Characterization of defensin gene from abalone Haliotis discus hannai and its deduced protein

Defensin is one of preserved ancient host defensive materials formed in biological evolution. As a regulator and effector molecule, it is very important in animals＇ acquired immune system. This paper reports the defensin gene from the mixed liver and kidney cDNA library of abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino. Sequence analysis shows that the gene sequence of full-length cDNA encodes 42 mature peptides （including six Cys）, molecular weight of 4 323 Da, and pI of 8.02. Amino acid sequence homology analysis shows that the peptides are highly similar （70% in common） to other insects defensin. Because of a typical insect-defensin structural character of mature peptide in the secondary structure, the polypeptide named Haliotis discus defensin （hd-def）, a novel of antimicrobial peptides, belongs to insects defensin subfamily. The RT-PCR result of Haliotis discus defensin shows that the gene can be expressed only in the hepatopancreas by Gram-negative and positive bacteria stimulation, which is ascribed to inducible expression. Therefore, it is revealed that the Haliotis discus defensin gene expression was related to the antibacterial infection of Haliotis discus hannai Ino.

Effects of Trawl Selectivity and Genetic Parameters on Fish Body Length Under Long-Term Trawling

Long-term fishing pressure affects the biological characteristics of exploited fish stocks. The biological characteristics of hairtail(Trichiurus lepturus) in the East China Sea are unable to recover because of long-term trawling. Fishing induces evolutionary effects on the fish's biological characteristics. Evidence of these changes includes small size at age, a shift to earlier age structure, and early maturation. Natural and artificial selection usually affect the fish's life history. Selection can induce different chances of reproduction, and individual fish can give a different genetic contribution to the next generation. In this study, analysis of time-dependent probability of significance and test of sensitivity were used to explore the effects of fish exploitation rate, mesh size, and heritability with long-term trawling. Results showed that fishing parameters were important drivers to exploited fish population. However, genetic traits altered by fishing were slow, and the changes in biological characteristics were weaker than those caused by fishing selection. Exploitation rate and mesh size exhibited similar evolutionary trend tendency under long-term fishing. The time-dependent probability of significance trend showed a gradual growth and tended to be stable. Therefore, the direction of fishing-induced evolution and successful management of fish species require considerable attention to contribute to sustainable fisheries in China.

Biogeography and Evolutionary Factors Determine Genetic Differentiation of Pinus mugo(Turra) in the Tatra Mountains(Central Europe)

Inter Simple Sequence Repeats （ISSR） markers were used to assess genetic diversity within and among populations of dwarf mountain pine （Pinus rnugo Turra） growing in the Tatra National Park （UNESCO Biosphere Reserve） in Southern Poland （Central Europe）. The analyzed population belongs to two different geobotanical sub-districts： the Western and High Tatras. The level of genetic diversity assessed in this study for P. mugo is generally comparable to that reported for the other pine species in the Pinaceae family assessed by ISSR markers, especially with respect to Nei＇s genetic diversity and the percentage of polymorphic bands. Bayesian analysis clustered the analyzed populations into two groups, corresponding to their geobotanical locations in the Tatras. Significant divergence between the two genetical clusters was supported by the results of Analysis of Molecular Variance （AMOVA）. According to the Mantel test, there was no correlation between the genetic distance and the geographical distance. The present study confirms the existence of two genetically distinct dusters of P. mugo populations in the Tatra Mountains. The observed high population-genetic differentiation of P.mugo in the Tatras could be attributed to several genetic, environmental and historical factors occurring in this mountain area.

Rapid progress of DNA replication studies in Archaea,the third domain of life

Archaea,the third domain of life,are interesting organisms to study from the aspects of molecular and evolutionary biology.Archaeal cells have a unicellular ultrastructure without a nucleus,resembling bacterial cells,but the proteins involved in genetic information processing pathways,including DNA replication,transcription,and translation,share strong similarities with those of Eukaryota.Therefore,archaea provide useful model systems to understand the more complex mechanisms of genetic information processing in eukaryotic cells.Moreover,the hyperthermophilic archaea provide very stable proteins,which are especially useful for the isolation of replisomal multicomplexes,to analyze their structures and functions.This review focuses on the history,current status,and future directions of archaeal DNA replication studies.