Project description:In this study transcriptomic data of three life history stages of Orciraptor agilis was generated: 1) Gliding cells in absence of food ('gliding'), 2) Cells attached to the cell wall of its algal prey during perforation ('fattacking'), 3) Cells after acquisition of the algal plastid material ('digesting'). Furthermore, RNA-seq of the algal prey Mougeotia sp. was also performed. A de novo transcriptome assembly of the algal reads was performed in order to identify and substract algal reads of the Orciraptor samples by mapping the Orciraptor reads to the algal transcriptome. After this filtering step the remaining Orciraptor reads from all libraries were pooled for a de novo transcriptome assembly of Orciraptor agilis. This transcriptome was the basis for a comparative transcriptomic study in which transcript expression was compared between the three life history stages.
Project description:The protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) is a eukaryotic ciliate parasite of freshwater fish. Ich causes ichthyophthiriosis or ‘white spot disease’ characterized by white cysts covering the host skin and gills. The parasite is responsible for high mortalities and severe economic losses to farmed species as well as to ornamental species of fish. Despite the global importance of Ich, little is known about the genetic processes underlying its infectivity. Ich has three main life-stages, an infective theront, a parasitic trophont, and a reproductive tomont. Further, Ich has been demonstrated previously to display a loss of infectivity as the number of lab-passages on a fish increase, presumably relating to senescence of the organism. To compare gene expression among two of the three Ich life-stages (the tomont and trophont life-stages) at different passages, oligonucleotide microarrays were utilized. Gene expression was analyzed in samples taken from two of the three Ich life-stages (the tomont and trophont life-stages) at the first serial passage on channel catfish in the lab (P1), and at serial passage 100 (P100). The results of this study will add in the understanding of protozoan global gene regulation and biology and should aid in the development of strategies aimed at the control of this important fish parasite.
Project description:The sea-run phenotype of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), like other anadromous salmonids, present a juvenile stage fully adapted to life in freshwater known as parr. Development in freshwater is followed by the smolt stage, where preadaptations needed for seawater life are developed making fish ready to migrate to the ocean, after which event they become post-smolts. While these three life stages have been studied using a variety of approaches, proteomics has never been used for such purpose. The present study characterised the blood plasma proteome of parr, smolt and post-smolt rainbow trout using a gel electrophoresis liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry approach alone or in combination with low-abundant protein enrichment technology (combinatorial peptide ligand library). In total, 1,822 proteins were quantified, 17.95% of them being detected only in plasma post enrichment. Across all life stages, the most abundant proteins were ankyrin-2, DNA primase large subunit, actin, serum albumin, apolipoproteins, hemoglobin subunits, hemopexin-like proteins and complement C3. When comparing the different life stages, 17 proteins involved in mechanisms to cope with hyperosmotic stress and retinal changes, as well as the downregulation of nonessential processes in smolts, were significantly different between parr and smolt samples. On the other hand, 11 proteins related to increased growth in post-smolts, and also related to coping with hyperosmotic stress and to retinal changes, were significantly different between smolt and post-smolt samples. Overall, this study presents a series of proteins with the potential to complement current seawater-readiness assessment tests in rainbow trout, which can be measured non-lethally in an easily accessible biofluid. Furthermore, this study represents a first in-depth characterisation of the rainbow trout blood plasma proteome, having considered three life stages of the fish and used both fractionation alone or in combination with enrichment methods to increase protein detection.
Project description:This work describes the molecular mechanisms of meiotic maturation and cell cycle in the starfish Astropecten Aranciacus. The study has been conducted assembling a de-novo transcriptome from the different cellular stages: oocytes, egg, zygote and early embryos. Differential expression analysis followed by rtPCR are used to assess the validity of the assembly.
Project description:Comprehensive RNA sequencing was performed on a laboratory colony of B. dorsalis with a focus on attempting to capture as many genes in the sequencing from throughout the entire developmental life history. De novo assembly and analysis of the resulting sequence One sample each for the egg, larvae, pupae, adult male, adult female and mated female life stages was sequenced.
Project description:Whole genome comparison of RNA levels for both protein coding genes and structural RNAs in five different life cycle stages: in vivo slender bloodstream form, in vivo stumpy bloodstream form, cultured bloodstream form, log-phase procyclic culture form and stationary-phase procyclic culture form RNA from three independent biological replicates from five different life cycle stages were hybridized to Nimblegen arrays (Madison,WI USA) that contained 8 probes per open reading frame and 3 probes per structural RNA spotted three times per array