Seasonal nutritional status in Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus (L.): Are females nutritionally compromised over the winter? (Forthcoming)

Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus, are sediment-dwelling decapod crustaceans that excavate burrows from which they make short excursions to feed by predation and scavenging. The females of this species are known to reside within their burrows for an extended period of time over the winter while brooding their eggs. The aim of this study was to assess the likelihood of these females being able to feed during this brooding period. Biophysical and biochemical measurements that had previously been shown to change with starvation under laboratory conditions in male N. norvegicus were taken for female N. norvegicus under similar conditions. These measurements were also compared in both sexes obtained from monthly trawl samples from the Clyde Sea Area, Scotland, UK, together with trawl composition data. The laboratory study showed that the hepatosomatic index, and the copper, lipid and water content of the hepatopancreas can be used as indicators of the state of starvation in females, as in males. In the wild, both sexes have reduced nutritional status during the winter, but not to the degree seen in animals starved for 20 weeks in aquarium trials. This study does not support the hypothesis that females cease feeding over winter, during their brooding period. Firstly, some females were unable to sustain ovary development during starvation under controlled conditions, contrary to field observations. Secondly, field data suggests that there is no sex-specific reduction in nutritional status

Lipid Composition of Oil Extracted from Wasted Norway Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) Heads and Comparison with Oil Extracted from Antarctic Krill (Euphasia superba)

In the UK, the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) supports its most important shellfish fishery.Nephropsare sold either whole, or as “tails-only” for the scampi trade. In the “tailing” process, the “head” (cephalothorax) is discarded as waste. A smaller crustacean species, the Antarctic krillEuphasia superba, represents an economically valuable industry, as its extractable oil is sold as a human dietary supplement. The aim of this study was to determine the amount and composition of the oil contained in discardedNephropsheads and to compare its composition to the oil extracted from krill. Differences due to Geographical variation and seasonal patterns in the amount and composition of lipid were also noted. Results indicated thatNephropshead waste samples collected from more southern locations in Scotland (Clyde Sea area) contained higher levels of oil when compared to samples collected from northern locations in Iceland. Moreover, seasonal differences within the Clyde Sea area in Scotland were also observed, with oil extracted fromNephropshead waste peaking at around 11.5% during the summer months when larger and more mature females were caught by trawl. At this time of the year, the valuable fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) accounted for around 23% of the total fatty acid content in oil extracted fromNephropshead waste. A seasonal effect on EPA content was found, with higher levels obtained in the summer, while no trend was found in DHA percentages. Finally, oil fromNephropshead waste contained a higher proportion of EPA and DHA than krill oil but these fatty acids were more abundantly linked to the neutral lipids rather to than polar lipids. The characterization of lipid that could be extracted fromNephropshead waste should be seen as a first step for the commercial use of a valuable resource currently wasted. This approach is extremely relevant given the current limited supply of EPA and DHA and changes in the Common Fisheries Policy

Retinol Metabolism in the Mollusk Osilinus lineatus Indicates an Ancient Origin for Retinyl Ester Storage Capacity

Although retinoids have been reported to be present and active in vertebrates and invertebrates, the presence of mechanisms for retinoid storage in the form of retinyl esters, a key feature to maintain whole-organism retinoid homeostasis, have been considered to date a vertebrate innovation. Here we demonstrate for the first time the presence of retinol and retinyl esters in an invertebrate lophotrochozoan species, the gastropod mollusk Osilinus lineatus. Furthermore, through a pharmacological approach consisting of intramuscular injections of different retinoid precursors, we also demonstrate that the retinol esterification pathway is active in vivo in this species. Interestingly, retinol and retinyl esters were only detected in males, suggesting a gender-specific role for these compounds in the testis. Females, although lacking detectable levels of retinol or retinyl esters, also have the biochemical capacity to esterify retinol, but at a lower rate than males. The occurrence of retinyl ester storage capacity, together with the presence in males and females of active retinoids, i.e., retinoic acid isomers, indicates that O. lineatus has a well developed retinoid system. Hence, the present data strongly suggest that the capacity to maintain retinoid homeostasis has arisen earlier in Bilateria evolution than previously thought

Proteomics as a quality control tool of pharmaceutical probiotic bacterial lysate products

Probiotic bacteria have a wide range of applications in veterinary and human therapeutics. Inactivated probiotics are complex samples and quality control (QC) should measure as many molecular features as possible. Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE/MS) has been used as a multidimensional and high throughput method for the identification and validation of biomarkers of disease in complex biological samples such as biofluids. In this study we evaluate the suitability of CE/MS to measure the consistency of different lots of the probiotic formulation Pro-Symbioflor which is a bacterial lysate of heat-inactivated Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. Over 5000 peptides were detected by CE/MS in 5 different lots of the bacterial lysate and in a sample of culture medium. 71 to 75% of the total peptide content was identical in all lots. This percentage increased to 87–89% when allowing the absence of a peptide in one of the 5 samples. These results, based on over 2000 peptides, suggest high similarity of the 5 different lots. Sequence analysis identified peptides of both E. coli and E. faecalis and peptides originating from the culture medium, thus confirming the presence of the strains in the formulation. Ontology analysis suggested that the majority of the peptides identified for E. coli originated from the cell membrane or the fimbrium, while peptides identified for E. faecalis were enriched for peptides originating from the cytoplasm. The bacterial lysate peptides as a whole are recognised as highly conserved molecular patterns by the innate immune system as microbe associated molecular pattern (MAMP). Sequence analysis also identified the presence of soybean, yeast and casein protein fragments that are part of the formulation of the culture medium. In conclusion CE/MS seems an appropriate QC tool to analyze complex biological products such as inactivated probiotic formulations and allows determining the similarity between lots

Inferring fish escape behaviour in trawls based on catch comparison data: Model development and evaluation based on data from Skagerrak, Denmark

During the fishing process, fish react to a trawl with a series of behaviours that often are species and size specific. Thus, a thorough understanding of fish behaviour in relation to fishing gear and a scientific understanding of the ability of different gear designs to utilize or stimulate various behavioural patterns during the catching process are essential for developing more efficient, selective, and environmentally friendly trawls. Although many behavioural studies using optical and acoustic observation systems have been conducted, harsh observation conditions on the fishing grounds often hamper the ability to directly observe fish behaviour in relation to fishing gear. As an alternative to optical and acoustic methods, we developed and applied a new mathematical model to catch data to extract detailed and quantitative information about species- and size-dependent escape behaviour in towed fishing gear such as trawls. We used catch comparison data collected with a twin trawl setup; the only difference between the two trawls was that a 12 m long upper section was replaced with 800 mm diamond meshes in one of them. We investigated the length-based escape behaviour of cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), saithe (Pollachius virens), witch flounder (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus), and lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) and quantified the extent to which behavioural responses set limits for the large mesh panel's selective efficiency. Around 85% of saithe, 80% of haddock, 44% of witch flounder, 55% of lemon sole, and 55% of cod (below 68 cm) contacted the large mesh panel and escaped. We also demonstrated the need to account for potential selectivity in the trawl body, as it can bias the assessment of length-based escape behaviour. Our indirect assessment of fish behaviour was in agreement with the direct observations made for the same species in a similar section of the trawl body reported in the literature

Multidirectional Time-Dependent Effect of Sinigrin and Allyl Isothiocyanate on Metabolic Parameters in Rats

Sinigrin (SIN) and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) are compounds found in high concentrations in Brassica family vegetables, especially in Brussels sprouts. Recently, they have been used as a nutrition supplement for their preventive and medicinal effect on some types of cancer and other diseases. In this research, nutritional significance of parent glucosinolate sinigrin 50 μmol/kg b. w./day and its degradation product allyl isothiocyanate 25 μmol/kg b. w./day and 50 μmol/kg b. w./day was studied by the evaluation of their influence on some parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in an animal rat model in vivo after their single (4 h) and 2 weeks oral administration. Additionally, the aim of this trial was to evaluate the direct action of AITC on basal and epinephrine-induced lipolysis in isolated rat adipocytes at concentration 1 μM, 10 μM and 100 μM in vitro. Sole AITC after 4 h of its ingestion caused liver triacylglycerols increment at both doses and glycaemia only at the higher dose. Multiple SIN treatment showed its putative bioconversion into AITC. It was found that SIN and AITC multiple administration in the same way strongly disturbed lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis, increasing esterified and total cholesterol, free fatty acids and lowering tracylglycerols in the blood serum. Additionally, AITC at both doses elevated insulinaemia and liver glycogen enhancement. The in vitro experiment revealed that AITC potentiated basal lipolysis process at 10 μM, and had stimulatory effect on epinephrine action at 1 μM and 10 μM. The results of this study demonstrated that the effect of SIN and AITC is multidirectional, indicating its impact on many organs like liver as well as pancreas, intestine in vivo action and rat adipocytes in vitro. Whilst consumption of cruciferous vegetables at levels currently considered “normal” seems to be beneficial to human health, this data suggest that any large increase in intake could conceivably lead to undesirable effect. This effect is potentiated with time of action of the examined compounds, whose influence is rather adverse for the majority of metabolic pathways (liver steatosis at short duration and insulinaemia, cholesterolaemia at long time treatment). Beneficial action of AITC concerned intensified hydrolysis of TG in the blood serum with a simultaneous lipolysis in adipocytes

Comparative proteome and peptidome analysis of the cephalic fluid secreted by Arapaima gigas (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) during and outside parental care

Parental investment in Arapaima gigas includes nest building and guarding, followed by a care provision when a cephalic fluid is released from the parents’ head to the offspring. This fluid has presumably important functions for the offspring but so far its composition has not been characterised. In this study the proteome and peptidome of the cephalic secretion was studied in parental and non-parental fish using capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) and GeLC-MS/MS analyses. Multiple comparisons revealed 28 peptides were significantly different between males and parental males (PC-males), 126 between females and parental females (PC-females), 51 between males and females and 9 between PC-males and PC-females. Identification revealed peptides were produced in the inner ear (pcdh15b), eyes (tetraspanin and ppp2r3a), central nervous system (otud4, ribeye a, tjp1b and syn1) among others. A total of 422 proteins were also identified and gene ontology analysis revealed 28 secreted extracellular proteins. From these, 2 hormones (prolactin and stanniocalcin) and 12 proteins associated to immunological processes (serotransferrin, α-1-antitrypsin homolog, apolipoprotein A-I, and others) were identified. This study provides novel biochemical data on the lateral line fluid which will enable future hypotheses-driven experiments to better understand the physiological roles of the lateral line in chemical communication

Consequences of Lineage-Specific Gene Loss on Functional Evolution of Surviving Paralogs: ALDH1A and Retinoic Acid Signaling in Vertebrate Genomes

Genome duplications increase genetic diversity and may facilitate the evolution of gene subfunctions. Little attention, however, has focused on the evolutionary impact of lineage-specific gene loss. Here, we show that identifying lineage-specific gene loss after genome duplication is important for understanding the evolution of gene subfunctions in surviving paralogs and for improving functional connectivity among human and model organism genomes. We examine the general principles of gene loss following duplication, coupled with expression analysis of the retinaldehyde dehydrogenase Aldh1a gene family during retinoic acid signaling in eye development as a case study. Humans have three ALDH1A genes, but teleosts have just one or two. We used comparative genomics and conserved syntenies to identify loss of ohnologs (paralogs derived from genome duplication) and to clarify uncertain phylogenies. Analysis showed that Aldh1a1 and Aldh1a2 form a clade that is sister to Aldh1a3-related genes. Genome comparisons showed secondarily loss of aldh1a1 in teleosts, revealing that Aldh1a1 is not a tetrapod innovation and that aldh1a3 was recently lost in medaka, making it the first known vertebrate with a single aldh1a gene. Interestingly, results revealed asymmetric distribution of surviving ohnologs between co-orthologous teleost chromosome segments, suggesting that local genome architecture can influence ohnolog survival. We propose a model that reconstructs the chromosomal history of the Aldh1a family in the ancestral vertebrate genome, coupled with the evolution of gene functions in surviving Aldh1a ohnologs after R1, R2, and R3 genome duplications. Results provide evidence for early subfunctionalization and late subfunction-partitioning and suggest a mechanistic model based on altered regulation leading to heterochronic gene expression to explain the acquisition or modification of subfunctions by surviving ohnologs that preserve unaltered ancestral developmental programs in the face of gene loss

Apoptosis and DNA methylation

Epigenetic mechanisms assist in maintaining gene expression patterns and cellular properties in developing and adult tissues. The molecular pathology of disease states frequently includes perturbation of DNA and histone methylation patterns, which can activate apoptotic pathways associated with maintenance of genome integrity. This perspective focuses on the pathways linking DNA methyltransferases and methyl-CpG binding proteins to apoptosis, and includes new bioinformatic analyses to characterize the evolutionary origin of two G/T mismatch-specific thymine DNA glycosylases, MBD4 and TDG