Project description:In this study, the transcriptional profiles of four deep-sea sculpin fish species (Cottoidei) are described for the first time as part of the study of the adaptation of endemic fishes to different habitats in Lake Baikal. These studies will lead to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that ensure the adaptation of endemic species to specific habitats in Lake Baikal, even at depths of more than 500 m (up to 1600 m).
Project description:Metagenome data from soil samples were collected at 0 to 10cm deep from 2 avocado orchards in Channybearup, Western Australia, in 2024. Amplicon sequence variant (ASV) tables were constructed based on the DADA2 pipeline with default parameters.
Project description:Color is an important trait in nature, playing a role in selection and speciation. The most important colorants in crustaceans are carotenoids, which in complexes with carotenoid-binding proteins provide an astonishing variety of colors from red to violet. Over 350 species and subspecies of amphipods (Crustacea: Amphipoda) endemic to Lake Baikal exhibit an impressive variability of colors and coloration patterns. However, the mechanisms forming this diversity are underexplored. In this work, we analyze the coloration of two species of endemic Lake Baikal amphipods, Eulimnogammarus cyaneus and E. vittatus. These species are brightly colored and, even more importantly, characterized by intraspecific color variability. We showed that the color of either species strongly correlated with the abundance of two putative carotenoid-binding proteins (the relative abundance of these proteins was higher in blue or teal-colored animals than in the orange- or yellow-colored ones.). With LC-MS/MS, we were able to identifiy these proteins, which turned out to be similar to the pheromone/odorant-binding protein family.
Project description:Dietary intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) has been inversely associated with lower risk of ulcerative colitis. A pig model was used to evaluate the impact of feeding FV on the host response to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods: Six-week-old pigs were fed a grower diet alone or supplemented with lyophilized FV equivalent to the half (half-FV) or full (full-FV) daily levels recommended for humans by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Pigs were fed a 1) grower diet alone (negative control), 2) grower diet and orally treated with 4% DSS for 10 days to induce colitis (positive control), 3) half-FV diet treated with 4% DSS or 4) full-FV diet treated with 4% DSS. Pigs were monitored for the development of clinical signs of colitis. Proximal colon (PC) contents and mucosa (PCM) were collected for gut metagenome, tissue transcriptome and histopathological analysis. Results: Pigs fed the full-FV diet did not exhibit diarrhea, showed less fecal occult blood (FOB), PCM crypt hyperplasia but with no differential expressed genes (DEG) or changes in PC microbiome diversity (p < 0.05). Pigs within the half-FV group exhibited increased group FOB and DEG associated with tissue remodeling, crypt and goblet cell hyperplasia in the PCM and no changes in PC microbiome diversity and two pigs exhibiting diarrhea (p < 0.05). Pigs within the DSS positive control group exhibited a reduced DEG involved with intestinal immune response and PC microbiome diversity with altered metagenome, increased group PCM erosion and FOB with persistent diarrhea in one pig (p < 0.05) Conclusions: Overall, our results showed that pigs fed a three-week full-FV supplemented diet, were resistant to DSS-induced colitis with a differential dose-dependent protective effect on host intestinal tissue and gut metagenome when exposed to an inflammatory challenge.
Project description:Lake sediment microbial communities from Lake Baikal, Russia to study Microbial Dark Matter (Phase II) - Lake Baikal sediment 0-5 cm metagenome