Immunomodulatory effect of recombinant RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus in giant freshwater prawn M. rosenbergii

The present study evaluated the role of recombinant RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) in modulating the immune response and in reducing MrNV load in infected prawn. In the first experiment, prawns (25–30 g) were injected with recombinant RdRp protein (RP) at a concentration of 0, 1.0 and 10 μg, and immune parameters and expression of some immune‐related genes were measured up to 14 days post injection (p.i.). In the second experiment, early juveniles were injected with a similar dose of RdRp and animals were challenged by immersion with MrNV. The infection status was detected in muscles by nested RT‐PCR up to 21 days post challenge. Prawn injected with higher concentration of RP showed significantly higher total haemocyte count at different period post injection. Significant up‐regulation of immune‐related genes was observed within 24 h in prawn treated with lower dose of RP and after 7 days p.i. at higher level of RP injection compared with adult control. Most of the tested samples (63%) were found to be RT‐PCR positive for MrNV at 48 h of post‐immersion challenge. After 14 days, MrNV was detected only in control prawn, while both RP‐injected groups were MrNV negative. This study elucidated the potential viral load reduction role played by RdRP in MrNV‐infected prawn.     

Molecular Cloning and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Identification of Myostatin cDNA in the Pearl Oyster,Pinctada fucata

Myostatin (MSTN or growth differentiation factor‐8) is considered a negative regulator of muscle growth and development. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full‐length MSTN cDNA from Pinctada fucata, and named it as the Pf‐MSTN cDNA. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Pf‐MSTN cDNA were then screened and genotyped. The full‐length Pf‐MSTN cDNA was 2644 bp, including an open reading frame of 1248 bp encoding 415 amino acids which contained typical structural characteristics shared by all members of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily including an N‐terminal signal peptide, a propeptide domain, and a TGF‐β superfamily bioactive domain. The Pf‐MSTN mRNA was detected in all tested tissues, with the highest mRNA levels observed in the adductor muscle, indicating that Pf‐MSTN may play a major role in this tissue. Furthermore, by sequencing and alignment, 32 SNP loci were identified in Pf‐MSTN cDNA. Genotyping 50 individuals from a common breeding stock revealed that 21 of these 32 loci were polymorphic. The minor allele frequency was in the range of 0.0400–0.4800, and the polymorphism information content value varied from 0.0739 to 0.3750. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.0200 to 1.0000 and from 0.0776 to 0.5051, respectively. These SNPs identified in Pf‐MSTN will be useful for future studies investigating their utility in marker‐assisted selection for P. fucata breeding.     

Molecular characterization of myostatin‐like genes expressed highly in the muscle tissue from Morotoge shrimp,Pandalopsis japonica

Myostatin is one of the transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β family members and plays inhibitory roles in the development and growth of muscle in mammals. Mammalian myostatins have been studied intensively, considering its medical and industrial potential use. Still, limited information is available about myostatin homologues in crustaceans. In the present study, we isolated for the first time cDNA that encodes for myostatin‐like protein (Pj‐MSTN) from Morotoge shrimp, Pandalopsis japonica. The putative mature peptide of Pj‐MSTN was composed of 109 amino acids, which contains an additional amino acid residue compared with mammalian myostatins. Pj‐MSTN exhibited 32% amino acid sequence identity and 52% similarity to human myostatin. Multiple sequence alignment analysis indicated that Pj‐MSTN shared the conserved proteolytic cleavage site (RXXR) for its maturation and nine cysteine residues for disulphide bridges. These results suggest that Pj‐MSTN has conserved the three‐dimensional structure of TGF‐β family members in vertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Pj‐MSTN is a primitive form of vertebrate myostatin and GDF11. The expression of Pj‐MSTN was not just identified in muscular tissues, suggesting that Pj‐MSTN functions differently from mammalian myostatin. Ablation of the X‐organ/sinus gland complex significantly reduced the expression of Pj‐MSTN in most tissues, suggesting its potential association with moulting.     

Cloning,expression and sequence analysis of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus genes: Indian isolate

RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), B2 and capsid genes of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) of Indian isolate were polymerase chain reaction amplified, cloned and sequenced. Expression of the MrNV fusion recombinant proteins of RdRp (44.5 kDa), B2 (32.2 kDa) and capsid (58.4 kDa) was confirmed by Western blot analysis using anti‐His mouse monoclonal antibodies. Polyclonal antibodies specific to purified recombinant MrNV capsid protein showed specificity against the capsid protein by Western blot. The protein sequence analysis of the partial RdRp gene of MrNV revealed the signature sequence along with the conserved core residues of the catalytic domain and indicated the presence of active sites, metal ion‐binding site and nucleic acid‐binding site residues. The Indian isolate of MrNV showed high RdRp and capsid gene sequence homology with the other MrNV geographical isolates. However, the Belize isolate was found to be the most distinct among the different geographical prawn nodavirus isolates due to the host specificity. Secondary structure prediction analysis of the MrNV capsid predicted it to be a DNA‐binding protein consisting of α helix (22.91%), extended strand (24.80%), β turn (5.39%) and random coil (46.90%) regions.     

Targeted Sequencing of Myogenic Regulatory Factors and Myostatins Reveals an Association between MSTN‐1 and Interorbital Distance in Orange‐spotted Grouper,Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton, 1822)

The aim of this study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes that are presumed to control muscle growth and to determine their potential association with growth in a cultured population of orange‐spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides. Seven genes, myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4), Myf5, MSTN‐1, MSTN‐2, MyoD1, MyoD2, and myogenin, were selected for the investigation, covering approximately 26 kbp. First, the two clades for the genes MSTN (myostatin) and MyoD were confirmed in this species using Bayesian inference analysis of the phylogenetic relationships. Then, the seven genes were enriched by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced using an Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine. A total of 586 SNPs were discovered. Linkage disequilibrium was decayed by 50% within 250 bp based on the combined data, which means that there was high resolution in the association mapping. A mixed linear model considering the population structure and kinship was used to detect the associations between genotypes and phenotypes. Only one site (KR269814.1:g.22T>G) in MSTN‐1 was found to be significantly associated with a measured trait, the interorbital distance (false discovery ratio < 0.05), and it explained 12.4% of the phenotype variation of this trait. This study provides insight on strategies for molecular marker‐assisted breeding in orange‐spotted grouper.     

Expression and functional characterization of glutamine synthetase from giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) under osmotic stress

The freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii naturally lives in the freshwater, though it migrates to the brackish water environment during spawning that claimed to be resistant on a broad range of saline fluxes. However, little is known about the osmoregulatory patterns and the effect of an enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) in M. rosenbergii under stress. Here, we described the identification and functional characterization of GS from M. rosenbergii (Mr‐GS) at molecular and protein levels. The identified Mr‐GS was comprised of 361 amino acids that phylogenetically shared the highest identity with other crustaceans and predicted to contain Gln‐synt_C and Gln‐synt_N domains at the respective terminal regions. Tissue distribution analysis in M. rosenbergii revealed that the Mr‐GS was highly expressed in muscle, and commonly existed in other examined tissues in the following order gills > heart > stomach > brain > haemolymph. Whereas, the mRNA of Mr‐GS was significantly up‐regulated in the muscle and gill tissues following challenges with either hyper (0 → 13‰), or hypo (13 → 0‰) osmotic stress at 3, 6 and 12 hr. Furthermore, the level of Glutamine concentration was positively correlated with the GS mRNA and protein expression patterns in hyper‐osmotic stress, whereas in hypo‐osmotic stress a slight decrease in the gills and maintained a level in the muscle tissues at 3, 6 and 12 hr post‐treatments. Our findings suggest that Mr‐GS potentially exhibited the osmoregulation responses in the gill and muscle tissues of M. rosenbergii throughout the time of osmotic stress, which will benefit for future study on osmoregulation.     

Production of recombinant capsid protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (r‐MCP43) of giant freshwater prawn,M. rosenbergii (de Man) for immunological diagnostic methods

White tail disease (WTD) caused by Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV) is a serious problem in prawn hatcheries. The gene for capsid protein of MrNV (MCP43) was cloned into pRSET B expression vector. The MCP43 protein was expressed as a protein with a 6‐histidine tag in Escherichia coli GJ1158 with NaCl induction. This recombinant protein, which was used to raise the antiserum in rabbits, recognized capsid protein in different WTD‐infected post‐larvae and adult prawn. Various immunological methods such as Western blot, dot blot and ELISA techniques were employed to detect MrNV in infected samples using the antiserum raised against recombinant MCP43 of MrNV. The dot blot assay using anti‐rMCP43 was found to be capable of detecting MrNV in WTD‐infected post‐larvae as early as at 24 h post‐infection. The antiserum raised against r‐MCP43 could detect the MrNV in the infected samples at the level of 100 pg of total protein. The capsid protein of MrNV estimated by ELISA using anti‐rMCP43 and pure r‐MCP43 as a standard was found to increase gradually during the course of infection from 24 h p.i. to moribund stage. The results of immunological diagnostic methods employed in this study were compared with that of RT‐PCR to test the efficiency of antiserum raised against r‐MCP43 for the detection of MrNV. The Western blot, dot blot and ELISA detected all MrNV‐positive coded samples as detected by RT‐PCR.     

Molecular isolation and characterization of a haemocyanin of Macrobrachium rosenbergii reveal its antibacterial activities

Haemocyanin is a multi‐subunit protein complex found in the haemolymph and is involved in the immune system of crustaceans. In this study, a haemocyanin gene of Macrobrachium rosenbergii, designated MrHc, was successfully isolated. The MrHc gene contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,992 nucleotides, encoding a protein of 663 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 76.5 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence contained distinct structural motifs of the haemocyanin superfamily, including an all‐alpha domain, a copper‐containing domain and an immunoglobulin‐like domain. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, the MrHC protein demonstrated a close relationship with the haemocyanins of Palaemon carinicauda and Macrobrachium nipponense. The MrHc gene was expressed in various shrimp tissues, including the hepatopancreas, gill, haemocytes, stomach and muscle. After Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) challenge tests, the MrHc gene was up‐regulated 237‐fold at day 2. A recombinant protein of the MrHc immunoglobulin‐like domain exhibited antibacterial activity against Vibrio vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas caviae, A. veronii, A. hydrophila and Bacillus cereus. This study suggested that MrHc may play important roles in the shrimp innate immune response to MrNV infection and bacterial infection.     

罗氏沼虾胞质锰超氧化物歧化酶的功能

为了解超氧化物歧化酶 (SOD)分子生物学特性和免疫功能，实验克隆了罗氏沼虾胞质锰SOD基因 (MrcMnSOD)，制备多克隆抗体，并分析在嗜水气单胞菌感染下该基因的表达模式。结果显示，嗜水气单胞菌感染可显著诱导MrcMnSOD在转录水平和蛋白质水平进行高表达。为探究MrcMnSOD参与免疫应答的机制，进一步的抑菌实验表明，该蛋白质可显著抑制3种革兰氏阴性细菌 (大肠杆菌、副溶血性弧菌、嗜水气单胞菌)和2种革兰氏阳性细菌 (无乳链球菌、金黄色葡萄球菌)的生长，且抑制作用与蛋白质浓度的关系不显著。研究表明，MrcMnSOD可能作为一种免疫相关分子参与免疫应答反应。本研究初步探讨了MrcMnSOD的免疫生物学功能，旨在为深入研究罗氏沼虾SOD的功能奠定相关基础。     

Fish protein hydrolysate in diets of turbot affects muscle fibre morphometry,and the expression of muscle growth‐related genes

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) in diets for turbot on growth performance, muscle fibre morphometry, and the expression of muscle growth‐related genes. A control diet (FPH0) contained 0 g/kg FPH, and four experimental diets were formulated replacing fishmeal with FPH at levels of 45 (FPH4.5), 120 (FPH12), 180 (FPH18) and 300 (FPH30) g/kg. Fish fed the FPH12 and FPH18 diets had higher specific growth rate (SGR) than fish fed the FPH0 diet (p < .05), and a quadratic regression was found between SGR and dietary FPH level (p = .001, R² = .677). Cross‐section area (CSA) and the length of sarcomere in the FPH12 group increased compared with the control group (p < .05), and a quadratic regression was observed between CSA and dietary FPH level (p = .006, R² = .574) and between sarcomere length and dietary FPH level (p = .018, R² = .788). An appropriate level of FPH down‐regulated myostatin 2 gene expression and up‐regulated proliferating cell nuclear antigen gene expression, while the expression of myogenic regulatory factors was not affected by dietary treatments (p > .05). To conclude, an appropriate level of FPH may improve muscle growth by regulating the expression of muscle growth‐related genes, and muscle microstructure and ultrastructure.     

罗氏沼虾细胞色素P450家族CYP302a1基因克隆及其在蜕皮周期中的表达

蜕皮是甲壳动物重要的生理活动,与其蜕皮激素的合成密切相关,细胞色素P450(CYP)302a1是甲壳动物蜕皮激素合成通路中的关键酶之一。本研究克隆了罗氏沼虾CYP302a1基因(Mr-CYP302a1),cDNA全长1859 bp,开放阅读框(ORF)为1629 bp,编码543个氨基酸(aa),分子量大小为61.09 ku,等电点为8.42。氨基酸序列分析显示CYP302a1基因的保守结构域含有5个P450基因家族特征保守区域:heme-binding、helix-K、helixC、helix-I及PERF。系统进化分析结果显示Mr-CYP302a1首先与绿虾CYP302a1聚为一支,然后与凡纳滨对虾及三疣梭子蟹等十足目甲壳动物的CYP302a1聚为一支,与甲壳动物的亲缘关系最近。实时荧光定量PCR(qRT-PCR)检测表明Mr-CYP302a1在罗氏沼虾的多个组织中均有表达,其中在Y器官中的表达量最高,性腺中次之。同时研究发现,MrCYP302a1基因在罗氏沼虾的蜕皮后期(A期和B期)表达量很低,蜕皮间期(C期)表达量开始上升,在蜕皮前期D1亚期达到峰值。对Mr-CYP302a1进行蛋白表达及多克隆抗体制备,蛋白印迹法(Western blot,WB)检测表明Mr-CYP302a1蛋白在罗氏沼虾Y器官中的表达量最高,在蜕皮过程中的蜕皮前期D1亚期达到峰值。综上所述,该基因在罗氏沼虾的蜕皮过程中扮演着十分重要的角色。     

Effects of Acute Handling Stress on Expression of Growth‐Related Genes in Pampus argenteus

In fish, growth and development are mainly regulated by growth hormone/insulin‐like growth factors. Common aquaculture practices subject fish to stress. To investigate the effects of acute stress on growth‐related genes in cultured fish, the expression of growth hormone receptors (ghr1 and ghr2), insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins (igfbp1, igfbp4, and igfbp5), preprosomatostatin I and II (ppss1and ppss2), somatostatin receptors (sstr2 and sstr5), myostatin (mstn1 and mstn2), and glucocorticoid receptors (gr1 and gr2) were examined in Pampus argenteus subjected to handling stress. Plasma growth hormone levels increased significantly and peaked at 12 h and then decreased significantly at 24 h after treatment (P<0.05). Plasma cortisol and glucose concentrations in stressed fish began to increase significantly at 2 and 6 h after treatment, respectively. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that hepatic ghr2 mRNA levels in liver and muscle decreased sharply in response to the stressor. Igfbp1, 4, and 5 mRNA expressions in muscle also decreased sharply after exposure, while expression of ppss1, sstr2, and mstn2 increased significantly. This study showed that acute handling stress can affect expression of growth‐related genes in P. argenteus. Our findings could be helpful for the further study on response to stress in this species.     

Immunomodulatory effect of Cynodon dactylon against white tail disease of giant freshwater prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man, 1879)

The giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, is an economically important and extensively cultured crustacean worldwide. The viral pathogens, Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV) are responsible for causing severe mortalities in the hatchery and nursery phases. This study investigates the protection of postlarvae of freshwater against white tail disease (WTD) using plant extract derived from Cyanodon dactylon and the modulation of the prawn non‐specific immunity. To determine the immunomodulatory effect of C. dactylon extract, the prawn was injected with plant extract and various immunological parameters were estimated. The immunological parameters such as proPO, SOD, THC and clotting time were found to be significantly higher in the plant extract‐injected prawn when compared with control groups. The results of real time PCR analysis revealed up regulation on the expression proPO, SOD and lysozyme genes in MrNV and XSV challenged prawn postlarvae treated with C. dactylon extract. Infectivity experiment showed high relative per cent survival in MrNV and XSV‐challenged prawn postlarvae treated with C. dactylon extract. These results strongly indicate that the administration of C. dactylon plant extract enhances immunity of the prawn. Based on the results, this study recommends that the immersion of postlarvae in C. dactylon plant extract is a potential prophylactic agent against WTD.     

Effect of dietary supplementation of palm fruit extracts on the transcriptomes of growth,antioxidant enzyme and immune‐related genes in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings

This study investigates the effects of date palm extracts [DPE] (Phoenix dactylifera L. Arecaceae) on growth, immune function and antioxidant system in common carp fingerlings (Cyprinus carpio). One hundred and twenty fish (4.06 ± 0.13 g) were divided into six groups fed on control diet or diets containing 200 mL kg^?1 DPE for 8 weeks. At the end of feeding trial, the expression of different genes was measured. Selected genes were grouped into three categories: growth factor genes in brain and liver [growth hormone (GH), insulin‐like growth factors I and II (IGF‐I and IGF‐II), antioxidant‐related genes in liver [glutathione S‐transferase‐alpha (GST‐α), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase genes (GPX)] and immune‐related genes in head kidney [interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) and transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) genes]. The relative expression of the growth‐related genes in fish fed DPE showed no significant increase compared to control group (P > 0.05). On the other hand, DPE altered the expression of genes encoding antioxidants enzymes in liver of fingerlings which was statistically significant with respect to the control samples in case GPX (P < 0.05). Also, DPE caused remarkable increases in the expression of the immune‐related genes (IL‐8, IL‐10 and TGF‐β) analysed on head kidney of common carp fingerlings compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, it can be suggested that administration of DPE in early stages of common carp culture can promote immune efficacy and increase the antioxidant activity.     

转录组测序筛选克氏原螯虾卵巢发育、免疫和生长相关基因

为发掘克氏原螯虾卵巢发育、免疫和肌肉生长的重要功能基因,采用Illumina HiSeq~(TM) 2 500高通量测序平台对克氏原螯虾的卵巢、肝胰腺和肌肉组织进行了转录组测序。所得序列经质控、组装后比对到NR、Swiss-Prot、pfam、COG、GO和KEGG数据库中注释,并进行差异基因聚类分析。结果显示,测序共获得了53 006个unigene,平均长度为1 194 bp。对3个组织样品的测序文库进行两两比较,发现在卵巢vs.肝胰腺中有差异表达基因(differentially expressed gene, DEG)20 382个,在肝胰腺vs.肌肉中有DEG 12 753个,在肌肉vs.卵巢中有DEG 21 629个。GO功能分类分析发现,部分DEG被注释到繁殖(reproduction)、繁殖过程(reproduction process)、免疫系统过程(immune system process)和生长(growth)GO条目。KEGG pathway分析显示,一部分DEG在卵巢发育、免疫和肌肉生长相关的信号通路中得到了富集。根据GO功能分类和KEGG信号通路分析筛选出了大量与克氏原螯虾卵巢发育、免疫和肌肉生长相关的候选基因,如卵黄蛋白原、卵黄蛋白原受体、Toll样受体2、Toll样受体相互作用蛋白、肌肉生长抑制素和5-羟色胺受体等。本研究结果丰富了克氏原螯虾的基因资源,可为克氏原螯虾的遗传育种和免疫研究提供基础数据。