Brevetoxicosis: red tides and marine mammal mortalities

Potent marine neurotoxins known as brevetoxins are produced by the 'red tide' dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. They kill large numbers of fish and cause illness in humans who ingest toxic filter-feeding shellfish or inhale toxic aerosols. The toxins are also suspected of having been involved in events in which many manatees and dolphins died, but this has usually not been verified owing to limited confirmation of toxin exposure, unexplained intoxication mechanisms and complicating pathologies. Here we show that fish and seagrass can accumulate high concentrations of brevetoxins and that these have acted as toxin vectors during recent deaths of dolphins and manatees, respectively. Our results challenge claims that the deleterious effects of a brevetoxin on fish (ichthyotoxicity) preclude its accumulation in live fish, and they reveal a new vector mechanism for brevetoxin spread through food webs that poses a threat to upper trophic levels.     

Pfiesteria shumwayae kills fish by micropredation not exotoxin secretion

Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae reportedly secrete potent exotoxins thought to cause fish lesion events, acute fish kills and human disease in mid-Atlantic USA estuaries. However, Pfiesteria toxins have never been isolated or characterized. We investigated mechanisms by which P. shumwayae kills fish using three different approaches. Here we show that larval fish bioassays conducted in tissue culture plates fitted with polycarbonate membrane inserts exhibited mortality (100%) only in treatments where fish and dinospores were in physical contact. No mortalities occurred in treatments where the membrane prevented contact between dinospores and fish. Using differential centrifugation and filtration of water from a fish-killing culture, we produced 'dinoflagellate', 'bacteria' and 'cell-free' fractions. Larval fish bioassays of these fractions resulted in mortalities (60-100% in less than 24 h) only in fractions containing live dinospores ('whole water', 'dinoflagellate'), with no mortalities in 'cell-free' or 'bacteria'-enriched fractions. Videomicrography and electron microscopy show dinospores swarming toward and attaching to skin, actively feeding, and rapidly denuding fish of epidermis. We show here that our cultures of actively fish-killing P. shumwayae do not secrete potent exotoxins; rather, fish mortality results from micropredatory feeding.     

Single gene circles in dinoflagellate chloroplast genomes.

Photosynthetic dinoflagellates are important aquatic primary producers and notorious causes of toxic 'red tides'. Typical dinoflagellate chloroplasts differ from all other plastids in having a combination of three envelope membranes and peridinin-chlorophyll a/c light-harvesting pigments. Despite evidence of a dinoflagellete satellite DNA containing chloroplast genes, previous attempts to obtain chloroplast gene sequences have been uniformly unsuccessful. Here we show that the dinoflagellate chloroplast DNA genome structure is unique. Complete sequences of chloroplast ribosomal RNA genes and seven chloroplast protein genes from the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra reveal that each is located alone on a separate minicircular chromosome: 'one gene-one circle'. The genes are the most divergent known from chloroplast genomes. Each circle has an unusual tripartite non-coding region (putative replicon origin), which is highly conserved among the nine circles through extensive gene conversion, but is very divergent between species. Several other dinoflagellate species have minicircular chloroplast genes, indicating that this type of genomic organization may have evolved in ancestral peridinean dinoflagellates. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that dinoflagellate chloroplasts are related to chromistan and red algal chloroplasts and supports their origin by secondary symbiogenesis.     

An endogenous annual clock in the toxic marine dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis (synonyms Protogonyaulax tamarensis and Alexandrium tamarense) cause outbreaks of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in coastal waters throughout the world. In the Gulf of Maine, episodes occur between April and November, a seasonality due in part to life-cycle alternations between motile, vegetative cells and resting cysts which overwinter in bottom sediments. Newly formed cysts have a mandatory 2-6 month dormancy period during which germination is not possible, but once mature, the resting state will continue if temperatures are unfavourable or oxygen is unavailable. We now report another factor controlling germination of cysts of G. tamarensis from deep coastal waters--an endogenous annual clock that can override an otherwise favourable environment for germination. Similar annual variability in germination has not been observed for cysts of this species from shallow estuaries. These results represent the first conclusive demonstration of an endogenous circannual rhythm in a marine plant. They are evolutionarily and ecologically significant because an endogenous annual clock can lead to the release of motile cells into deep and relatively invariant bottom waters at those times when temperature and light at the surface are suitable for growth. In shallow waters where seasonal variability is large and extends to bottom sediments, a strategy similar to that of the seeds of terrestrial plants would be more appropriate, namely a direct coupling between germination and the external environment.     

丙烯酸及丙烯酯对水生生物的急性毒性

目的：研究了丙烯酸及3种丙烯酸酯类物质对鱼类、藻类及水生甲壳类的毒性，以探讨有毒赤潮藻类棕囊藻所产生的这类物质对海洋生物及海洋环境的影响。方法：使用丙烯酸及丙烯酸酯类物质分别对不同水生生物进行半静止的96h或48h急性毒性试验。结果：丙烯酸、丙烯酸甲酯、丙烯酸乙酯、丙烯酸丁酯对食蚊鱼（Gambusia affinis）96h半致死质量浓度（IC50）分别为15．30、14．56、15．61、19．88mg/L；丙烯酸对海洋原甲藻（Prorocentrum micans）、扁藻（Platymonas elliptica）、小球藻（CHlorella minutissima）3种海洋微灌96h生长潜力半抑制质量浓度（IC50）分别为60．34、72．41、50．73mg/L；丙烯酸对丰年虫（Artemia salina）、网纹Shao（Ceriodaphnia reticulata）48h半效应质量浓度（EC50）分别为143．50、135．41mg/L。结论：研究得出的丙烯酸对水生生物急性毒性试验结果虽大于赤潮期间海水中丙烯酸的质量浓度，但远小于棕囊藻囊内质量浓度，说明棕囊藻产生的丙烯酸类物质对其他水生生物具有一定毒性，丙烯酸的产生与棕囊藻占据整个海洋生态环境绝对优势及赤潮期间鱼类的大量死亡有一定的相关性。     

Climatic influence on a marine fish assemblage

Understanding the fluctuations in marine fish stocks is important for the management of fisheries, and attempts have been made to demonstrate links with oceanographic and climatic variability, including the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO has been correlated with a range of long-term ecological measures, including certain fish stocks. Such environmental influences are most likely to affect susceptible juveniles during estuarine residency, as estuaries are critical juvenile nursery or over-wintering habitats. Here we show that, during a 16-year period, climatic forcing (by means of the NAO) is consistently the most important parameter explaining variation in assemblage composition, abundance and growth of juvenile marine fish during estuarine residency. A possible mechanism for the effect of the NAO is a temperature differential between estuarine and marine waters that allows fish to facultatively exploit optimal thermal habitats. The connection has potentially important implications for the size and numbers of individuals recruited to the fishery, for understanding and predicting the composition of juvenile fish stocks using estuaries, and for the appropriate conservation of estuarine systems in relation to fish stocks.     

Proteomics of a toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella DH01: Detection and identification of cell surface proteins using fluorescent labeling

Alexandrium catenella DH01 is a toxic dinoflagellate species that is able to not only produce paralytic shellfish toxins,but also cause harmful algal blooms along the coast of China.In this study,we presented a new protocol for specific labeling and detection of the cell surface proteins(CSPs) of A.catenella DH01 cells using CyDye difference gel electrophoresis(DIGE) fluor minimal dyes.CSPs were identified using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis(2-DE) and MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometry(MS).The results showed that the fluorescent cyanine dye Cy3 could specifically label the CSPs of A.catenella DH01,with minimal labeling of intracellular proteins.Among three protein extraction methods evaluated,the Trizol method was the most efficient to extract CSPs with respect to protein spot number and resolution.Forty-one CSPs were separated and identified from A.catenella DH01 by 2-DE,in which 14 were identified in the protein database using MALDI TOF-TOF MS analysis.This work represents the first attempt to investigate the CSPs of A.catenella using the CyDye DIGE fluor dyeing method that provides a potentially important tool for future comprehensive characterization of CSPs and elucidation of the physiological functions of CSPs in dinoflagellates.     

Urea excretion as a strategy for survival in a fish living in a very alkaline environment

Ammonia is toxic to all vertebrates. It can be converted to the less toxic urea, but this is a metabolically expensive process found only in terrestrial vertebrates that cannot readily excrete ammonia and marine fish that use urea as an osmotic filler. Freshwater fish mostly excrete ammonia with only a small quantity of urea. It seems the ornithine cycle for urea production has been suppressed in all freshwater teleosts except for some airbreathers which, when exposed to air, increase urea synthesis via the cycle. Here we show that the tilapia fish Oreochromis alcalicus grahami, the only fish living in Lake Magadi, an alkaline soda lake (pH = 9.6-10) in the Kenyan Rift Valley, excretes exclusively urea and has ornithine-urea cycle enzymes in its liver. A closely related species that lives in water at pH 7.1 lacks these enzymes and excretes mainly ammonia with small amounts of urea produced via uricolysis. It dies within 60 min when placed in water from Lake Magadi. We suggest that urea production via the ornithine-urea cycle permits O. a. grahami to survive the very alkaline conditions in Lake Magadi.     

Factors affecting the abundance and community structureof the phytoplankton in northern South China Sea in the summerof 2008： a biomarker study

Phytoplankton biomarkers were analyzedusing suspended particles collected from the northernSouth China Sea （SCS） during the summer cruise of2008, with the goal of understanding the algal communitystructure and biomass distribution pattern in the summerseason. The results indicated that the distribution of algalbiomarkers in surface water of SCS was impacted andconstrained by the local hydrological settings： the highbiological community generally appeared in Pearl Riverestuaries, southwestern off Taiwan island and southeast-em off Hainan Island, while the relatively lower biomasswas found in the deep basin and strait areas. Diatomswere the dominant phytoplankton species, which werefollowed by dinoflagellates. Coccolithophorid biomassgradually increased toward the open ocean. The presentwork indicated that the algal biomarkers effectively doc-umented the variability of the phytoplankton biomass andcommunity structure as well as their linkage with theoceanic dynamics in SCS during summer 2008. Thisresearch provided not only the foundation for the appli-cation of algal lipids in the modem ocean ecosystem, butalso the basis for the reconstruction of the past oceanicalgal community structures.     

海洋浮游植物休眠期的生态学研究

休眠期是甲藻和硅藻抵御外界不利环境条件的一种有效的生理反应机制，也是许多赤潮藻生活史中的一个重要生活阶段．从生态分布、生态作用尤其是在赤潮生消过程中的作用等角度简述了海洋浮游甲藻和硅藻休眠期的生态学的研究情况，并对二者的生态学特征进行比较．甲藻孢囊和硅藻休止细胞在海洋沉积物中的丰度有明显差别，前者较后者具有更明显的季节性萌发能力．温度和光照是影响二者萌发的重要生态因子，温度是甲藻孢囊萌发不可或缺的因素，而光照是硅藻休止细胞萌发的触发因子．二者在种源策略和生态特征上的差异导致了不同的群落演替模式和引发藻华的机制．     

方志敏关于“死”的理念的哲学解

在方志敏关于"死"的理念中,"死"是一种辩证的否定。它既是生命的终结,也是生命的升华,产生的是一种激励后人更加努力奋斗的精神。方志敏的关于死的意义、死的价值、死的期望及对死的态度的表述,蕴含着非常深刻的马克思主义哲学道理。方志敏关于"死"的理念渊源于孔子的"杀身成仁"和孟子的"舍生取义"的哲学命题,但它具有时代特征,有自己独特的哲学之道。     

有机磷农药乐果对鱼类的毒性影响

以普通泥鳅为实验对象，研究了有机磷农药乐果在低、中、高浓度时对其生长发育的影响以及内脏组织器官产生的病理变化．将泥鳅分别置于浓度为0，40，60，80，100，120，140mg／L的乐果溶液中，观察其在24h，48h，96h的个体死亡情况和病理学变化．测出乐果对泥鳅的24h，48h，96h半数致死浓度分别为94．26，75．68，58．34mg／L．通过以上结果说明，农药乐果对水生生物中的泥鳅有极为敏感的毒性作用，进而说明其对自然环境评价与保护具有积极作用．     

辛硫磷防治竹长蠹危害竹材和竹制品的研究

<正>辛硫磷防治竹长蠹危害竹材、竹制品在实验室或在生产现     

Effects of electrolysis on Microcystis aeruginosa in water

Microcystis aeruginosa (blue-green algae) is of concern in relation to drinking water because of its ability to produce toxins and odors that can significantly impair water quality. The drinking water contaminated with toxic cyanobacteria could cause the death of the domestic and wild animals and the cases of human illness. To minimize the threat, the treatment of eutrophicated water containing algae (M.aeroginosa) was conducted via electrochemical oxidation process, with titanium based anode coated with RuO₂ in this study. The research showed that the electrochemical oxidation process was effective in inhibiting the growth of the algae such as M.aeruginosa. The electrolysis parameters such as: electrolysis time, current density, and electrodes distance were analyzed by the orthogonal collocation method. The results showed the electrolysis time was the dominant factor for the inhibition of the algal growth. The optimal operating conditions were: current density of 10 mA/cm² and the electrodes distance of 6 cm. The inhibitive efficiency was 92.64% with the electrolysis time of 40 minutes. The preliminary mechanism of this process was also explored and proposed in this paper.     

Aldehyde suppression of copepod recruitment in blooms of a ubiquitous planktonic diatom

The growth cycle in nutrient-rich, aquatic environments starts with a diatom bloom that ends in mass sinking of ungrazed cells and phytodetritus. The low grazing pressure on these blooms has been attributed to the inability of overwintering copepod populations to track them temporally. We tested an alternative explanation: that dominant diatom species impair the reproductive success of their grazers. We compared larval development of a common overwintering copepod fed on a ubiquitous, early-blooming diatom species with its development when fed on a typical post-bloom dinoflagellate. Development was arrested in all larvae in which both mothers and their larvae were fed the diatom diet. Mortality remained high even if larvae were switched to the dinoflagellate diet. Aldehydes, cleaved from a fatty acid precursor by enzymes activated within seconds after crushing of the cell, elicit the teratogenic effect. This insidious mechanism, which does not deter the herbivore from feeding but impairs its recruitment, will restrain the cohort size of the next generation of early-rising overwinterers. Such a transgenerational plant-herbivore interaction could explain the recurringly inefficient use of a predictable, potentially valuable food resource--the spring diatom bloom--by marine zooplankton.     

Current status of research and application in vascular stents

Cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death in modern society. Using vascular stents to treat these coronary and peripheral artery diseases has been one of the most effective and rapidly adopted medical interventions. During the twenty-five years＇ development of vascular stents, revolutionary cardiovascular stents like drug eluting stents and endothelial progenitor cells capture stents have emerged. In this review, the evolution of vascular stents is summarized, aiming to provide a glimpse into the future of vascular stents. Advanced designs, focusing on the investigations of new substrates, new platforms, new drugs and new biomolecules are currently under evaluation with promising clinical studies. The concept of ＂time sequence functional stent＂ has been raised in this paper. It presents anti-proliferative properties in the first phase after implantation and subsequently support endothelialization. It also shows long-term inertness without release of toxic ions or toxic degradation products. The success of this concept is briefly presented with a clinical study in this model stents.     

5-氟尿嘧啶衍生物的合成及其抗癌活性研究进展

5-氟尿嘧啶(5-FU)是临床上一种抗瘤谱广、有效率高的抗代谢药物.它对多种肿瘤有抑制作用,缺陷是服药有效剂量与中毒量相近,在杀死癌细胞的同时对正常细胞的损伤也较严重.提高5-FU的选择性、最大限度地避免药物的副作用已成为人们的研究重点.对近年来已研究的5-氟尿嘧啶衍生物的合成及其抗癌活性进行了综述和评论.     

丁草胺及其复配剂对水生生物的急性毒性与安全性评价

丁草胺及其复配剂是防治稻田杂草的重要农药品种,为明确此类农药对水生生物的毒性,在稻区进行杂草防治时避免和减轻对水生生物的毒害,分别测定了50%丁草胺乳油、70%丁草胺·异噁草松·吡嘧磺隆乳油、75%丁草胺·噁草酮·乙氧氟草醚乳油、78%丁草胺·噁草酮乳油对斜生栅藻、大型溞和斑马鱼的急性毒性。结果显示4种制剂对斜生栅藻72 h的EC_(50)分别为4.143×10~(-3), 3.207×10~(-3), 1.936×10~(-4)和1.144×10~(-3) mg a.i.·L~(-1),且均为高毒;大型溞48 h的EC_(50)分别为1.576、2.165、1.284和1.595 mg a.i.·L~(-1),且均为中毒;斑马鱼96 h的LC_(50)分别为0.440、0.407、0.871和0.445 mg a.i.·L~(-1),且均为高毒。结果表明,丁草胺单剂及3种复配剂对大型溞的安全风险性较低,但对斜生栅藻和斑马鱼的安全风险性很高,因此在施用农药时应注意对藻类的危害,避免在雨天或鱼类敏感水区及保护区附近施用。     

石斑鱼类的分子系统学研究进展

石斑鱼类是世界上最重要的海洋经济鱼类之一，其种类繁多，大部分营定居性生活．由于种间缺乏明显的外部形态区别特征．石斑鱼的分类一直是鱼类系统分类学中的一个难题，存在着很多争议和混淆．通过DNA序列分析在分子水平重建物种的系统进化关系是当前系统学研究的一个新热点，是传统系统学研究的重要补充和佐证．本文简要综述了石斑鱼类传统分类研究状况、存在问题及当前石斑鱼类的分子系统学研究进展，并对石斑鱼类的系统学研究发展作了展望．     

Crowding induces live cell extrusion to maintain homeostatic cell numbers in epithelia

For an epithelium to provide a protective barrier, it must maintain homeostatic cell numbers by matching the number of dividing cells with the number of dying cells. Although compensatory cell division can be triggered by dying cells, it is unknown how cell death might relieve overcrowding due to proliferation. When we trigger apoptosis in epithelia, dying cells are extruded to preserve a functional barrier. Extrusion occurs by cells destined to die signalling to surrounding epithelial cells to contract an actomyosin ring that squeezes the dying cell out. However, it is not clear what drives cell death during normal homeostasis. Here we show in human, canine and zebrafish cells that overcrowding due to proliferation and migration induces extrusion of live cells to control epithelial cell numbers. Extrusion of live cells occurs at sites where the highest crowding occurs in vivo and can be induced by experimentally overcrowding monolayers in vitro. Like apoptotic cell extrusion, live cell extrusion resulting from overcrowding also requires sphingosine 1-phosphate signalling and Rho-kinase-dependent myosin contraction, but is distinguished by signalling through stretch-activated channels. Moreover, disruption of a stretch-activated channel, Piezo1, in zebrafish prevents extrusion and leads to the formation of epithelial cell masses. Our findings reveal that during homeostatic turnover, growth and division of epithelial cells on a confined substratum cause overcrowding that leads to their extrusion and consequent death owing to the loss of survival factors. These results suggest that live cell extrusion could be a tumour-suppressive mechanism that prevents the accumulation of excess epithelial cells.