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Reproduction of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is critical for aquaculture production. Gonadal development is the basis of reproduction, and lipids, which are among the main nutrients required for gonadal development, directly affect reproduction. We investigated whether gonadal and intestinal lipid metabolism differed between male and female A. japonicus. Transcriptome analysis of the intestines of sexually mature male and female wild-caught individuals revealed differences in gene expression, with 27 and 39 genes being up-regulated in females and males, respectively. In particular, the expression of the fatty acid synthase gene was higher in males than in females. Metabolome analysis of the gonads identified 141 metabolites that were up-regulated and 175 metabolites that were down-regulated in the testes compared with the ovaries in the positive/negative mode of an LC-MS/MS analysis. A variety of polyunsaturated fatty acids were found at higher concentrations in the testes than in the ovaries. 16 s rDNA sequencing analysis showed that the composition and structure of the intestinal microbiota were similar between males and females. These results suggest that sex differences in intestinal metabolism of A. japonicus are not due to differences in the microbiota, and we speculate that gonadal metabolism may be related to intestinal morphology. This information might be useful in improving the reproductive efficiency of sea cucumbers in captivity.
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Gold nanospheres (AuNPs) and gold nanoflowers (AuNFs) are widely used as platforms for DNA aptamer functionalization, while conjugation behavior and colloidal tolerance remain important factors affecting subsequent sensing-oriented optimization. In this study, 82-nt thiolated DNA aptamer constructs bearing either 3′-SH or 5′-SH terminal modification were immobilized onto citrate-stabilized AuNPs and AuNFs under matched stepwise salt-aging conditions. Apparent nanoparticle-associated DNA output was estimated by Qubit-based measurement of unbound ssDNA in the supernatant and expressed as mass-based loading output (ng). Under the tested stock-dispersion conditions, AuNP samples showed higher apparent conjugation output than AuNF samples. Specifically, the apparent conjugation yields for AuNPs were 80.65 ± 1.64% (3′-SH) and 84.76 ± 1.98% (5′-SH), whereas those for AuNFs were 66.64 ± 3.36% (3′-SH) and 73.65 ± 1.36% (5′-SH). The corresponding apparent DNA loading outputs were 2329.7 ± 47.4 ng and 2448.7 ± 57.1 ng for AuNPs, and 1925.1 ± 97.0 ng and 2127.4 ± 39.3 ng for AuNFs. DLS size increases and zeta potential shifts toward more negative values were consistent with the formation of a DNA-associated interfacial layer, while TEM images supported morphology retention after conjugation. A qualitative visual salt-challenge assessment indicated that aptamer-functionalized nanoparticles displayed improved resistance to salt-induced aggregation relative to bare particles under the tested conditions. Because the commercially supplied AuNP and AuNF dispersions were not normalized to identical particle number or accessible surface area, the reported values should be interpreted as comparative apparent outputs rather than intrinsic loading capacities. Within this scope, the present study provides a convenient preliminary materials-level evaluation of thiolated aptamer conjugation behavior and may support future glyphosate aptasensor optimization.
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Parental nutrient reserves are directly related to reproductive performance in sea cucumbers. This study focused on the lipid requirements of male and female sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus during the reproductive stage and analyzed their physiological responses to a high-fat diet (HFD). The intestinal lipid metabolites and microbiome profile changed significantly in animals fed with the HFD, as given by an upregulation of metabolites related to lipid metabolism and an increase in the predominance of Proteobacteria in the microbiome, respectively. The metabolic responses of male and female sea cucumbers to the HFD differed, which in turn could have triggered sex-related differences in the intestinal microbiome. These results suggest that the lipid content in diets can be differentially adjusted for male and female sea cucumbers to improve nutrition and promote reproduction. This data contributes to a better understanding of the reproductive biology and sex differences of sea cucumbers.
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- Journal Article (3)