Project description:Hemocytes are blood cell circulating in the hemolymph and playing important role in crustacean immunity. On the one side this cells functions as phagocytes and express immune compounds in the external milieu on the other side. To find out the protein composition of hemocytes, we obtained hemocytes proteome of Baikal endemic amphipod Eulimnogammarus verrucosus for the first time. For this, a proteomic analysis of the protein extract were performed using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 1152 unique proteins were discovered. Hemocyanin/phenoloxidase, actin and tubulin were detected in proteome in the greatest amount. Also we discovered proteins of the C-type lectin superfamily, which are probably involved in the molecular pattern recognition during immune response.
Project description:The Malagasy giant chameleons (Furcifer oustaleti and Furcifer verrucosus) are sister species that are both broadly distributed in Madagascar, and also endemic to the island. These species are also morphologically similar and, because of this, have been frequently misidentified in the field. Previous studies have suggested that cryptic species are nested within this chameleon group, and two subspecies have been described in F. verrucosus. In this study, we utilized a phylogeographic approach to assess genetic diversification within these chameleons. This was accomplished by (1) identifying clades within each species supported by both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, (2) assessing divergence times between clades, and (3) testing for niche divergence or conservatism. We found that both F. oustaleti and F. verrucosus could be readily identified based on genetic data, and within each species, there are two well-supported clades. However, divergence times are not contemporary and spatial patterns are not congruent. Diversification within F. verrucosus occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene, and there is evidence for niche divergence between a southwestern and southeastern clade, in a region of Madagascar that shows no obvious landscape barriers to dispersal. Diversification in F. oustaleti occurred earlier in the Pliocene or Miocene, and niche conservatism is supported with two genetically distinct clades separated at the Sofia River in northwestern Madagascar. Divergence within F. verrucosus is most consistent with patterns expected from ecologically mediated speciation, whereas divergence in F. oustaleti most strongly matches the patterns expected from the riverine barrier hypothesis.
Project description:Transcriptome sequencing of two Baikal endemic (Eulimnogammarus verrucosus and E. cyaneus) and one Holarctic (Gammarus lacustris) transcriptome species from the Baikal region subjected to different stressors