Project description:Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a shrimp farming disease, caused by a pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus carrying a plasmid encoding Vp_PirAB-like toxin (VpAHPND). Whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei were fed food pellets containing formalin-killed VpAHPND (FKC-VpAHPND) to select for toxin resistance. To identify genes associated with Vp_PirAB-like toxin resistance, total RNA was sequenced to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the stomach and hepatopancreas among surviving shrimp (sur-FKC), AHPND-infected shrimp (Vp-inf) and normal shrimp (control). From a total of 79,591 genes, 194 and 224 DEGs were identified in the stomach and hepatopancreas transcriptomes, respectfully. The expressions of DEGs were validated by qPCR of ten genes. Only one gene, a gene homologous to L vannamei anti-lipopolysaccharide factor AV-R isoform (LvALF AV-R), was expressed significantly more strongly in sur-FKC than in the other groups. The association of LvALF AV-R expression and toxin resistance was affirmed from the surviving shrimp in a second-trial of FKC-VpAHPND feeding. These results suggest that LvALF AV-R may be involved in shrimp defense mechanisms against Vp_PirAB-like toxin virulence.
Project description:The study aimed to determine effect of polychaetes as a shrimp feed on male reproductive maturation at transcriptional level through a cDNA microarray in the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Thus, the experiment was to compare transcriptomic profiles of two different parts of reproductive organs, namely testes (TT) and vas deferens (VD), of domesticated 17-month-old between two different feeds, namely commercial pellet and polychaetes after feeding for one month. Differentially expressed genes were identified through the microarray analysis, and the microarray results were confirmed by real-time PCR. Selected genes were further characterized.
Project description:This experiment was designed to test the effect of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and insulin on liver slices prepared from Atlantic salmon. Liver slices were incubated with increasing concentrations of ALA and insulin from 20µM to 100µM and 10nM to 100nM, respectively. RNA was subsequently sequenced and response was evaluated and compared to the expected response from Atlantic salmon feeding trials. The purpose of this was to evaluate liver slice culture as a cell culture system for studying lipid metabolism in Atlantic salmon.
Project description:This agent-based model is based on an adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiment scenario of two mutually cross feeding strains of bacteria and yeast. The bacterial strain secretes vitamins for which the yeast strain is auxotrophic and the yeast strain secrets amino acids for which the bacterial strain is auxotrophic. In particular, the model simulates a situation where a mutation arises in the bacterial strain that results in the emergence of individuals (mutant bacteria) with a higher secretion of vitamins as compared to the wild type (WT). This increase in secretion comes with a cost in terms of fitness (growth rate) of the mutant bacteria. The model can be used to assess if this mutant is able to persist and increase in frequency in the cross-feeding community.