Structural characterisation of algae Costaria costata fucoidan and its effects on CCl₄-induced liver injury.

Fucoidan is a well-known natural product that is commonly found in brown algae and shows a variety of activities, including immunomodulation, antioxidation, and the combat of carcinogens. The fucoidan fractions of Costaria costata, a brown algae introduced from Japan and cultured in northern China, were studied. The fucoidan fractions were extracted, separated, and purified using a combinatorial procedure consisting of enzymolysis, ethanol precipitation, and DEAE and size-exclusion chromatographies.

Novel antioxidative peptides from the protein hydrolysate of oysters (Crassostrea talienwhanensis).

The antioxidative activity of hydrolysate peptides from oysters (Crassostrea talienwhanensis) was investigated. After hydrolysis with subtilisin, the yields of the peptides that were soluble in trichloroacetic acid (TCA-soluble) and the antioxidant activities of the resulting hydrolysate were determined using an orthogonal design and a hydroxyl radical scavenging reaction. The hydrolysate was fractionated using Sephadex G-15 gel filtration chromatography, and the two resulting bioactive peptides were subsequently purified by RP-HPLC with a Kromasil C18 (ODS) column.

Instability of anthocyanin composition under different subculture conditions during long-term suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera L. var. Gamay Fréaux.

The instability of secondary metabolite production is a ubiquitous problem in plant cell culture. In order to understand the instability in plant cell culture, we investigated anthocyanin accumulation in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera, as a model system, in our laboratory. Not only the anthocyanin contents but also its composition exhibited instability along with the long-term subculture.

[Enhanced production of taxuyunnanine c in cell suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis by methyl jasmonate elicitation and in situ absorption].

A bioprocess intensification strategy that combines both elicitation and in situ absorption was developed to improve the production of taxuyunnanine c (Tc) in cell suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis. When 100 micromol/L methyl jasmonate was added as an elicitor on Day 7, the Tc content and yield increased 3.6 and 3.

[Progress in silicatein from sponges].

Sponges (Porifera) are the oldest living metazoan in the world, among which most of them (Demospongia) can produce silicic skeleton from orthosilicic acid in the seawater under the natural enVironmental conditions. These biosilicic materials exhibit good mechanical and optical properties as well as good biocompatibility. During the biosilicification process of sponges, a protein, named as silicatein, plays an important role and has attracted great attention from biologist, chemists and material scientists.

[The construction of a preliminary genetic linkage map in the Japanese scallop Mizuhopecten yessoensis].

AFLP markers were used to construct the primary linkage map in a family of Mizuhopecten yessoensis. A total of 1 855 markers were generated in two parents and 52 progenies of the mapping family by using 56 AFLP primer combinations. Among the 1 855 markers, 598 were polymorphic and 354 were in agreement with the Mendelian segregating ratio of 1:1.

[Purification and characterization of a bromoperoxidase from Gracilaria lemaneiformis].

A bromoperoxidase from Gracilaria lemaneiformis was purified to homogeneity using a multi-step process of ammonium sulfate precipitation (AS), dialysis, and DEAE-cellulose 52 anion exchange chromatography. The bromoperoxidase activity was unstable or undetectable in crude extract solution. However, it became stable with electrophoretic purity after this multiple purification process.

Improved hydrogen photoproduction regulated by carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhrazone from marine green alga Platymonas subcordiformis grown in CO2-supplemented air bubble column bioreactor.

To develop an integrated process of CO(2)-fixation and H(2) photoproduction by marine green microalga Platymonas subcordiformis, the impact of algal cells grown in CO(2)-supplemented air bubble column bioreactor was investigated on H(2) photoproduction regulated by carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhrazone. Highest cell growth (3.85 x 10(6) cells ml(-1)), starch content (0.

Development of an eco-friendly agar extraction technique from the red seaweed Gracilaria lemaneiformis.

The red seaweed, Gracilaria lemaneiformis growing as an aquaculture bioremediator along the coasts of Liaodong Peninsula, China, was investigated for the agar production. An eco-friendly method called agar photobleaching extraction process was developed for the benefit of workers' health and safety of the environment. The native agar (NA), alkali-modified agar (AA), chemical-bleached agar (CA) and photobleached agar (PA), which were extracted using different processes, were evaluated for their physical and chemical properties.

A comparative study on the phylogenetic diversity of culturable actinobacteria isolated from five marine sponge species.

A cultivation-based approach was employed to compare the culturable actinobacterial diversity associated with five marine sponge species (Craniella australiensis, Halichondria rugosa, Reniochalina sp., Sponge sp., and Stelletta tenuis).

Dynamics of spicule production in the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis during in vitro cell culture and seasonal development in the field.

To characterize the formation of silica spicules, the dynamics of spiculogenesis of an intertidal marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu 1818) (Porifera: Demospongiae) were investigated by measuring the gene expression of silicatein (the enzyme responsible for spicule silicification) and the dimensional changes of spicules during the developmental process of individual sponges and in cell cultures of primmorphs of archaeocyte-dominant cell populations. The different developmental stages of spicules were documented by time-lapse microscopy and observed by transmission electron microscopy during a 1-month culture period. During its annual life cycle, H.

Comparison of spiculogenesis in in vitro ADCP-primmorph and explants culture of marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve with 3-TMOSPU supplementation.

This study aims to test the feasibility of introducing functional chemical groups into biogenic silica spicules by examining the effect of supplementing a silican coupler [3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]urea (3-TMOSPU) as silica source in the cultures of archaeocytes-dominant-cell-population (ADCP) primmorphs and explants of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve. Analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed that the organic group in 3-TMOSPU was introduced into silica spicules. By comparing ADCP-primmorph cultures when supplemented with Na2SiO3, 3-TMOSPU supplementation showed no notable effect on the primmorphs development and cell locomotion behaviors.

[Subcellular localization and identification of hydrogenase isolated from the marine green alga Platymonas subcordiformis using immunoprecipitation and MALDI-TOF MS].

A marine unicellular green alga, Platymonas subcordiformis, was demonstrated to photobiologically produce hydrogen gas from seawater. The objective of this study was to localize and identify the hydrogenase isolated from P. subcordiformis.

[Phylogenetic diversity of endocellular bacteria marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve].

Marine sponges are hosts of diverse bacteria that live in both intracellular and intercellular spaces of the multicellular animals. The aim of this study is to investigate the bacteria diversity inside the marine sponge cells of Hymeniacidon perleve by 16S rDNA gene sequences. To obtain pure sponge cells, a protocol has been developed in which the sponge tissues were firstly dissociated in CMFSW and cleaned several times.

Purification and in vitro cultivation of archaeocytes (stem cells) of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve (Demospongiae).

Marine sponges (Porifera) are the best source of marine bioactive metabolites for drug discovery and development, although the sustainable production of most sponge-derived metabolites remains a difficult task. In vitro cultivation of sponge cells in bioreactors has been proposed as a promising technology. However, no continuous cell line has as yet been developed.

[Effect of homogeneity on cell growth and anthocyanin biosynthesis in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera].

The instability of secondary metabolite production is a ubiquitous problem in plant cell culture. To understand the instability, the investigation of anthocyanin accumulation in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera, as a model system, has been initiated in our laboratory. Suspension culture of a relatively homogeneous cell line E of V.

Scalable producing embryoid bodies by rotary cell culture system and constructing engineered cardiac tissue with ES-derived cardiomyocytes in vitro.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are of significant interest either as an in vitro model recapitulating early embryonic development or as a renewable source of therapeutically useful cells. ES cells aggregation is important for embryoid bodies (EBs) formation and the subsequent generation of ES cell derivatives. This study was conducted to describe scalable production of EBs by the rotary cell culture system (RCCS, STLV type) and estimate the feasibility of constructing engineered cardiac tissue (ECT).

Proliferation and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells in APA microcapsule: A model for studying the interaction between stem cells and their niche.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells hold promise either as an in vitro model recapitulating early embryonic development or as a renewable source of therapeutically useful cells. Certain aspects of the microenvironment (or niche) play critical roles in determining the fate of ES cells. Here, we reported the feasibility of using the technique of microencapsulation to study the interaction between ES cells and their tissue niche.

[Significant improved anthocyanins biosynthesis in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera by process intensification].

The low-production is a ubiquitous problem and has prevented the commercialization of secondary metabolite production in plant cell culture. In order to examine the effective approaches to improvement of secondary metabolite production in plant cell culture, the investigation of anthocyanins accumulation in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera, as a model system, had been initiated in our laboratory. In this present research, various elicitors and the precursor of phenylalanine were used in combination to enhance the anthocyanins production in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera.

Role of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone in enhancing photobiological hydrogen production by marine green alga Platymonas subcordiformis.

We demonstrated that a significant volume of H(2) gas could be photobiologically produced by a marine green alga Platymonas subcordiformis when an uncoupler of photophosphorylation, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), was added after 32 h of anaerobic dark incubation, whereas a negligible volume of H(2) gas was produced without CCCP. The role of CCCP in enhancing photobiological H(2) production was delineated. CCCP as an ADRY agent (agent accelerating the deactivation reactions of water-splitting enzyme system Y) rapidly inhibited the photosystem II (PSII) activity of P.

[16S rDNA-RFLP analysis of actinomycetes associated with marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve].

106 culturable symbiotic actinomycetes strains were isolated from intertidal marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve collected from Chinese Yellow Sea. The 16S rDNA sequences of these strains were amplified and RFLP patterns were analyzed by digestion of 16S rDNA fragments with Hha I. 11 different patterns were identified, with confirmation by the RFLP analysis using Vector NTI simulation.

[Microenvironment effect of APA microcapsule on embryonic stem cell].

We undertook a series of studies to evaluate the role of microenvironment during embryonic stem cell (ESC) proliferation and differentiation. In this paper, cell microencapsulation technology was employed, which allows the free exchange of nutrients, oxygen and biologically active products between the entrapped cell and culture medium. We analyzed the feasibility of mouse ESCs in microcapsules and evaluated the growth, metabolic activity and differentiation of ESCs once enclosed in alginate-Ca(2+) microbead, solid or liquefied core alginate-poly-lysine-alginate (APA) microcapsule, respectively.

Optimal light regime for the cultivation of transgenic Laminaria japonica gametophytes in a bubble-column bioreactor.

Fluctuating light intensity had a more significant impact on growth of gametophytes of transgenic Laminaria japonica in a 2500 ml bubble-column bioreactor than constant light intensity. A fluctuating light intensity between 10 and 110 microE m(-2) s(-1), with a photoperiod of 14 h:10 h light:dark, was the best regime for growth giving 1430 mg biomass l(-1).

[Scalable production of embryoid bodies with the rotay cell culture system.].

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells capable of extensive proliferation while maintaining their potential to differentiate into any cell type in the body. ES cells can therefore be considered a renewable source of therapeutically useful cells. While ES-derived cells have tremendous potential in many experimental and therapeutic applications, the scope of their utility is dependent on the availability of relevant cell quantities.

Formulation of a basal medium for primary cell culture of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perleve.

Marine sponge cell culture is a potential route for the sustainable production of sponge-derived bioproducts. Development of a basal culture medium is a prerequisite for the attachment, spreading, and growth of sponge cells in vitro. With the limited knowledge available on nutrient requirements for sponge cells, a series of statistical experimental designs has been employed to screen and optimize the critical nutrient components including inorganic salts (ferric ion, zinc ion, silicate, and NaCl), amino acids (glycine, glutamine, and aspartic acid), sugars (glucose, sorbitol, and sodium pyruvate), vitamin C, and mammalian cell medium (DMEM and RPMI 1640) using MTT assay in 96-well plates.