Project description:Method development for protein extraction from microscopic biominerals. The method was developed using Hong Kong oyster larval shells
Project description:au11-03_gravite - action of microgravity on root development - Action of microgravity on root development - Arabidopsis were grown on horizontal or vertical clinostat for 4, 8 or 12 days. Seedlings on horizontal clinostat were in simulated microgravity and seedlings on vertical clinostat are considered as a control. Comparison was made between plants grown on simulated microgravitry and vertical position.
Project description:Hox and ParaHox genes encode transcription factors with conserved similar expression patterns in divergent animals. The Pdx (Xlox) homeobox gene, for example, is expressed in a sharp spatial domain in the endodermal cell layer of the gut in chordates, echinoderms, annelids and molluscs. The significance of comparable gene expression patterns is unclear because it is not known if downstream transcriptional targets are also conserved. We thus conducted experiments to show that a classic transcriptional target of Pdx1 in vertebrates, the insulin gene, is also a direct target of Pdx in the Pacific oyster. We report that oyster has a diversity of insulin-related genes including one co-expressed with Pdx in the endodermal layer of oyster digestive tissue. Transcriptome analysis reveals functional similarity of this tissue to vertebrate pancreas. Using ATAC-seq we identify a Pdx homeodomain binding site upstream of the endodermally-expressed oyster insulin-related gene and using cell culture demonstrate that oyster Pdx acts as a transcriptional activator through this site. These data argue that a classic homeodomain-target gene interaction dates back to the base of Bilateria.
Project description:au11-03_gravite - action of microgravity on root development - Action of microgravity on root development - Arabidopsis were grown on horizontal or vertical clinostat for 4, 8 or 12 days. Seedlings on horizontal clinostat were in simulated microgravity and seedlings on vertical clinostat are considered as a control. Comparison was made between plants grown on simulated microgravitry and vertical position. 6 dye-swap - treated vs untreated comparison
Project description:Acidification of seawater due to anthropogenic CO2, called as ocean acidification (OA), makes most coastal environments unfavorable for oysters. This is a serious socio-economical issue for China which is accounting for >70% of the world’s edible oyster supply. Understanding of OA effects at proteome level could lead to a better aquaculture management. Here, we present an iTRAQ based protein profiling analysis for the detection and quantification of proteome change under OA in one of the early life stages of a commercially important oyster species, Crassostrea hongkongensis. The completion of the genome sequence for oysters enabled us to confidently quantify over 1500 proteins in the larval oyster. Over 10% of proteome was altered in response to OA process at pH 7.6. Analysis of differentially expressed proteins and their associated pathways indicated that up-regulation of calcification, metabolic processes, cytoskeletal functions, oxidative stress and cell signaling processes might have been used by larvae to acclimate under OA. Although the expressions of cytoskeletal and signal transduction proteins were down-regulated in response to OA, there was no marked alternation in developmental processes such as metamorphic success. This study suggests that the estuarine edible oyster possess an adequate short-term adaptability or acclimation mechanism at proteome level to tolerate near-future OA scenario.
Project description:The systematic deep sequencing analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptome complexity of 2n and 3n Fujian oyster. This information broadens our understanding of the mechanisms of C.angulata polyploidization and contributes to molecular and genetic research by enriching the oyster database. This is the first report on genome-wide transcriptional analysis of adductor muscle of diploid and triploid Fujian oyster and has demonstrated triploid oysters are morphologically almost identical to their diploid counterparts, but have faster growth, due to the reorientation of energetic allocation from gametogenesis to somatic investment. This study provides a foundation for further analysis of the gene expression patterns and signaling pathways which regulate the molecular mechanisms of diploid and triploid oyster.
Project description:The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is a kind of marine bivalve of great economic and ecological importance and is among the animals possessing the highest level of genome DNA variations. Despite large efforts made for the discovery of Pacific oyster SNPs in many research groups, challenge still remains as how to utilize SNPs in a high-throughput, transferable and economical manner. In the study, we constructed an oyster 190K SNP array with Affymetrix Axiom genotyping technology. A total of 190,420 SNPs were designed on the chip, which were selected from 54 M SNPs identified by re-sequencing of more than 400 Pacific oysters. Genotyping results from 96 wild oysters indicated that 133,984 (70.4%) SNPs were polymorphic and successfully converted on the chip. Carrying 133K polymorphic SNPs, the oyster 190K SNP array is the first high density SNP chip with the largest throughput currently in mollusc and is commercially available to the worldwide research community.