In order to understand the mechanisms of signal transduction and anti-desiccation mechanisms of Porphyra yezoensis, cDNA and its genomic sequence of Calmodulin gene (CaM) was cloned by the technique of polymerase chai...In order to understand the mechanisms of signal transduction and anti-desiccation mechanisms of Porphyra yezoensis, cDNA and its genomic sequence of Calmodulin gene (CaM) was cloned by the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the analysis of P. yezoensis ESTs from dbEST database. The result shows that the full-length cDNA of CaM consists of 603 bps including an ORF encoding for 151 amino acids and a terminate codon UGA, while the length of genomic sequence is 1231 bps including 2 exons and 1 intron. The average GC content of the coding region is 58.77%, while the GC content of the third position of this gene is as high as 82.23%. Four Ca2+ binding sites (EF-hand) are found in this gene. The predicted molecular mass of the deduced peptide is 16688.72 Da and the pI is 4.222. By aligning with known CaM genes, the similarity of CaM gene sequence with homologous genes in Chlamydomonas incerta and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is 72.7% and 72.2% respectively, and the similarity of the deduced amino acid sequence of CaM gene with homologous genes in C. incerta and C. reinhardtii are both 71.5%. This is the first report on CaM from a species of Rhodophyta.展开更多
Copepods are a key trophic link between primary producers and predatory animals at higher trophic levels in the marine ecosystem. Knowledge of the in situ composition of the copepod diet is critical for the accurate e...Copepods are a key trophic link between primary producers and predatory animals at higher trophic levels in the marine ecosystem. Knowledge of the in situ composition of the copepod diet is critical for the accurate evaluation of trophic relationships and energy transfer in marine food webs. In this study, we applied a PCR-based cloning technique developed previously to investigate the in situ diet of Calanus sinicus, an ecologically important largesized calanoid copepod that dominates in the shelf waters around China, Japan and Korea. Analyses of the 18S rDNA sequences obtained from the copepod diet revealed the diverse food composition of C. sinicus from two stations (Y19 in the South Yellow Sea and B49 in the Bohai Sea). A total of 43 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected, which belonged to 13 diverse lineages: Bacillariophyta, Dinoflagellata, Dictyochophyceae, Chrysophyta, Katablepharidophyta, Pelagophyceae, Apusozoa, Hydrozoa, Ctenophora, Echinodermata, Tunicata, Chaetognatha and marine fungi. The results indicate that during an algae bloom, C. sinicus can graze on the bloom causative species. When the abundance of phytoplankton in ambient water is relatively low, C. sinicus can choose eggs, larvae, or organic particles/detritus of various metazoans, especially hydrozoans and ctenophores, as alternative food sources. Our result suggests that C. sinicus is an omnivorous species, and its prey choice may depend on the food availability in the ambient waters.展开更多
基金supported by the 863 Project (Nos. 2002AA628120, 2004AA628090, 20060110A4013 and 2006AA10A413)
文摘In order to understand the mechanisms of signal transduction and anti-desiccation mechanisms of Porphyra yezoensis, cDNA and its genomic sequence of Calmodulin gene (CaM) was cloned by the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the analysis of P. yezoensis ESTs from dbEST database. The result shows that the full-length cDNA of CaM consists of 603 bps including an ORF encoding for 151 amino acids and a terminate codon UGA, while the length of genomic sequence is 1231 bps including 2 exons and 1 intron. The average GC content of the coding region is 58.77%, while the GC content of the third position of this gene is as high as 82.23%. Four Ca2+ binding sites (EF-hand) are found in this gene. The predicted molecular mass of the deduced peptide is 16688.72 Da and the pI is 4.222. By aligning with known CaM genes, the similarity of CaM gene sequence with homologous genes in Chlamydomonas incerta and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is 72.7% and 72.2% respectively, and the similarity of the deduced amino acid sequence of CaM gene with homologous genes in C. incerta and C. reinhardtii are both 71.5%. This is the first report on CaM from a species of Rhodophyta.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 31372509,41076085 and 41328009
文摘Copepods are a key trophic link between primary producers and predatory animals at higher trophic levels in the marine ecosystem. Knowledge of the in situ composition of the copepod diet is critical for the accurate evaluation of trophic relationships and energy transfer in marine food webs. In this study, we applied a PCR-based cloning technique developed previously to investigate the in situ diet of Calanus sinicus, an ecologically important largesized calanoid copepod that dominates in the shelf waters around China, Japan and Korea. Analyses of the 18S rDNA sequences obtained from the copepod diet revealed the diverse food composition of C. sinicus from two stations (Y19 in the South Yellow Sea and B49 in the Bohai Sea). A total of 43 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected, which belonged to 13 diverse lineages: Bacillariophyta, Dinoflagellata, Dictyochophyceae, Chrysophyta, Katablepharidophyta, Pelagophyceae, Apusozoa, Hydrozoa, Ctenophora, Echinodermata, Tunicata, Chaetognatha and marine fungi. The results indicate that during an algae bloom, C. sinicus can graze on the bloom causative species. When the abundance of phytoplankton in ambient water is relatively low, C. sinicus can choose eggs, larvae, or organic particles/detritus of various metazoans, especially hydrozoans and ctenophores, as alternative food sources. Our result suggests that C. sinicus is an omnivorous species, and its prey choice may depend on the food availability in the ambient waters.