Pleistophora infestation in fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas (Rafinesque)

Pleistophora infestation was observed in adult fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, held under laboratory conditions. Fish were clinically healthy, and presented no gross findings at necropsy. Histopathology revealed parasitic stages only in the ovaries. Spores within sporophorous vesicles were mainly encountered in late vitellogenic oocytes and were ultrastructurally identified as a microsporidian parasite. Heavily parasitized oocytes underwent degeneration followed by the release of spores into the ovarian interstitium. Degenerating oocytes and interstitial spores caused ovarian inflammation. Male fish showed no parasites in the testes. Parasitic infestation was compared with body length, body weight, gonadal weight, gonadosomatic index and plasma vitellogenin levels, and revealed no statistically significant differences between non-parasitized and parasitized females. The isolated holding conditions of the fish and the presence of parasitic stages in the ovaries suggested that an infestation with Pleistophora ovariaeSummerfelt, 1964 was more probable than that with Pleistophora mirandellae (Vaney & Conte, 1901).     

The purification and partial characterization of carp,Cyprinus carpio,vitellogenin

A procedure is described for the isolation of intact vitellogenin (c-VTG) from the carp, Cyprinus carpio. VTG was induced in juvenile females using oestradiol-17β and purified from the plasma using a combination of gel-filtration chromatography on Sepharose 6B and ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. Purification procedures were conducted at low temperatures (below 9°C) in the presence of the proteolytic enzyme inhibitor aprotinin to prevent degradation. Intact c-VTG had an apparent molecular mass of 390,000 Daltons, but when extracted from plasma in the absence of aprotinin it underwent proteolysis into at least 2 protein fragments (apparent molecular masses of 230,000 and 96,000 Daltons), showing an instability of the native dimer. An amino acid analysis of c-VTG showed that its composition was almost identical to goldfish VTG, a species closely allied to the true carps and also similar to other oviparous vertebrate VTGs. Collectively, these data indicate that using these purification procedures VTG from carp, and probably other teleost species, can be isolated in an intact, highly purified form.     

绢丝昆虫柳蚕的生物学特性和卵黄原蛋白鉴定

柳蚕 (ActiasseleneH櫣ｂｎｅｒ)是一种野生绢丝昆虫。通过室内饲养的方法 ,观察了柳蚕的生物学特性和卵孔的显微特征 ,在合肥地区的幼虫 4眠 5龄 ,二化性 ,蛹滞育 ,染色体n =31,全龄期达 4 0d以上。通过SDS PAGE和Westernblotting鉴定 ,柳蚕的卵黄原蛋白是由大小 2个亚基组成 ,分子量分别为 175kD和 4 5kD ,存在组织、时期、性别表达的差异性     

甜菜夜蛾卵黄原蛋白多克隆抗体制备及其在不同发育时期蛋白表达

【目的】制备甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua)卵黄原蛋白(vitellogenin,Vg)多克隆抗体,并检测甜菜夜蛾不同发育时期血淋巴中的Vg蛋白表达量变化,为进一步研究Vg转运与利用机制以及生物学功能打下基础。【方法】以羽化24 h的甜菜夜蛾雌成虫c DNA为模板,通过PCR扩增得到甜菜夜蛾Vg基因片段,其包含vitellogenin-N结构功能区。将Vg目的片段连入pMD-19T载体后进行测序,利用DNAMAN软件分析该基因序列的准确性及编码蛋白的特性。将测序正确的Vg基因片段通过Nde Ⅰ和Xba Ⅰ限制性内切酶连接到原核表达载体pCzn1。将重组表达载体pCzn1-Vg转入大肠杆菌Arctic Express,离心收集诱导表达的菌液,超声波破碎菌体沉淀,取上清液与沉淀进行SDS-PAGE检测,分析Vg重组蛋白的可溶性。在不同温度、不同浓度IPTG条件下诱导表达Vg重组蛋白,筛选最优表达条件。经Ni-NTA琼脂糖凝胶亲和层析柱纯化得到了Vg重组蛋白,将该蛋白免疫新西兰白兔,制备兔抗Vg血清抗体。采用间接ELISA方法检测血清抗体的效价,并通过Western blot法检测甜菜夜蛾雌虫不同发育阶段血淋巴中Vg蛋白的表达差异。【结果】扩增所得Vg基因片段为2 091 bp,编码697个氨基酸,预测蛋白分子量为80.88 k D。通过大肠杆菌表达出的Vg重组蛋白相对分子量为80 k D,其大小与预期的Vg重组蛋白带大小相符合。其主要以包涵体形式表达,而在上清中表达量不明显。不同温度、不同浓度IPTG条件下诱导表达Vg重组蛋白的结果显示温度为25℃,IPTG浓度为0.6 mmol·L~(-1)时,Vg重组蛋白表达量最高。继续提高温度和IPTG浓度,对提高Vg重组蛋白的表达量无明显作用,且杂蛋白增多。新西兰白兔经4次免疫后,间接ELISA法检测表明,制备的兔抗Vg抗体具有较好的灵敏度,效价达到1﹕512 000。Western blot检测Vg蛋白在甜菜夜蛾不同发育阶段血淋巴中的表达,其杂交出的单一条带在180 k D左右。Vg蛋白在甜菜夜蛾雌蛹末期开始微弱表达。雌成虫羽化后血淋巴中Vg蛋白表达量先升高后降低,呈动态变化,到羽化48 h表达量最高,随后降低。【结论】纯化获得了Vg重组蛋白,并明确了最优表达条件(温度为25℃,IPTG浓度为0.6 mmol·L~(-1));制备了高效价的甜菜夜蛾Vg多克隆抗体,明确了甜菜夜蛾Vg蛋白的表达规律。     

鲢鱼体内卵黄蛋白原ELISA试剂盒的研制

以鲢鱼(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)卵黄蛋白原(Vitellogenin,Vtg)为抗原,卵黄蛋白原抗血清为抗体,建立了检测鲢鱼体内卵黄蛋白原的间接酶联免疫吸附反应(ELISA)方法,组装卵黄蛋白原ELISA试剂盒,并对其性能进行鉴定。结果表明,建立的ELISA间接法检测浓度为6.1~396.0 ng/m L,灵敏度为6.1 ng/m L,且在该范围内标准曲线线性良好;稳定性试验结果表明,在系列抗原标准品中添加1%蔗糖、20%甘油和0.000 5%Mg Cl_2时,试剂盒在37℃条件下放置7 d,其标准曲线灵敏度和线性基本保持不变,说明筛选的该稳定剂配方对ELISA试剂具有良好的保护作用。     

Induction,purification and partial characterization of vitellogenin in an Indian major carp Catla catla (Ham.)

Vitellogenin was purified from the serum of 17‐β estradiol (E₂)‐induced juvenile Catla catla using a simple two‐step purification procedure i.e. selective chemical precipitation followed by gel filtration chromatography. Purified protein migrated as single band in a native gradient PAGE which indicated the purity of the sample. The molecular weight of the native catla vitellogenin (~440 kDa) was determined using gel filtration chromatography. In SDS‐PAGE under reducing conditions catla vitellogenin dissociated into three major sub units at 115 kDa, 102 kDa and 73 kDa along with a few faint bands. Confirmation of purified protein as catla vitellogenin was supported by multiple physiological evidences, e.g. absence in male as well as juvenile sera and presence in matured female fish, ability to be synthesized upon estradiol injection in immature fish and certain unique biochemical properties like high molecular weight, phospholipoglycoprotein nature of the molecule. Western blot analysis showed that polyclonal antibody raised against purified protein detected vitellogenin in the sera of catla and in a few species selected from Cyprinidae family. These antisera were used to detect vitellogenin in liver tissue of hormone‐induced catla using immunohistochemistry and its applicability in other immunoassays is discussed.     

Effect of dietary essential fatty acids on level of oestradiol‐17β and vitellogenin,reproductive performance and larval quality of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in out‐of‐spawning season

A study was conducted to determine the effect of essential fatty acid in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) broodstock diets on a level of oestradiol‐17β and vitellogenin, reproductive performance and larval quality in out‐of‐spawning season. Five female and five male broodstock were stocked into a net cage (3 × 5 × 1.5 m³) and fed with pelleted diets containing 1.5% fish oil and different amounts of corn oil (CO) in diet formulation, that is 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% respectively. Gonadal development, oestradiol‐17ß and vitellogenin concentrations were examined every 2 weeks. Oestradiol‐17ß and vitellogenin concentrations showed an increase during the maturation process. The significantly highest percentage of female mature, fecundity, hatching rate, larval production and larval survival rate were obtained from fish fed with 2% corn oil in the diet. This result revealed that the administration of 2% corn oil in the diet as a source of n‐6 (linoleic acid) and 1.5% fish oil as a source of n‐3 (linolenic acid) can improve the reproductive performance of striped catfish broodstock in out‐of‐spawning season.     

A rapid latex agglutination test for gender identification in the Atlantic bluefin tuna,Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus)

A rapid, one‐step agglutination assay has been developed, based on latex particles sensitized with antibodies against vitellogenin (Vtg), aimed at Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus) (ABFT), gender identification. The egg‐yolk precursor protein Vtg was used as a gender marker for the assay as it is a female‐specific protein synthesized during reproductive maturation. The presence of Vtg in the plasma was revealed in 60–120 s through an agglutination reaction by mixing small volumes of ABFT plasma and an anti‐Vtg antibody‐latex suspension on a microscope slide. The effectiveness of the present test was restricted to the months of May and June, concomitant with high circulating Vtg levels. Because of its rapidity and ease of performance in the field, the present gender identification assay could be useful for broodstock management in the aquaculture industry as well as in tagging studies on wild populations.     

Purification,characterization and immunoassay of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) vitellogenin

The egg yolk precursor, vitellogenin (VTG), was purified from blood plasma of striped bass by chromatography on hydroxylapatite or DEAE-agarose. The fish were first implanted with estradiol-17β (E₂), which induced vitellogenesis. A rabbit antiserum (a-FSPP) raised against plasma from mature female striped bass, and then adsorbed with mature male plasma, was used to detect female-specific plasma protein (FSPP) in the chromatography fractions. Striped bass VTG (s-VTG) was collected from the peak fraction that was induced by E₂, reacted with a-FSPP, and contained all detectable phosphoprotein. It appeared as a single band (M_r ≂ 170,000) in SDS-PAGE or Western blots using a-FSPP, and as a pair of closely-spaced phospholipoprotein bands in native gradient-PAGE, suggesting that there is more than one circulating form of s-VTG. The relationship of s-VTG to the yolk proteins was verified using a-FSPP. The antiserum reacted with the main peak from gel filtration of saline ovary extracts, and it specifically immunostained the two main bands in Western blots of the extracts and the yolk granules of mature oocytes. The amino acid composition of s-VTG was similar to that of VTG from other fish and Xenopus. A radial immunodiffusion assay for s-VTG was developed using a-FSPP and purified s-VTG as standard. The s-VTG was not detected in blood plasma of males, immature females, or regressed adult females, but plasma s-VTG levels were highly correlated with plasma E₂ and testosterone levels, and oocyte growth, in maturing females. The results indicate that the maturational status of female striped bass can be identified by s-VTG immunoassay.