Enigmatic hotspot of crayfish diversity at risk: Invasive potential of non‐indigenous crayfish if introduced to New Guinea

1. The large island of New Guinea has a rich indigenous astacofauna represented by numerous parastacids from the genus Cherax. The western half of the island is part of Indonesian territory.
2. Indonesia is known to be the main exporter of ornamental crayfish globally, and certain New Guinean species are exploited as ornamentals within the international pet trade. Moreover, one non‐indigenous species has been previously recorded being cultured in Java, Indonesia. This species, the North American Procambarus clarkii, is a vector of crayfish plague, the disease that is lethal to most parastacids. This population has already tested positive for the disease.
3. As the transport of non‐indigenous crayfish within the Indonesian territory is not restricted, their introduction to New Guinea can be expected. The Indonesian market was therefore surveyed for ornamental crayfish and their environmental suitability evaluated, as represented by temperature during the drought and rainy seasons in New Guinea.
4. Four North American and one Australian species were found advertised for sale. One of them, P. clarkii, was assessed as the most damaging species, followed by other North American species. A total ban on the culture and transport of the highest risk crayfish species in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea is recommended.

     

Investigation of Yacon Leaves (Smallanthus sonchifolius) for α-Glucosidase Inhibitors Using Metabolomics and In Silico Approach

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Robinson) leaves is traditionally consumed as herbal tea in many countries including Indonesia. This plant’s antidiabetic properties have been extensively researched, but studies on the responsible active compound identification are scarce. Information on the active compounds is critical for the consistency of Yacon herbal tea quality. The aim of this study was to identify α-glucosidase inhibitors in Indonesian Yacon leaves grown in two different locations using FTIR- and LC–MS/MS-based metabolomics in combination with in silico technique. Yacon leaves ethanol (50 and 95%) and water extracts were tested for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with the 95% ethanol extract being the most active. Geographical origins were found to have no major impact on the activity. In parallel, chemical profile of Yacon leaves extract was determined using FTIR and LC–MS/MS. Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structure (OPLS) was used to analyze both sets of data. OPLS analysis of FTIR data showed that compounds associated to α-glucosidase inhibitor activity included those with functional groups –OH, stretched CH, carbonyl, and alkene. It was consistent with the result of OPLS analysis of LC–MS/MS data, which revealed that based on their VIP and Y-related coefficient value, nystose, 1-kestose, luteolin-3′-7-di-O-glucoside, and 1,3-O-dicaffeoilquinic acid isomers, strongly linked to Yacon’s α-glucosidase inhibitor activity. In silico study supported these findings, revealing that the four compounds were potent α-glucosidase inhibitors with docking score in the range of ? 100.216 to ? 115.657 kcal/mol, which are similar to acarbose (? 115.774 kcal/mol) as a reference drug.

Graphical abstract

     

Induction of peroxidase as a disease resistance response in resistant (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hibiscus trionum</Emphasis>) and susceptible (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Althea armeniaca</Emphasis>) species in the family malvaceae

The pathogen-induced biosynthesis of peroxidase (PO) in resistant and susceptible wild species of Malvaceae was studied. Specifically,Hibiscus trionum was found to be resistant to the wilt pathogenVerticillium dahliae, andAlthea armeniaca was susceptible. After inoculation withV. dahliae, PO activity increased more rapidly in the resistant plant: increased activity inH. trionum was noted within 1 h after inoculation, remained high for 5 h, and decreased after 18 h. After 5 days, the levels did not differ from the control. In the susceptibleA. armeniaca, PO activity did not differ statistically from the control even after 18 h, but was significantly higher after 5 days. Electrophoretic analysis of inoculated tissue extracts showed the occurrence of two new isoforms inh. trionum after inoculation; new isoforms did not occur inA. armeniaca. A chitin affinity chromatography column showed the presence of a chitin-binding peroxidase isozyme in healthyH. trionum that increased dramatically after inoculation. Two chitin-binding peroxidase isozymes were observed in healthyA. armeniaca: one (R _f 0.26) did not increase and the other (R _f 0.89) evinced only a small increase after inoculation.     

Antitumor Properties of Epitope-Specific Engineered Vaccine in Murine Model of Melanoma

Finding new effective compounds of natural origin for composing anti-tumor vaccines is one of the main goals of antitumor research. Promising anti-cancer agents are the gastropodan hemocyanins–multimeric copper-containing glycoproteins used so far for therapy of different tumors. The properties of hemocyanins isolated from the marine snail Rapana thomasiana (RtH) and the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa (HaH) upon their use as carrier-proteins in conjugated vaccines, containing ganglioside mimotope GD3P4 peptide, were studied in the developed murine melanoma model. Murine melanoma cell line B16F10 was used for solid tumor establishment in C57BL/6 mice using various schemes of therapy. Protein engineering, flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity assays were also performed. The administration of the protein-engineered vaccines RtH-GD3P4 or HaH-GD3P4 under the three different regimens of therapy in the B16F10 murine melanoma model suppressed tumor growth, decreased tumor incidence, and prolonged the survival of treated animals. The immunization of experimental mice induced an infiltration of immunocompetent cells into the tumors and generated cytotoxic tumor-specific T cells in the spleen. The treatment also generates significantly higher levels of tumor-infiltrated M1 macrophages, compared to untreated tumor-bearing control mice. This study demonstrated a promising approach for cancer therapy having potential applications for cancer vaccine research.     

Vulnerability of marine resources to small‐scale fishing in a tropical area: The example of Sunda Strait in Indonesia

Although small‐scale fisheries (SSF) play an important socio‐economic role in developing nations, overfishing seems to be increasing the risk of stock vulnerability. This study aims to quantify the pressure of SSF on fish stocks in Sunda Strait (Indonesia) using several biological indicators that are important in quantifying fishing pressure. Data on these indicators were collected monthly for three years (2012–2014) in one of the main fishing ports of the area. The results provide evidence that, although SSF would appear to be the most environmentally sustainable of all the fishing techniques being used today in the coastal waters of Indonesia, the impact of SSF fishing on juvenile fishes in certain areas such as the Sunda Strait must not be underestimated. The results also show the need to protect immature fish of species that are not only commercialised but are also important in subsistence fisheries. Although further studies are needed to assess the impact of SSF on fish stocks in the area, it is suggested management recommendations that include the implementation of marine‐protected areas in nursery grounds and establishing minimum landing sizes well above the size‐at‐maturity for each species, are needed.