Marine Life Science & Technology最新文献

Kelps are pivotal to temperate coastal ecosystems, providing essential habitat and nutrients for diverse marine life, and significantly enhancing local biodiversity. The impacts of elevated CO₂ levels on kelps may induce far-reaching effects throughout the marine food web, with potential consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functions. This study considers the kelp Macrocystis pyrifera and its symbiotic microorganisms as a holistic functional unit (holobiont) to examine their collective response to heightened CO₂ levels. Over a 4 month cultivation from the fertilization of M. pyrifera gametes to the development of juvenile sporophytes, our findings reveal that elevated CO₂ levels influence the structure of the M. pyrifera symbiotic microbiome, alter metabolic profiles, and reshape microbe-metabolite interactions using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis. Notably, Dinoroseobacter, Sulfitobacter, Methylotenera, Hyphomonas, Milano-WF1B-44 and Methylophaga were selected as microbiome biomarkers, which showed significant increases in comparative abundance with elevated CO₂ levels. Stress-response molecules including fatty-acid metabolites, oxylipins, and hormone-like compounds such as methyl jasmonate and prostaglandin F2a emerged as critical metabolomic indicators. We propose that elevated CO₂ puts certain stress on the M. pyrifera holobiont, prompting the release of these stress-response molecules. Moreover, these molecules may aid the kelp's adaptation by modulating the microbial community structure, particularly influencing potential pathogenic bacteria, to cope with environmental change. These results will enrich the baseline data related to the chemical interactions between the microbiota and M. pyrifera and provide clues for predicting the resilience of kelps to future climate change.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00259-5.

Understanding the potential areas suitable for offshore mariculture is crucial to global seafood security. Here, we map the potential global offshore mariculture areas for 23 principal commercial finfish using an ensemble model. The model involves the temporal-spatial heterogeneity of environments and constraints of temperature-dependent hypoxia and cold edges of cultured finfish by metabolic index and lower thermal safety margin, respectively. Our results show that currently, there is 9.16 ± 1.22 million km² of potentially suitable area for offshore finfish mariculture. Under climate change, the potential suitable area will be reduced to between 86.7% and 91.7% of the current size by 2050. Compared to the decline in tropical regions, the expanded potential areas in temperate and polar regions will become more important for global seafood security. The potential offshore finfish mariculture area responds differently to global change among species, and cold-water finfish may benefit from global warming. Overall, despite changes in the distribution of global offshore mariculture areas and replacements of local potential mariculture species, offshore finfish mariculture still holds immense potential in the future.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00257-7.

The genus Callistoctopus comprises 13 species, and has been reported mostly in the Western Pacific Ocean. Here, we described three new species from China, Ca. paucilamellus sp. nov., Ca. sparsus sp. nov., and Ca. gracilis sp. nov., based on morphometric and meristic characteristics. The diagnoses, descriptions and detailed morphometric data are provided for each species. The cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) genes of the three new species are sequenced, and compared with related species and analyzed for their systematic positions. Both phylogenetic trees constructed using three mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, COI) and one nuclear gene (Rhodopsin) revealed that our new species formed into two distinct clades with strong support values. One clade included Ca. gracilis sp. nov., Ca. sp. 1, Ca. xiaohongxu, Ca. tenuipes and Ca. paucilamellus sp. nov., which clustered together. The other clade showed that Ca. sparsus sp. nov. was closely related to Ca. sp. 2 and Ca. sp. 3. Ca. luteus and Ca. macropus were located at the base of the Callistoctopus group. Based on our integrative studies, both morphological and molecular evidence suggested strongly that O. minor is more likely to be classified as a species of Callistoctopus. Morphological comparisons were made between the three new species and related taxa, which could be recognized based on the 7-8 gill lamellae of each demibranch, numerous small black spots on the subdermal layer of the arms, and an elongated body.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00258-6.

Genomic selection (GS) applied to the breeding of aquatic animals has been of great interest in recent years due to its higher accuracy and faster genetic progress than pedigree-based methods. The genetic analysis of complex traits in GS does not escape the current excitement around artificial intelligence, including a renewed interest in deep learning (DL), such as deep neural networks (DNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and autoencoders. This article reviews the current status and potential of DL applications in phenotyping, genotyping and genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) prediction of GS. It can be seen from this article that CNNs obtain phenotype data of aquatic animals efficiently, and without injury; DNNs as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variant callers are critical to have shown higher accuracy in assessments of genotyping for the next-generation sequencing (NGS); autoencoder-based genotype imputation approaches are capable of highly accurate genotype imputation by encoding complex genotype relationships in easily portable inference models; sparse DNNs capture nonlinear relationships among genes to improve the accuracy of GEBV prediction for aquatic animals. Furthermore, future directions of DL in aquaculture are also discussed, which should expand the application to more aquaculture species. We believe that DL will be applied increasingly to molecular breeding of aquatic animals in the future.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00252-y.

Ciliates in the subclass Hypotrichia have long been difficult to classify as they are one of the most polymorphic and highly differentiated groups, leading to their systematics remaining unresolved. Phylogenetic relationships within the hypotrich family Strongylidiidae have been ambiguous due to discordance between the morphological and genetic data. In this study, a new strongylidiid genus Heterouroleptus is established, mainly based on the novel mode of origin of the ventral cirral rows: left ventral cirral row (LVR) originates from frontal-ventral-transverse cirral anlagen (FVTA) III (anterior portion), IV (middle portion), and V (rear portion); right ventral cirral row comes from the entire FVTA VI. A new species, Heterouroleptus weishanensis gen. nov., sp. nov., is investigated along with the morphometric and molecular data from a population of Strongylidium wuhanense. Eight new sequences and nuclear gene markers (single-gene and multi-gene) are provided to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of strongylidiids, with the COI gene utilized to uncover further genetic information at species level and below. The results reveal that: (1) Strongylidiidae is monophyletic and has a close relationship with Dorsomarginalia; (2) Heterouroleptus gen. nov. forms a clade that is sister to all the other strongylidiids; (3) Hemiamphisiella Foissner, 1988 and Pseudouroleptus Hemberger, 1985 should not be synonyms, and both genera should be subdivided due to their variable morphological characteristics; (4) LVR originating from three anlagen is a plesiomorphy of Strongylidiidae. The discovery of the origin of the LVR not only contributes to the establishment of the genus Heterouroleptus, but also helps to improve the diagnosis of the family Strongylidiidae.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00243-z.

The aquatic plant Nymphaea, a model genus of the early flowering plant lineage Nymphaeales and family Nymphaeaceae, has been extensively studied. However, the availability of chloroplast genome data for this genus is incomplete, and phylogenetic relationships within the order Nymphaeales remain controversial. In this study, 12 chloroplast genomes of Nymphaea were assembled and analyzed for the first time. These genomes were 158,290-160,042 bp in size and contained 113 non-repeat genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. We also report on codon usage, RNA editing sites, microsatellite structures, and new repetitive sequences in this genus. Comparative genomics revealed that expansion and contraction of IR regions can lead to changes in the gene numbers. Additionally, it was observed that the highly variable regions of the chloroplast genome were mainly located in intergenic regions. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree showed the order Nymphaeales was divided into three families, and the genus Nymphaea can be divided into five (or three) subgenera, with the subgenus Nymphaea being the oldest. The divergence times of nymphaealean taxa were analyzed, with origins of the order Nymphaeales and family Nymphaeaceae being about 194 and 131 million years, respectively. The results of the phylogenetic analysis and estimated divergence times will be useful for future evolutionary studies of basal angiosperm lineages.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00242-0.

As one of the common malignancies that threaten human life, bladder cancer occurs frequently with a high mortality rate in the world, due to its invasion, recurrence and drug resistance. Natural products from marine microorganisms are becoming the hotspots in discovery of new candidate drug entities, especially in the area of cancer. Brefeldin A (BFA) is a natural Arf-GEFs inhibitor, but due to the low aqueous solubility, strong toxicity, and poor bioavailability, it is urgent to conduct structural optimization research. Herein, a new BFA pyridine acrylate derivative CHNQD-01281 with improved solubility was prepared and found to exert moderate to strong antiproliferative activity on a variety of human cancer cell lines. It was noteworthy that CHNQD-01281 was most sensitive to two bladder cancer cell lines T24 and J82 (IC₅₀ = 0.079 and 0.081 μmol/L) with high selectivity index (SI = 14.68 and 14.32), suggesting a superior safety to BFA. In vivo studies revealed that CHNQD-01281 remarkably suppressed tumor growth in a T24 nude mice xenograft model (TGI = 52.63%) and prolonged the survival time (ILS = 68.16%) in an MB49 allogeneic mouse model via inducing infiltration of cytotoxic T cells. Further mechanism exploration indicated that CHNQD-01281 regulated both EGFR/PI3K/AKT and EGFR/ERK pathways and mediated the chemotactic effect of chemokines on immune effector cells. Overall, CHNQD-01281 may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for bladder cancer through multiple mechanisms.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00246-w.

Gasdermins (GSDMs) are proteins cleaved by caspase (CASP) to trigger pyroptosis. In teleosts, pyroptosis is mediated by gasdermin E (GSDME). The Pufferfish, Takifugu rubripes, possesses two GSDME orthologs: named TrGSDMEa and TrGSDMEb. TrGSDMEa is cleaved by CASP3/7 to liberate the N-terminal (NT) domain that can trigger pyroptosis in mammalian cells. However, the biological function of TrGSDMEa in pufferfish is unknown, and TrGSDMEb is poorly studied. We found that TrGSDMEb was cleaved by CASP1/3/6/7/8, but the resulting NT domain, despite its similarity to TrGSDMEa-NT domain in sequence and structure, failed to induce pyroptosis. TrGSDMEa and TrGSDMEb exhibited similar expression patterns in pufferfish under normal physiological conditions but were up- and downregulated, respectively, in expression during Vibrio harveyi and Edwardsiella tarda infection. Bacterial infection induced the activation of TrGSDMEa and CASP3/7 in pufferfish cells, resulting in pyroptosis accompanied with IL-1β production and maturation. Inhibition of TrGSDMEa-mediated pyroptosis via TrCASP3/7 reduced the death of pufferfish cells and augmented bacterial dissemination in fish tissues. Structure-oriented mutagenesis identified 16 conserved residues in teleost GSDMEa that were required for the pore formation or auto-inhibition of GSDMEa. This study illustrates the role of GSDMEa-mediated pyroptosis in teleost defense against bacterial pathogens and provides new insights into the structure-based function of vertebrate GSDME.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00237-x.

Species of the ciliate class Heterotrichea Stein, 1859 are a cosmopolitan group of unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms, many of which have been widely used as models in various fields of research such as regenerative biology, functional ecology, environmental toxicology, and symbiotic behavior. However, species identification in the heterotrich family Condylostomatidae, especially the most species-rich and type genus Condylostoma Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1824, remains challenging due to incomplete original descriptions, few reliable distinguishing characters, and overlapping features between different species. This study presents an updated revision of Condylostoma and its related genus Condylostomides da Silva Neto, 1994 based on descriptions of five species, including nine populations collected from China, using both morphological and molecular methods. The main findings are as follows: (1) 43 nominal species and about 130 populations are reviewed, resulting in the recognition of 30 valid species of Condylostoma and eight valid species of Condylostomides; (2) keys, synonyms, biogeographic distributions and amended/improved diagnoses of all valid species are provided; (3) based on the available data, four new Condylostoma species (C. marinum sp. nov., C. petzi sp. nov., C. villeneuvei sp. nov., and C. microstomum sp. nov.), one new combination (Condylostomides minimus (Dragesco, 1954) comb. nov. & nom. corr.), and two corrected names (Condylostoma ancestrale Villeneuve-Brachon, 1940 nom. corr. and Condylostomides nigrus (Dragesco, 1960) nom. corr.) are suggested; (4) cryptic species are detected and proposed for the first time to form the Condylostoma curvum species complex; (5) three highly confusing Condylostoma species, C. kris, C. spatiosum, and C. minutum, are redefined for the first time based on modern taxonomic methods; (6) a 'flagship' species, Condylostomides coeruleus, is recorded for the first time from the continent of Asia, substantially expanding its biogeography; (7) ciliature adjacent to the distal end of the paroral membrane within the family Condylostomatidae is uniformly defined as frontal membranelles and is classified into three patterns according to the arrangement of kinetosomes, which serve as important key features.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00223-3.

Eczema is a common chronic dermatological disease. Conventional treatments exhibit limited efficacy due to fast drug release resulting in short-term relief. Development of a new treatment strategy that enables sustained drug release and long-term maintenance on the skin surface is necessary. A self-adhesive swelling microneedle patch (SDSMNs) was designed and constructed using a two-step casting method. The adhesive substrate was prepared by blending gelatin and dopamine via oxidation of NaIO₄, so it could adhere onto the skin surface as well as withstand repeated bending movement without detachment. The swelling needles were fabricated using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which could swell by absorbing interstitial fluid and release the drug in a controlled manner. SDSMNs also showed desirable antibacterial activities toward E. coli and S. aureus. The adhesive microneedles loaded with matrine (MAT-SDSMNs), an anti-inflammatory Chinese medicine, dramatically relieved eczema symptoms through IL-17 mediated inflammation responses. The use of MAT-SDSMNs significantly decreased the infiltration of inflammation cells and level of inflammatory cytokines, reduced the skin thickness, and increased collagen deposition fraction compared with conventional ointment or subcutaneous injection. The results suggested that MAT-SDSMNs can improve eczema treatment by regulating the local inflammatory microenvironment, providing a simple, self-administered sustainable strategy for eczema treatment.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00235-z.