Warapond Wanna

The role of Pm-fortilin in protecting shrimp from white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection.

Crustacean fortilin or the product of the translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene isolated from Penaeus monodon, is well conserved and has a Ca(++) binding domain. Pm-fortilin has anti-apoptotic properties and is present at high levels during the onset of viral infections in P. monodon. The possibility of using rFortilin to protect against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection was tested. Injection of shrimp with rFortilin, after infection with WSSV, resulted in 80-100% survival and detection of very low levels of WSSV by PCR, whereas in moribund samples WSSV levels were very high. This result implies that injection of recombinant rFortilin decreases viral infection by an unknown mechanism, but probably by inhibiting viral replication. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen for cellular protein partners to rFortilin we identified an unknown protein that bound to fortilin. This is a novel polypeptide of 93 amino acids with a number of XPPX signature sequences that are often reported to have a function in antiviral peptides.

Morphology, genetics and echolocation calls of the genus Kerivoula (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Kerivoulinae) in Thailand

Abstract Following extensive field work in Thailand (2010–2013) and the examination of 155 museum specimens, this paper reviews and examines the taxonomy of the genus Kerivoula in Thailand, based on morphology, genetics, and echolocation call characteristics. Seven species (as currently understood), Kerivoula papillosa, K. kachinensis, K. hardwickii, K. titania, K. pellucida, K. krauensis and K. minuta, were analysed in detail. Thai specimens of two species, K. picta and K. whiteheadi, were not available for study. Morphological data suggested a complex pattern of possible cryptic species, with at least five morphotypes, based on cranial data for K. papillosa, and nine for K. hardwickii, as currently understood. An analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (COI) from Thai specimens identified three genetic lineages in K. papillosa and K. hardwickii, respectively. The echolocation calls data differed significantly, albeit with individual acoustic parameters overlapping considerably, among genetic lineages. The taxonomic status of the various lineages and morphotypes are discussed.

Characterization of a Novel Binding Protein for Fortilin/TCTP — Component of a Defense Mechanism against Viral Infection in Penaeus monodon

The Fortilin (also known as TCTP) in Penaeus monodon (PmFortilin) and Fortilin Binding Protein 1 (FBP1) have recently been shown to interact and to offer protection against the widespread White Spot Syndrome Virus infection. However, the mechanism is yet unknown. We investigated this interaction in detail by a number of in silico and in vitro analyses, including prediction of a binding site between PmFortilin/FBP1 and docking simulations. The basis of the modeling analyses was well-conserved PmFortilin orthologs, containing a Ca2+-binding domain at residues 76–110 representing a section of the helical domain, the translationally controlled tumor protein signature 1 and 2 (TCTP_1, TCTP_2) at residues 45–55 and 123–145, respectively. We found the pairs Cys59 and Cys76 formed a disulfide bond in the C-terminus of FBP1, which is a common structural feature in many exported proteins and the “x–G–K–K” pattern of the amidation site at the end of the C-terminus. This coincided with our previous work, where we found the “x–P–P–x” patterns of an antiviral peptide also to be located in the C-terminus of FBP1. The combined bioinformatics and in vitro results indicate that FBP1 is a transmembrane protein and FBP1 interact with N-terminal region of PmFortilin.

Receptor for Activated C Kinase-1 protein from Penaeus monodon (Pm-RACK1) participates in the shrimp antioxidant response

Cellular oxidative stress responses are caused in many ways, but especially by disease and environmental stress. After the initial burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the effective elimination of ROS is crucial for the survival of organisms and is mediated by antioxidant defense mechanisms. In this paper, we investigate the possible antioxidant function of Penaeus monodon Receptor for Activated C Kinase-1 (Pm-RACK1). When Pm-RACK1 was over-expressed in Escherichia coli cells or Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells exposed to H(2)O(2), it significantly protected the cells from oxidative damage induced by H(2)O(2). When recombinant Pm-RACK1 protein was expressed as a histidine fusion protein in E. coli and purified with a Ni(2+)-column it possessed antioxidant functions that protected DNA from metal-catalyzed oxidation. Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) held at an alkaline pH had a much higher hepatopancreatic expression of Pm-RACK1 than in those held at pH 7.4. The exposure of shrimp to alkaline pH is also known to increase ROS production. These results provide strong evidence that Pm-RACK1 can participate in the shrimp antioxidant response induced by the formation of ROS.

Identification of a functional splice variant of 14-3-3E1 in rainbow trout.

The 14-3-3 protein family is a family of regulatory proteins involved in diverse cellular processes. The presence of 14-3-3 isoforms and the diversity of cellular processes regulated by 14-3-3 isoforms suggest functional specificity of the isoforms. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a new isoform of the rainbow trout 14-3-3E1 gene generated by alternative splicing. The new isoform contains an insertion of 48 nucleotides (from intron 5) in the coding region of 14-3-3E1 which results in the introduction of a premature stop codon between exon 5 and exon 6. Thus, the alternatively spliced form of 14-3-3E1 (14-3-3E1∆C17) lacks 17 amino acid residues at the C terminus encoded by the last exon (exon 6). Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the wild-type 14-3-3E1 (14-3-3E1wt) is ubiquitously expressed, while 14-3-3E1∆C17 shows tissue-specific as well as stage-specific expression during ovarian development and early embryogenesis. Analysis by yeast two-hybrid system demonstrated that 14-3-3E1∆17 interacts with a number of proteins including ATP synthase, ankyrin repeat domain 13b, cytochrome c subunit VIa, cytochrome c subunit VIb, 60S ribosomal protein L34, solute carrier family 17 member 6 (SLC17A6), troponin I, and an unknown protein. Although all of these proteins except for SLC17A6 also interact with 14-3-3E1wt, 14-3-3E1∆17 appears to have higher binding affinity with these proteins than 14-3-3E1wt. These findings suggest that alternative splicing affects the function and tissue-specific expression of 14-3-3E1.

Cloning and characterization of a novel oocyte-specific gene encoding an F-Box protein in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

BackgroundOocyte-specific genes play critical roles in oogenesis, folliculogenesis and early embryonic development. The objectives of this study were to characterize the expression of a novel oocyte-specific gene encoding an F-box protein during ovarian development in rainbow trout, and identify its potential interacting partners in rainbow trout oocytes.MethodsThrough analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a rainbow trout oocyte cDNA library, a novel transcript represented by ESTs only from the oocyte library was identified. The complete cDNA sequence for the novel gene (named fbxoo) was obtained by assembling sequences from an EST clone and a 5′RACE product. The expression and localization of fbxoo mRNA and protein in ovaries of different developmental stages were analyzed by quantitative real time PCR, immunoblotting, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Identification of Fbxoo binding proteins was performed by yeast two-hybrid screening.Resultsfbxoo mRNA is specifically expressed in mature oocytes as revealed by tissue distribution analysis. The fbxoo cDNA sequence is 1,996 bp in length containing an open reading frame, which encodes a predicted protein of 514 amino acids. The novel protein sequence does not match any known protein sequences in the NCBI database. However, a search of the Pfam protein database revealed that the protein contains an F-box motif at the N-terminus, indicating that Fbxoo is a new member of the F-box protein family. The expression of fbxoo mRNA and protein is high in ovaries at early pre-vitellogenesis stage, and both fbxoo mRNA and protein are predominantly expressed in early pre-vitellogenic oocytes. Several proteins including tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (Timp2) were identified as potential Fbxoo protein binding partners.ConclusionsResults suggest that the novel oocyte-specific F-box protein may play an important role in early oocyte development by regulating other critical proteins involved in oogenesis in rainbow trout.

Southeast Asian mouth-brooding Betta fighting fish (Teleostei: Perciformes) species and their phylogenetic relationships based on mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS1 DNA sequences and analyses.

Fighting fish species in the genus Betta are found in several Southeast Asian countries. Depending on the mode of paternal care for fertilized eggs and hatchlings, various species of the betta fish are classified as mouth brooders or nest builders whose members in turn have been grouped according to their similarities mainly in morphology. The mouth brooders as well as some nest builders involved in the present study include fishes discovered and identified subsequent to previous reports on species groupings and their positions on phylogenetic trees based on DNA sequences that differ from those used by us in this study. From the mitochondrial COI gene and nuclear ITS1 gene sequences and more accurate analyses we conclude that the following members of the mouth-brooding pairs, named differently previously, are virtually identical, viz the Betta prima–Betta pallida pair and Betta ferox–Betta apollon pair. The Betta simplex, hitherto believed to be one species, could possibly be genetically split into 2 distinct species. In addition, several other established type-locality fishes could harbor cryptic species as judged by genetic differences. Assignments of fish species to groups reported earlier may have to be altered somewhat by the present genetic findings. We propose here a new Betta fish phylogenetic tree which, albeit being similar to the previous ones, is clearly different from them. Our gene-based evidence also leads to assignments of some fishes to new species groups and alters the positions of some species on the new phylogenetic tree, thus implying different ancestral relationships.