鳜胃蛋白酶原基因cDNA全长的克隆与序列分析

利用RT–PCR和cDNA末端快速扩增法(RACE)克隆鳜(Siniperca chuatsi)胃蛋白酶原基因cDNA全长序列，并对该基因的结构特征和系统进化关系进行了分析。鳜胃蛋白酶原基因cDNA序列全长1367 bp，5′端非翻译区43 bp，3′端非翻译区187 bp，开放阅读框(ORF)1137 bp，共编码378个氨基酸。鳜胃蛋白酶原氨基末端存在信号肽和激活肽序列，序列中含有催化活性必需的2个天冬氨酸残基和构成二硫键的6个半胱氨酸残基。鳜胃蛋白酶原氨基酸序列与其他脊椎动物胃蛋白酶原氨基酸序列的同源性为59.9%～91.2%，表明胃蛋白酶原基因在脊椎动物的长期进化中比较保守。鳜胃蛋白酶原基因的成功克隆不仅为进一步研究该基因的时空表达奠定基础，而且为鱼类胃蛋白酶原的分子特征和进化提供了新的资料。     

Ontogeny of pepsinogen and gastric proton pump expression in red porgy (Pagrus pagrus): Determination of stomach functionality

The appearance of functionally developed gastric glands is commonly considered as the transition from the larval to the juvenile stage in fish, since it means the switch from the less efficient alkaline digestion to a more efficient acid digestion characteristic of adult specimens. From that moment, fish are supposedly able to better assimilate nutrients from inert diets. Acid digestion takes place by the action of pepsin activity and hydrochloric acid, both secreted by the gastric glands of the stomach. Pepsinogen is the precursor of pepsin which is converted into active enzyme by the action of hydrochloric acid secreted by the proton pump. The goal of this work was to asses the ontogeny of pepsinogen and gastric proton pump expression along larval development of red porgy using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization techniques. Firstly, red porgy specific pepsinogen and proton pump partial sequences were isolated. Amplification products presented 615 and 591 bp and were identified as pepsinogen IIb and the -subunit of the proton pump (H⁺/K⁺-ATPase) by sequencing, respectively. Both sequences were aligned to several predicted pepsinogen and proton pump polypeptides from different vertebrate species showing elevated homologies with them, especially in the case of the proton pump, the identity of which was never less than 90%. Pepsinogen and proton pump expressions were detected from 30 days post-hatching (dph), increasing with development. Proton pump expression was localized in the gastric glands of red porgy larvae as revealed by in situ hybridization, showing increasing signal intensity along the digestive system development. Such results indicated that at 30 dph red porgy starts to acquire the adult digestive capacity and therefore inert diets should be better utilized from that time onwards.     

Ontogenetic development of digestive functionality in golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus 1758)

Ontogenetic development of the digestive system in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus, Linnaeus 1758) larvae was histologically and enzymatically studied from hatch to 32 day post-hatch (DPH). The development of digestive system in golden pompano can be divided into three phases: phase I starting from hatching and ending at the onset of exogenous feeding; phase II starting from first feeding (3 DPH) and finishing at the formation of gastric glands; and phase III starting from the appearance of gastric glands on 15 DPH and continuing onward. The specific activities of trypsin, amylase, and lipase increased sharply from the onset of first feeding to 5–7 DPH, followed by irregular fluctuations. Toward the end of this study, the specific activities of trypsin and amylase showed a declining trend, while the lipase activity remained at similar levels as it was at 5 DPH. The specific activity of pepsin was first detected on 15 DPH and increased with fish age. The dynamics of digestive enzymes corresponded to the structural development of the digestive system. The enzyme activities tend to be stable after the formation of the gastric glands in fish stomach on 15 DPH. The composition of digestive enzymes in larval pompano indicates that fish are able to digest protein, lipid and carbohydrate at early developmental stages. Weaning of larval pompano is recommended from 15 DPH onward. Results of the present study lead to a better understanding of the ontogeny of golden pompano during the larval stage and provide a guide to feeding and weaning of this economically important fish in hatcheries.     

Disease resistance and immune‐relevant gene expression in golden mandarin fish,Siniperca scherzeri Steindachner,infected with infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus‐like agent

Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV), family Iridoviridae, genus Megalocytivirus, may cause high mortality rates such as those seen in mandarin fish, Siniperca chuatsi. ISKNV has attracted much attention due to the possible environmental threat and economic losses it poses on both cultured and wild populations. We have investigated the pathogenicity of ISKNV‐like agent Megalocytivirus, isolated from infected pearl gourami, in golden mandarin fish, Siniperca scherzeri – a member of the Percichthyidae family – and in another Percichthyidae species, S. chuatsi. Fish were challenged with four different doses of ISKNV‐like agent Megalocytivirus (1, 10, 100 or 1000 μg per fish) over a 30‐day period, and cumulative fish mortalities were calculated for each group. No significant mortality was observed for fish challenged with the lowest dose (1 μg per fish) relative to a control group. However, all other challenged groups showed 100% mortality over a 30‐day period in proportion to the challenge dose. Quantitative real‐time PCR was performed to measure mRNA expression levels for six immune‐related genes in golden mandarin fish following ISKNV‐like agent challenge. mRNA expression levels for IRF1, Mx, viperin and interleukin 8 significantly increased, while mRNA levels for IRF2 and IRF7 remained constant or declined during the challenge period.     

A natural infection by the red sea bream iridovirus‐type Megalocytivirus in the golden mandarin fish Siniperca scherzeri

An outbreak of a Megalocytivirus infection was found in the golden mandarin fish Siniperca scherzeri during September and October 2016, in Korea. Phylogeny and genetic diversity based on the major capsid protein (MCP) and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) genes showed a new strain. Designated as GMIV, this strain derived from the golden mandarin fish was suggested to belong to the red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV)‐subgroup I. Additionally, this train clustered with the ehime‐1 strain from red sea bream Pagrus major in Japan and was distinguished from circulating isolates (RSIV‐type subgroup II and turbot reddish body iridovirus [TRBIV] type) in Korea. The infection level, evaluated by qPCR, ranged from 8.18 × 10² to 7.95 × 10⁶ copies/mg of tissue individually, suggesting that the infected fish were in the disease‐transmitting stage. The diseased fish showed degenerative changes associated with cytomegaly in the spleen as general sign of Megalocytivirus infection. The results confirm that the RSIV‐type Megalocytivirus might have crossed the environmental and species barriers to cause widespread infection in freshwater fish.     

鳜pep和gh基因SNP标记与驯食性状的关联分析

以鳜(Siniperca chuatsi)选育群体为实验材料,在易驯食与不易驯食鳜转录组Unigene数据库中共预测到4809个SNP位点,其中胃蛋白酶基因(pepsinoge, pep)和生长激素基因(growth hormone, gh)均为转录组筛选获得的鳜驯食性状候选基因,本研究将候选基因上的多态SNP位点在易驯食和不易驯食鳜群体中进行基因分型,并与鳜驯食性状进行关联分析。在易驯食与不易驯食的鳜群体中共发现5个单核苷酸(SNP)多态性位点,有效等位基因(N_e)在1.1959～1.7001,观测杂合度(H_o)和期望杂合度(H_e)分别分布于0.1800～0.3585和0.1655～0.4160,多态信息含量(PIC)为0.2477,全部位点都属于中度多态性位点。结果表明SNP位点pep-A T/C中2种基因型TT和CT与鳜驯食性状呈高水平显著相关(P0.05),组合得到的3种基因型Genotype1(CT,CC/CT/TT,AA,AA,TT)、Genotype2(TT,CC/CT/TT, AA, AA, TT)和Genotype3(TT, CC, AA, AA, TT)也与鳜驯食性状呈高水平显著相关(P0.05),显著影响鳜驯食性状表型,其中Genotype2相关性最高,可作为最优基因型个体进行选育。本研究在鳜pep和gh基因中鉴定出与驯食性状呈显著关联的SNP分子标记,为加快易驯食鳜新品种的基因辅助选育提供有效的SNP分子标记。     

Effect of salinity on the rearing performance of juvenile golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus 1758)

Effect of rearing salinity on the performance of juvenile golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus (Linnaeus 1758) was studied under a laboratory condition. Fish growth, survival, RNA/DNA ratio, pepsin activity, α‐amylase activity and FCR were used as evaluation criteria. The growth and RNA/DNA ratio were significantly affected by the rearing salinity. High growth rate and RNA/DNA ratio were observed when fish were reared at the salinity of 34‰. The pepsin activity of fish was not significantly affected by the rearing salinity. However, the α‐amylase activity of fish was significantly affected by the rearing salinity. The α‐amylase activity of fish reared at the salinity of 10‰ was significantly lower than fish cultured at the salinity of 34‰. Rearing salinity can significantly affect the FCR of juvenile golden pompano. The FCR of fish cultured at the salinity of 10‰ was 5‐times higher than the FCR of fish reared at 34‰. Results from the present study indicate that juvenile golden pompano can be reared above 26‰ without affecting fish performance, and the salinity of 10‰ may be too low to rear juvenile golden pompano as fish growth, RNA/DNA ratio and α‐amylase activity were reduced.     

Seasonal changes in proteolytic enzymes of yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck & Schlegel; Carangidae) fed extruded diets containing different protein and energy levels

Seasonal variations in pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin activities and protein digestibility were studied in yellowtails (Seriola quinqueradiata) reared for 1 year with extruded diets containing different levels of protein. Trypsin and chymotrypsin storage levels in the digestive tissues of starved fish were affected by seasonal changes in water temperature. Actual digestion activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin were low at lower water temperatures, but pepsin activity in the stomach tissue was not affected by low temperatures. On the other hand, trypsin and chymotrypsin activities in the intestinal contents were higher during lower water temperature months, while pepsin activity in the stomach contents was low at lower water temperatures. Apparent protein digestibility (APD) did not differ among the dietary treatments in the higher water temperature months, while in colder months it was higher in fish fed diet 1 than in fish fed diets 2 and 3. The APD values reflected pepsin activity in the stomach contents in all sampling months. Therefore, lower APD in colder months seems to be attributed to lower protease activity in the gastric digesta, implying that enhanced pepsin secretion from the stomach tissue might improve protein digestibility and growth performance in yellowtails during winter.     

Changes in digestive enzyme activities of red porgy Pagrus pagrus during a fasting–refeeding experiment

An experiment was carried out in red porgy, Pagrus pagrus (Teleostei, Sparidae), to assess the effects of a 14-day fasting period, followed by refeeding to apparent satiation, on the contents of digestive enzymes (total proteases, and particularly pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidases A and B; amylase and lipase). Two fish groups were considered: one (indicated as fasted/refed group) was fasted for 14 days and then refed during further 7 and 15 days, and the other was fed throughout the study and was taken as a control group. The measured enzymatic values showed that fasting resulted in a generalized, not significant decrease, of the activity of digestive enzymes. Refeeding caused a significant increase for most of the assayed enzymes: total proteases both in the middle and distal intestine, pepsin in the stomach, trypsin in the middle intestine, and amylase and lipase in the proximal intestine. Nevertheless, the detection in the fasted/refed fish of enzymatic values still lower than those measured in the control fish suggested that fish experiencing short-term fasting were partially impaired in their digestive capacity.     

Effects of live and artificial feeds on the growth,digestion, immunity and intestinal microflora of mandarin fish hybrid (Siniperca chuatsi ♀ × Siniperca scherzeri ♂)

How to acclimate mandarin fish to eat artificial feeds has been always a challenge for researchers. The mandarin fish after hybridization (Siniperca chuatsi ♀ × Siniperca scherzeri ♂) could be fed artificial feeds which solved the problem to some extent. However, the growth performance, digestibility, immunity and intestinal microflora of mandarin fish hybrid fed artificial feeds need further study. One hundred and twenty fish of similar size (average weight, 19.5 ± 0.9 g) were randomly stocked into six 250‐L aquariums and separately fed live baits (the control) or artificial feeds in triplicate for 70 days. The weight gain and special growth rate of fish fed artificial feeds were significantly lower than those of fish fed live baits (P < 0.05). The protease activities of stomach, liver and intestine in fish fed live baits were all significantly higher than those in fish fed artificial feeds. The activities of catalase and lysozyme, the content of glutathione in serum of fish fed live baits were all significantly higher than those in fish fed artificial feeds. However, the content of malondialdehyde in liver of fish fed artificial feeds was significantly higher than that in fish fed live baits. The dominant bacteria in both groups were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Cyanobacteria, Verrucomicrobia. However, live baits greatly affected the amount of beneficial and harmful bacteria of intestine in mandarin fish hybrid and broke the balance of intestinal flora.