The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is well known as a traditional tonic food and as a commercially important cultured aquatic species. This species produces saponins, and has a high potential to cope with environmental stress, such as aestivation, organ regeneration, and wound healing. Recently, several studies have shown that cellular reprogramming and the physiological responses of the sea cucumber to environmental changes, including aestivation, are potentially mediated by epigenetic DNA methylation. The DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)1 and DNMT3 genes are independent participants in the maintenance and de novo methylation of specific sequences. Sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and starfish (Asterina pectinifera), which belong to the same phylum as A. japonicus, have both DNMT1 and DNMT3 genes. However, it was previously reported that DNMT1 is present, but DNMT3 is absent, in A. japonicus. In the present study, we sequenced the full-length cDNA of the A. japonicus DNMT3 gene. The newly sequenced DNMT3 gene comprises three major conserved domains (Pro-Trp-Trp-Pro (PWWP), plant homeodomain (PHD), and S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase (AdoMet-MTase)), indicating that the DNMT3 possibly has de novo DNA methylation catalytic activity. Gene structure and phylogenetic analysis showed that sea cucumber DNMT3 is evolutionarily conserved in the Echinodermata. Next, we demonstrated the conservation of DNMT3 gene expression in sea cucumber and starfish belong to same phylum, echinoderm. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, sea cucumber DNMT3 mRNA was detected in testis tissue, but not in other tissues tested, including the respiratory tree, muscle, tentacle, intestine, and ovary. This is inconsistent with previous reports, which showed the expression of DNMT3 in ovary, but not in testis of the starfish A. pectinifera, indicating the tissue- and species-specific expression of DNMT3 gene. Although further studies are needed to clarify the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of DNMT3 and its application to the aquaculture industry, our findings may provide insights into the sea cucumber biology.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11033-019-04821-8 | DOI Listing |
BMC Microbiol
January 2025
The Marine Science Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
Background: The observed growth variability of different aquaculture species in captivity hinders its large-scale production. For the sandfish Holothuria scabra, a tropical sea cucumber species, there is a scarcity of information on its intestinal microbiota in relation to host growth, which could provide insights into the processes that affect growth and identify microorganisms with probiotic or biochemical potential that could improve current production strategies. To address this gap, this study used 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize differences in gut and fecal microbiota among large and small juveniles reared in floating ocean nurseries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Agric Food Chem
January 2025
National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Marine Bioactive Polysaccharide Development and Application, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, PR China.
This study aims to reveal the transduction signaling network that triggers sea cucumber () autolysis. The tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics and transcriptomic techniques were used to analyze expression differences between inhibited and activated sea cucumber autolysis. Flow cytometry was used to identify apoptosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
December 2024
The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
Identifying the signatures of intestinal dysbiosis caused by common stresses is fundamental to establishing efficient health monitoring strategies for sea cucumber. This study investigated the impact of six common stress experienced frequently in aquaculture on the growth performance, intestinal homeostasis and microbiota of sea cucumber, including thermal (23°C), hypoosmotic (22‰ salinity), ammonium (0.5 mg/L NH -N), and nitrite (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbohydr Polym
March 2025
School of Chemistry and Materials Science, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, China. Electronic address:
Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FCS) from Holothuria mexicana (FCS) was selected for investigation because of its intriguing branch features. Selective β-eliminative depolymerization and the bottom-up assembly were performed to unravel that FCS consisted of a {D-GlcA-β1,3-D-GalNAc} backbone and branches of alternating Fuc (55 %) and D-GalNAc-α1,2-L-Fuc (45 %), the highest proportion of disaccharide branch reported to date. In branches, sulfation could occur at every free -OH site except O-3 of GalNAc, being the most complex and various structure features of natural FCS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Mariculture& Stock Enhancement in North China's Sea, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China.
Apostichopus japonicus is a highly significant marine aquaculture species. Research findings have indicated that male sea cucumbers demonstrate a more rapid growth rate compared to females, underscoring the potential advantages of establishing an all-male population. In this study, we identified a specific protein-coding gene (ORFan) within a 4565 bp male fragment and named it sex determination factor (sdf).
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