of P. horkelii, inside the only nearshore no-entry Brazilian marine protected area. Strategies for its protection are also discussed.     

Marine microorganisms as an untapped source of bioactive compounds

The search for novel biologically active molecules has extended to the screening of organisms associated with less explored environments. In this sense, Oceans, which cover nearly the 67% of the globe, are interesting ecosystems characterized by a high biodiversity that is worth being explored. As such, marine microorganisms are highly interesting as promising sources of new bioactive compounds of potential value to humans. Some of these microorganisms are able to survive in extreme marine environments and, as a result, they produce complex molecules with unique biological interesting properties for a wide variety of industrial and biotechnological applications. Thus, different marine microorganisms (fungi, myxomycetes, bacteria, and microalgae) producing compounds with antioxidant, antibacterial, apoptotic, antitumoral and antiviral activities have been already isolated. This review compiles and discusses the discovery of bioactive molecules from marine microorganisms reported from 2018 onwards. Moreover, it highlights the huge potential of marine microorganisms for obtaining highly valuable bioactive compounds.     

Phytochemical screening and anti-oxidant activity of Sargassum wightii enhances the anti-bacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

In this study, the phytochemical, phenolic, flavonoid and bioactive compounds were successfully screened from crude extract of Sargassum wightii by LC-MS analysis after NIST interpretation. Bacterial growth inhibition study result was shown with 24 mm zone inhibition at 200 µg/mL concentration against P. aeruginosa. The increased phenolic content was much closed to gallic acid and the range was observed at 250 μg/mL concentration. In addition, flavonoid contents of the algae extract was indicated more significant with rutin at 200 μg/mL. In result, both the phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were more correlated with gallic acid and rutin. Further, the total anti-oxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities were shown increased activity at 200 μg/mL concentrations. Furthermore, the excellent anti-bacterial alteration result was observed at 200 μg/mL concentration by minimum inhibition concentration. Therefore, the result was revealed that the marine algae Sargassum wightii has excellent phytochemical and anti-oxidant activities, and it has improved anti-bacterial activity against P. aeruginosa.     

Understanding the function of the tumor microenvironment,and compounds from marine organisms for breast cancer therapy

The pathology and physiology of breast cancer(BC),including metastasis,and drug resistance,is driven by multiple signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment(TME),which hamper antitumor immunity.Recently,long non-coding RNAs have been reported to mediate pathophysiological developments such as metastasis as well as immune suppression within the TME.Given the complex biology of BC,novel personalized therapeutic strategies that address its diverse pathophysiologies are needed to improve clinical outcomes.In this review,we describe the advances in the biology of breast neoplasia,including cellular and molecular biology,heterogeneity,and TME.We review the role of novel molecules such as long non-coding RNAs in the pathophysiology of BC.Finally,we provide an up-to-date overview of anticancer compounds extracted from marine microorganisms,crustaceans,and fishes and their synergistic effects in combination with other anticancer drugs.Marine compounds are a new discipline of research in BC and offer a wide range of anti-cancer effects that could be harnessed to target the various pathways involved in BC development,thus assisting current therapeutic regimens.