Éditeur(s) : Springer
Résumé : The transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily is a group of important growth factors involved in multiple processes such as differentiation, cell proliferation, apoptosis and cellular growth. In the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, the oyster gonadal (og) TGF-beta gene was recently characterized through genome-wide expression profiling of oyster lines selected to be resistant or susceptible to summer mortality. Og TGF-beta appeared specifically expressed in the gonad to reach a maximum when gonads are fully mature, which singularly contrasts with the pleiotropic roles commonly ascribed to most TGF-beta family members. The function of og TGF-beta protein in oysters is unknown, and defining its role remains challenging. In this study, we develop a rapid bacterial production system to obtain recombinant og TGF-beta protein, and we demonstrate that og TGF-beta is processed by furin to a mature form of the protein. This mature form can be detected in vivo in the gonad. Functional inhibition of mature og TGF-beta in the gonad was conducted by inactivation of the protein using injection of antibodies. We show that inhibition of og TGF-beta function tends to reduce gonadic area. We conclude that mature og TGF-beta probably functions as an activator of germ cells development in oyster.
Marine Biotechnology (1436-2228) (Springer), 2011-10 , Vol. 13 , N. 5 , P. 971-980

Droits : Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15371/13438.pdf
DOI:10.1007/s10126-010-9361-4
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00042/15371/

Éditeur(s) : Inter-Research
Résumé : The marine environment is of special interest for studying hybridization between closely related taxa because of the high dispersal potential of planktonic larvae, such as those of most bivalve species. The oysters Crassostrea angulata and C. gigas are known to be very close genetically and entirely inter-fertile under controlled conditions. However, hybridization in the wild had not been investigated, mainly due to the lack of nuclear diagnostic markers. In the present paper, we first estimated genetic differentiation between these 2 closely related taxa using 8 microsatellite markers. Interestingly, 5 markers displayed significant differences of allele size between taxa. The subsequent sequencing of alleles of one of these microsatellites showed several mutational events, which suggested null alleles and homoplasy. The presence of 1 insertion/deletion event in its 5' flanking sequence enabled us to design a new bi-allelic ('C' and 'NC') nuclear PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (-RFLP) marker (CG44R). This, together with a mitochondrial DNA marker, was used to analyze populations of C. angulata and C. gigas. The CG44R allele frequencies were very different between C. angulata (f[C] = 0.91) and C. gigas (f[NC] = 0.92) populations. This analysis also provided evidence for hybridization between C. angulata and C. gigas in a wild Portuguese population where the 2 taxa are in contact due to recent transportation of C. gigas stocks for aquacultural production. Our results represent the first indication of hybridization between these 2 taxa in the natural environment, and contribute to knowledge of the evolutionary history of the Crassostrea genus.
Marine Ecology Progress Series (0171-8630) (Inter-Research), 2004 , Vol. 272 , P. 141-152

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2004/publication-3355.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/3355/