Evaluation and characterization of a novel probiotic Lactobacillus pentosus PL11 isolated from Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) for its use in aquaculture

In the present study, a potential Lactobacilli probiotics were isolated from Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) and characterized and evaluated for their possible use in eel farming. Sixteen Lactobacilli were isolated from intestines of Japanese eels, using selective media. The lactobacilli strains (represented as PL1 to PL16) were screened by their ability to produce digestive enzyme. Among these, three strains (PL11, PL13 and PL16) producing four digestive enzymes (amylase, cellulase, protease and phytase) simultaneously were characterized further using API ZYM kit. From these, PL11 (Lactobacillu (L.) pentosus) was identified as potential probiotics candidate producing 15 enzymes among 20 tested. Further examination of biological activities of PL11 revealed tolerance against pH, artificial bile juice and antibacterial activity against several fish pathogenic bacteria. The in vitro competitive exclusion assay also revealed 88.4% reduction in adhesion of fish pathogen (Edwardsiella tarda) by PL11 to host intestinal mucus. In vitro incubation of Japanese eel foregut with Baclight‐labelled PL11 showed colonization of the enterocyte surface by confocal and scanning electron microscopy. In summary, PL11 isolated from eels could serve as a potential probiotics with acid and bile tolerance, production of digestive enzymes, antibacterial activity and inhibition of fish pathogen adhesion to intestinal mucus.     

Epidermal proteases of the Japanese eel

A fluorescent-sensitive assay was used to demonstrate the protease activity in the dorsal skin of Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica). Two distinct extracts were separately prepared from skin mucus and epidermal cell layers, with no mutual contamination. The epidermal extract was sensitive to various substrates, whereas there was no, or only marginal, susceptibility to the same substrates for the mucous extract. Optimum hydrolysis pHs of the epidermal extract was variable and below pH 7.0, and the optimum hydrolysis temperatures were between 40 and 50 °C. In addition, Tos-Phe-Ch₂Cl, chymostatin, CdCl₂, CuCl₂, HgCl₂ and ZnCl₂ inhibited protease activities to different extents. Several other reagents specifically affected the protease activities, and their induced effects were useful for the identification of epidermal proteases. The findings indicate that a proteolytic factor, exhibiting various enzymological specificities, is retained within epidermal cell layers of Japanese eel. This factor is composed of 4 distinct proteases, such as cathepsins L and B-like proteases, a serine protease and an aminopeptidase.     

间接ELISA法研究嗜水气单胞菌对鳗鲡表皮黏液的黏附特性

采用间接ELISA法研究菌浓度、孵育时间、温度、pH、阳离子及碳源等因子对嗜水气单胞菌(Aeromonas hydrophila)黏附鳗鲡(Anguilla anguilla)表皮黏液的影响。结果表明, 改良后的间接ELISA法的检测灵敏度约为9.92×10⁴ CFU, 细菌的黏附量随菌浓度的升高而逐渐增大并符合饱和黏附动力学方程: y=0.135ln(x)-0.936(R²= 0.986); 嗜水气单胞菌黏附鳗鲡表皮黏液的最佳条件为: 温度20~28℃, pH 6.2~6.6, NaCl、MgCl₂质量浓度分别为15~25 g/L和3 g/L, 孵育时间为150 min。碳源对嗜水气单胞菌的黏附作用有不同程度的影响, 葡萄糖和麦芽糖能显著提高嗜水气单胞菌的黏附量(P<0. 05), 果糖则显著降低嗜水气单胞菌的黏附量(P<0. 05)。以上结果说明, 嗜水气单胞菌对鳗鲡表皮黏液具有较强的黏附作用, 且其黏附作用具有可控性。

     

The influence of salmon surface mucus on the growth of Flavobacterium columnare

Flavobacterium columnare is the causative agent of columnaris disease. The presence of lesions on the gills, skin and fins of diseased fish suggests that F. columnare is able to utilize fish skin mucus as a substrate for growth and that exposure to this material would alter the expression of genes involved in the colonization of the outer surfaces of the fish. Growth, biofilm formation, extracellular protease production and changes in protein expression of F. columnare strain C#2 cultured in media supplemented with juvenile Atlantic salmon skin mucus were compared with the same media without mucus. C#2 was able to grow by using mucus as the sole nutrient source. Growth in mucus-containing media induced cells to grow as a biofilm and extracellular protease activity increased in mucus-containing cultures. SDS-PAGE protein profiles showed that expression of six extracellular proteins increased in mucus-containing media. These results demonstrate that salmon surface mucus promotes the growth of F. columnare and that exposure to mucus alters the growth characteristics of this bacterium with regard to protease production and biofilm formation. Further characterization of mucus-induced physiological changes will increase our understanding of the basis of virulence of this economically important fish pathogen.     

Purification and characterization of a 630 kDa bacterial killing metalloprotease (KilC) isolated from plaice Pleuronectes platessa (L.), epidermal mucus

Antibacterial chemicals in the mucus of fish such as lysozyme, lectins, peptides and proteases provide an efficient first line of defence against pathogens. This study shows that there are at least three antibacterial proteins in plaice skin mucus in addition to lysozyme. One of these proteins is responsible for approximately 74% of the antibacterial activity and is a 630 kDa protease complex designated KilC (bacterial killing metalloprotease C). Purified KilC kills the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa efficiently. The protease activity of KilC is dependent upon the divalent cation Mg(2+) and shows pH dual optima of 5.0 and 8.0. The enzyme has a temperature optimum of 25 degrees C and is made up of at least five different sized peptides. Studies with protease inhibitors show that the catalytic site of KilC may be cysteine- or serine protease-like. KilC may kill bacterial cells by acting directly upon the bacteria or by producing low molecular weight bioactive compounds such as peptides.     

母牛发情周期和妊娠早期宫颈-阴道粘液电导率变化规律的研究

 本文应用自行设计安装的MFR-1型母牛发情鉴定及早期妊娠诊断仪，将特制探测电极插入母牛阴道穹窿部，测定了94头母牛宫颈-阴道粘液的电导率（CVMEC）。结果表明，母牛在发情周期和妊娠早期CVMEC呈规律性变化。发情周期正常的母牛，CVMEC在间情期处于较低水平（5.64mS/cm），前情期开始上升（8.93mS/cm），发情期达峰值（13.40mS/cm），后情期开始下降（9.84mS/cm），最后降至间情期水平。输精后，未妊与妊娠母牛CVMEC的变化规律不同。在发情周期的各时期，未妊母牛高于妊娠母牛；未妊母牛在输精后21天左右返情，CVMEC再度出现峰值；妊娠早期母牛则保持与间情期相近的较低水平（5.08mS/cm）。笔者认为，母牛CVMEC的规律性变化的生理学基础是体内激素水平和宫颈-阴道粘液的周期性变化，据此进行发情鉴定和早期妊娠诊断是可行的。与目前使用的方法相比，CVMEC法更具有实用价值。     

遵义小钝吻鮠体表黏液抗菌肽的分离纯化

[目的]从遵义小钝吻鮠(Leioxassis microcrassirostris Zunyiensis Xiao sp.nov.)体表黏液中获取高质量的抗菌肽,为提高其先天免疫能力及病害防治效果奠定基础.[方法]采用物理方法收集遵义小钝吻鮠的体表黏液,以5％乙酸进行浸提,采用SephadexG-50和SephadexG-25两步凝胶层析技术对抗菌粗提物进行分离纯化,结合Tricine-SDS-PAGE电泳法进行分离鉴定,并运用牛津杯法和挖孔法进行抑菌试验.[结果]遵义小钝吻鮠体表黏液经乙酸法浸提处理并冷冻干燥,其粗提物呈白色粉末,稀释液蛋白质含量为1755 μg/mL;经SephadexG-50凝胶层析分离,其纯化产物抑菌活性峰主要在峰Ⅱ和峰Ⅲ,抑菌圈直径11.66 mm;再经SephadexG-25凝胶层析分离纯化后出现单一活性峰,其产物为分子量小于4.1kD的抗菌肽,抑菌圈直径12.85mm.[结论]遵义小钝吻鮠无需诱导刺激,可直接采用物理方法收集其体表黏液,以5％乙酸浸提后经SephadexG-50和SephadexG-25两步凝胶层析便可分离出纯度较高的抗菌肽.     

鳜浸泡嗜水气单胞菌全菌疫苗后皮肤黏液抗体的变化

应用间接ELISA方法,研究经嗜水气单胞菌(Aeromonas hydrophila)疫苗浸泡免疫后鳜(Siniperca chuatsi)皮肤黏液中抗体消长规律,以揭示鳜局部黏膜免疫在免疫保护中的作用及浸泡免疫的保护效果。结果表明,鳜皮肤黏液中抗体滴度在免疫后第7天达到峰值211,抗体从开始形成到消失持续21 d;添加佐剂(IMS1312、葡聚糖、莨菪碱、食盐)可以提高鳜皮肤黏液及血清中抗体滴度和相对免疫保护率,其中添加IMS1312组免疫保护率最高,达77.8%,免疫保护与抗体滴度成正相关(R2=0.79,P<0.05);以溶菌酶为代表的非特异性免疫在免疫后1周内即抗体未形成时,对鱼体起主要保护作用。此外,通过比较鳜血清与皮肤黏液中的抗体消长规律,发现血清中抗体滴度峰值出现时间较迟(第14天),抗体持续时间较长(42 d),初步推断鳜皮肤黏膜中可能存在相对独立于全身免疫系统的局部黏膜免疫系统。     

Effects of steroid hormones on immunoglobulin M (IgM) in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

The immunosuppressive effects of steroid hormones were evaluated as the response against implanted steroid hormones, cortisol (F), testosterone (T), estradiol-17 (E2), and 11- ketotestosterone (11-KT), in juvenile rainbow trout. In long term experiments (5 weeks), fish were given a single intraperitoneal implant of F or T. A clear suppressive effect of plasma IgM levels with F and T was not necessarily obtained, although mucus IgM levels were reduced corresponding to the elevated plasma steroid hormone levels. In short term experiments (1 week), intraperitoneal implantation of T, 11-KT and E2 suppressed plasma and mucus IgM levels, although the effects were not dose-dependent. When administered through diet, F and T caused a suppression of plasma IgM levels; F administration at both high and low dosages caused a significant decrease in plasma IgM levels, while only a high dose of T caused the suppression. These results suggest that sex steroid hormones, as well as F, have immunosuppressive functions in rainbow trout.