Mycobacteriosis caused by Mycobacterium marinum in reared mullets: first evidence from Sardinia (Italy)

Mycobacterium marinum is a slow‐growing non‐tuberculous mycobacterium, and it is considered the most common aetiologic agent of mycobacteriosis in wild and cultured fish. The diagnosis is principally made by histology when positive Ziehl–Neelsen stain granulomas are detected. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of mycobacteriosis in extensively cultured Mugilidae of two lagoons (Cabras and San Teodoro) from Sardinia by the use of histology, microbiology, PCR and DNA sequencing. Nine of 106 mullets examined were affected by mycobacteriosis, and the spleen was the most affected organ. The histology detected higher rate (100%) of infection in spleen than the culture and PCR (75% and 62.5%, respectively). The sequencing of hsp65 gene identified M. marinum as the primary cause of mycobacteriosis in the mullets examined. Mullets affected by mycobacteriosis were mainly fished in the San Teodoro lagoon characterized by critical environmental conditions. Histology remains the most common method in detecting fish affected by mycobacteriosis, and PCR‐based methods are essential for species identification. Our finding are worthy of attention because mycobacteriosis caused by M. marinum in reared mullets was evidenced for the first time in Sardinia, suggesting that this disease may be underestimated also in other cultured fish species.     

Molecular typing of Streptococcus agalactiae isolates from fish

The genetic variability among Streptococcus agalactiae isolates recovered from fish was characterized using single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of the intergenic spacer region (ISR), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting. A total of 46 S. agalactiae cultures isolated from different fish species and geographic origins as well as related reference strains were included in the study. ISR-SSCP divided the S. agalactiae isolates analysed into five distinct genotypes. Genotype 1 grouped all Kuwait isolates while genotype 4 clustered the majority of non-Kuwait isolates (USA, Brazil and Honduras). AFLP analysis offered a higher resolution level by dividing the isolates into 13 different genotypes. Two different AFLP profiles were identified within the Kuwait isolates. When data from both ISR-SSCP and AFLP were combined through a multidimensional analysis (MDS), a good correlation between geographical origin and genotypes was observed. Both AFLP and ISR-SSCP revealed genetic differences between S. agalactiae isolates from fish. While AFLP offered a higher resolution, ISR-SSCP also provided valid information being a simpler and faster method.     

大黄鱼冰鲜杂鱼饲料中细菌多样性研究

为研究大黄鱼（Larimichthys crocea）冰鲜杂鱼饲料中细菌的多样性,用细菌通用引物构建了细菌16S rRNA基因克隆文库。从文库中随机挑选125个克隆子进行限制性片段长度多态性（ RFLP）分析,得到82个不同的RFLP 带型。对部分代表性克隆子进行测序,得到23条有效序列。序列同源性分析和系统进化分析结果表明,大黄鱼冰鲜杂鱼饲料中细菌主要分为3大类群,其中γ-变形菌纲（γ-Proteobacteria）细菌占据明显地优势地位,约占所分析克隆子数的84.4％;其次是黄杆菌纲（Flavobacteria）细菌,约占10.9％;还有少量的梭杆菌纲（Fusobac-teria）细菌,约占4.7％。γ-变形菌纲细菌中以嗜冷杆菌（Psychrobacter sp.）最多,其次是发光杆菌（Photobacteri-um）。     

Effects of entrance design on catch efficiency of arabesque greenling traps: a field experiment in Matsumae, Hokkaido

ABSTRACT:   A field experiment was conducted in the Matsumae area of Hokkaido, Japan, during June and July 2002, to investigate the effects of different entrance designs on the catch efficiency of fish traps by fishing with commercial traps (entrance inclination angle [α] = 37°; funnel length of entrance [ L _f ] = 22 cm) and experimental traps. The experimental traps were of the same size and similar design as commercial traps, with different entrance inclination angles (trap E1: α = 46°; E2: α = 27°; E3: α = 0°; all L _f  = 22 cm) or funnel lengths (E4: α = 37°, L _f  = 8 cm). In total, 2200 fish during 200 trap hauls were captured. The catch was significantly higher using both traps E2 and the commercial trap than with trap E3 ( P  < 0.05), and the catch of trap E2 was higher than that of the commercial trap. There were no significant differences in mean fish body length or the frequency distributions of body length among trap types (E1, E2, E3 and commercial). The funnel length of the entrance also affected the catch of traps. Trap E4 had significantly higher catches than the commercial trap ( P  = 0.04) when traps were deployed for a 1-day soak time. Fish body length frequency distributions did not differ between trap E4 and the commercial trap. The results showed that catch can be greatly affected by trap entrance designs.     

鼠层粘蛋白α5链E3、LG4、LG5片段的克隆及表达

从鼠的肝脏组织中提取总 RNA,采用 RT- PCR获得了鼠层粘蛋白 ( laminin)α5链的 E3 ( L G4 - 5)、L G4 和 L G5等 3个基因片段 ,与 NCBI数据库参考序列相比 ,同源性在 99%以上。将 E3 ( L G4 ,5)、L G4 和 L G5定向克隆到原核高效表达载体 Pet- 2 8a中 ,构建 Pet- 2 8a- E3 、Pet- 2 8a- L G4 、Pet- 2 8a- L G5等 3个原核表达质粒。将表达质粒转化表达受体菌 BL2 1中 ,IPTG诱导表达。收集菌液进行 SDS- PAGE电泳、Western- blotting分析 ,结果显示 ,这 3段基因在原核细胞中成功表达 ,薄层扫描显示表达蛋白占细胞总蛋白的 2 0 %以上。大量提取包涵体 ,纯化后免疫家兔 ,8周后得多克隆抗体 ,间接 EL ISA在抗体稀释到 1∶ 1 2 80 0时仍为阳性     

长壮蝎蝽假死行为的初步研究*

 对长壮蝎蝽(Laccotrephes robustusStl)成虫在水体内外的假死行为以及控制假死行为的关键部位进行了研究。结果表明：(1)水体外假死时长明显高于水体中;(2) 对不同捕食压力的适应导致蝎蝽在水体内外假死行为的差别,并能够提高自身的适合度;(3) 蝎蝽的假死行为并不完全受脑或某一神经节控制,胸部各体节均有独立完成假死动作的可能。     

Development of Sequence Characterized Amplified Region （SCAR） Primers for the Detection of Resistance to Sporisorium reiliana in Maize

Head smut of maize （Zea mays L.）, which was caused by Sporisorium reiliana, occurred in most of the maize growing areas of the world. The purpose of this study was to develop SCAR markers for map-based cloning of resistance genes and MAS. Two sets of BC3 progenies, one （BC3Q） derived from the cross Qi319 （resistance）×Huangzao 4 （susceptible）, the other （BC3M） from Mol7 （resistance）× Huangzao 4 （susceptible）, were generated. Huangzao 4 was the recurrent parent in both progenies. A combination of BSA （bulked segregant analysis） with AFLP （amplified fragment length polymorphism） method was applied to map the genes involving the resistance to S. reiliana, and corresponding resistant and susceptible bulks and their parental lines were used for screening polymorphic AFLP primer pairs. One fragment of PI3M61-152 was converted into SCAR （sequence charactered amplified fragment） marker S130. The marker was mapped at chromosome bin 2.09, the interval of a major QTL region previously reported to contribute to S. reiliana resistance. Furthermore, S130 was highly and facilitate map-based cloni associated with resistance to S. reiliana, and could be useful for marker-assisted selection ng of resistance genes.     

柑橘CHS基因序列多态性及表达水平对类黄酮生物合成的影响

查尔酮的合成是类黄酮生物合成途径中的一个关键节点。从10个柑橘种质中克隆了查尔酮合成酶(chalcone synthase,CHS)基因,并对其不同时期的果实和叶片中的类黄酮含量进行了测定,分析了CHS基因的序列多态性与类黄酮含量之间的关系;同时通过qRT-PCR检测了CHS基因在不同种质之间以及同一种质的不同组织间的表达差异。结果表明,柑橘CHS基因的核苷酸序列高度保守,相似度达98%以上。聚类分析表明,CHS氨基酸序列的多态性有物种特异性,而且与类黄酮含量有一定的相关性。CHS基因的表达水平在不同种质、部位及生长发育时期有显著差异,这些差异与类黄酮的含量有显著的相关性,说明CHS基因对类黄酮的生物合成有明显影响。     

Porosity and capillarity of weft knitted spacer structures

A geometrical model of weft knitted spacer structures made with mono-filament yarn has been analysed to understand the spacer yarn path. Theoretical models have been created to predict the porosity and the radius of the capillaries of a knitted spacer structure depending on their geometrical parameters, such as course spacing, wale spacing, stitch length, fabric thickness, count of yarn and fibre density. Polyester knitted spacer fabrics were produced with different parameters; their porosity was determined by measuring the weight and compared with the theoretical porosity. The validity of the model was confirmed by experimental results. The porosity of knitted spacer structures made out of mono-filament yarn can be maintained above a certain level by adjusting the fabric parameters such as fabric thickness, course spacing and wale spacing.