Jellyfish Tissues Research Articles

Understanding Cassiopea andromeda (Scyphozoa) Invasiveness in Different Habitats: A Multiple Biomarker Comparison

A dual nutrition mode (i.e., mixotrophy) can be advantageous for alien species in a new environment. In Cearà (Brazil), the symbiotic jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda is rapidly spreading under diverse environmental conditions across natural and human-altered coastal habitats, such as mangroves and shrimp farms. Here we report on the trophic ecology of the alien upside-down jellyfish sampled in these two contrasting coastal habitats during the dry (July–October) and rainy (January–April) seasons, investigated by means of organic biomarkers (lipids, carbohydrates) and bulk tissue stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) analyses. Total lipid content of jellyfish gonads was generally higher in shrimp farms, whereas no significant difference in carbohydrate concentration was found in jellyfish tissues from the two different habitats. Similarly, there were no significant differences in the δ15N values of jellyfish tissues from the two contrasting habitats, whereas the δ13C values were higher in jellyfish from shrimp farms. Overall, the higher carbon-enriched value in aquaculture ponds supports the hypothesis of differences of available food sources compared to the natural mangrove habitats, where food availability exhibits a stronger seasonality. In fact, aquaculture ponds are characterized by human-driven regular food supply, leading to more stable trophic conditions and to enhanced growth, lipid production, and gonadal output of C. andromeda jellyfish. This investigation may contribute to predicting how Cassiopea mixotrophy may contribute to explaining its differential success in different habitats.

Jellyfish Tissue Extract as Inhibition Effect of Jellyfish Olindias sambaquiensis Müller (1861) Sting

Background: Olindias sambaquiensis, the most abundant species of jellyfish along the southern coast of Brazil, frequently stings bathers during the summer months, when the occurrence of this species usually reaches a peak. Objective: As jellyfish are rich in protein and carbohydrates, and as these biomolecules could provide a natural defense against stings, this study investigates whether any of the components present in the umbrella of jellyfish species occurring in the south of Brazil can inhibit the nematocyst discharge of the tentacles of 0. sambaquiensis. Methods: Sting tests were conducted in humans, with live tentacles of O. sambaquiensis, to evaluate different lyophilized extracts of different exumbrellar jellyfish tissues obtained at different times of the year to determine their capacity to reduce pain and alter skin color. Results: Of all the species of jellyfish used in this study (O. sambaquiensis, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus and Tamoya haplonema), only the lyophilized extract of the cubozoa C. quadrumanus umbrella showed the capacity to inhibit the pain associated with nematocyst stings. Conclusion: Tests on a lyophilized extract obtained from organisms caught in summer and winter suggested that the biomolecule responsible for the biological activity is carbohydrate since this biomolecule would signal the recognition of the species.

Structural and biofunctional evaluation of decellularized jellyfish matrices.

Extracellular matrices decellularized from marine animal tissues are emerging scaffolds in tissue engineering. Jellyfish tissues are suitable for making functional and safe decellularized matrices in part due to their simple structure, high water content, and low risk of pathogen transmission to humans. Jellyfish are some of the most prevalent marine animals, but their decellularized matrices have remained largely undeveloped. Here we evaluated the structures and functions of the jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) matrices decellularized with seven different detergents. All of them showed effectiveness in removing the cellular components. Scanning electron microscopy and mechanical testing revealed that the decellularized matrices mostly retained the native microstructures, whereas only SDS and SNL distorted the matrices' multilayered and fibrous architecture. The collagen hybridizing peptide fluorescence staining showed that SDS, SNL, Triton X-100, IGEPAL, and Tween-20 denatured the jellyfish collagen molecules to varying degrees while CHAPS and SD protected the collagen's triple-helix conformation. We demonstrated that the decellularized jellyfish matrices showed similarity to different types of mammalian collagen and supported the adhesion and proliferation of human dermal and corneal fibroblasts and mouse chondrocytes in 3D culture. Importantly, the decellularized jellyfish matrix also facilitated wound healing in vivo by reducing inflammation while promoting angiogenesis and tissue remodeling. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the decellularized jellyfish matrices are an easy-to-prepare, biocompatible, and potentially widely applicable scaffold for regenerative medicine.

Функционально-технологические свойства и пищевая ценность медузы Rhizostoma pulmo (Macri, 1778)

Representatives of jelly plankton (in particular, scyphoid) are the underutilized resources in the Azov-Black Sea Basin. The wave nature of their reproduction has a powerful impact on the ecosystems of the two seas. Seasonal outbreaks of abundance cause an increasing pressure on the food supply of commercial aquatic organisms, a change in the structure and quality of fish catches, and a deterioration in recreational conditions in the resort areas of the Azov-Black Sea Basin. The importance of the search for a rational solution to the problem of processing Rhizostoma pulmo jellyfish can be explained by the specific features of their biochemical composition, presence of biologically active substances in the tissues of aquatic organisms, their low liquidity as raw stuff and seasonal resource availability. There are presented the data on the size-weight composition of Rh. pulmo caught in the Sea of Azov, the influence of various types of heat treatment (freezing, boiling, microwave treatment, enzymatic hydrolysis) on the change in the chemical composition and functional and technological properties of jellyfish is considered. The biological and energy value 
 of raw and boiled jellyfish is calculated. Taking into account the active syneresis of jellyfish tissues (up to 60% of water is released during the first 3 hours) and the inexpediency of transporting fresh jellyfish, the preliminary heat treatment is recommended, followed by the use of the object of study in culinary products and semi-finished products, as well as enrichment as a prerequisite for obtaining original products both from the point of view of organoleptics and enhancing the nutritional value of food products. Studies with the use of freeze drying, as well as with the use of minced jellyfish to obtain a wide range of combined products are particularly noteworthy.

FUNCTIONAL ISOTONIC DRINKS BASED ON THE TISSUE FLUID OF RHOPILEMA JELLYFISH

A formulation for the preparation of isotonic drinks based on the tissue fluid of the rhopilema jellyfish (Rhizostomeae) Rhopilema Asamushi is proposed. While jellyfish are made up primarily of water (up to 97% of undried weight), the main chemical factors in maintaining the water-salt balance of jellyfish tissues under environmental pressure conditions are free amino acids (up to 10% of dry weight) and various mineral elements (up to 65% of dry weight). The proportion of the latter significantly exceeds the protein component (up to 20% of dry weight), which distinguishes jellyfish from most species of animals. Prevailing tissue elements are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, chromium and selenium. Known technologies of jellyfish processing are aimed at obtaining a dense and stable structure of the semi-finished product, while the liquid fraction is removed during processing. In so doing, at least 70% of all water content, as well as mineral elements, free amino acids and water-soluble proteins dissolved in it, are lost. Herein, a method is proposed for separating the liquid fraction of jellyfish tissues from high-molecular impurities using the ultrafiltration method. Due to the presence of low molecular weight soluble components, the solution obtained can serve as the basis for the creation of isotonic drinks containing biologically active substances. As a result, a formulation of isotonic drinks is developed, which brings the value of the osmotic pressure of the obtained product to the limits of the established norms (270-330 mOsm/kg). In this regard, the composition of the formulation includes carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) in the amount of 6,5 g per 100 ml of product. Additionally, a preservative, acidity stabilisers and antioxidants (citric and ascorbic acids) are used, as well as the berry extracts in order to impart attractive organoleptic properties to product. In addition to performing the function of restoring the water-salt balance, these drinks can serve as additional sources of such mineral components as iron, chromium and selenium.

Erratum to: A new transcriptome and transcriptome profiling of adult and larval tissue in the box jellyfish Alatina alata: an emerging model for studying venom, vision and sex.

Cubozoans (box jellyfish) are cnidarians that have evolved a number of distinguishing features. Many cubozoans have a particularly potent sting, effected by stinging structures called nematocysts; cubozoans have well-developed light sensation, possessing both image-forming lens eyes and light-sensitive eye spots; and some cubozoans have complex mating behaviors, including aggregations, copulation and internal fertilization. The cubozoan Alatina alata is emerging as a cnidarian model because it forms predictable monthly nearshore breeding aggregations in tropical to subtropical waters worldwide, making both adult and larval material reliably accessible. To develop resources for A. alata, this study generated a functionally annotated transcriptome of adult and larval tissue, applying preliminary differential expression analyses to identify candidate genes involved in nematogenesis and venom production, vision and extraocular sensory perception, and sexual reproduction, which for brevity we refer to as “venom”, “vision” and “sex”. We assembled a transcriptome de novo from RNA-Seq data pooled from multiple body parts (gastric cirri, ovaries, tentacle (with pedalium base) and rhopalium) of an adult female A. alata medusa and larval planulae. Our transcriptome comprises ~32 K transcripts, after filtering, and provides a basis for analyzing patterns of gene expression in adult and larval box jellyfish tissues. Furthermore, we annotated a large set of candidate genes putatively involved in venom, vision and sex, providing an initial molecular characterization of these complex features in cubozoans. Expression profiles and gene tree reconstruction provided a number of preliminary insights into the putative sites of nematogenesis and venom production, regions of phototransduction activity and fertilization dynamics in A. alata. Our Alatina alata transcriptome significantly adds to the genomic resources for this emerging cubozoan model. This study provides the first annotated transcriptome from multiple tissues of a cubozoan focusing on both the adult and larvae. Our approach of using multiple body parts and life stages to generate this transcriptome effectively identified a broad range of candidate genes for the further study of coordinated processes associated with venom, vision and sex. This new genomic resource and the candidate gene dataset are valuable for further investigating the evolution of distinctive features of cubozoans, and of cnidarians more broadly.

Stable isotope‐based location in a shelf sea setting: accuracy and precision are comparable to light‐based location methods

Summary Retrospective determination of location for marine animals would facilitate investigations of migration, connectivity and food provenance. Predictable spatial variations in carbon and nitrogen isotopes in primary production across shelf seas provide a basis for stable isotope‐based location. Here, we assess the accuracy and precision that can be obtained through dietary‐isotope‐based location methods. We build isoscapes from jellyfish tissues and use these to assign scallops of fixed and known individual location, and herring with well‐understood population‐level distributions in the North Sea. Accuracy and precision for retrospective isotope‐based location in the North Sea were of a similar order to light‐based location devices, with 75% of individual scallops assigned correctly to areas representing c. 30% of the North Sea, with a mean linear error on the order of 102 km. Applying assignment methods to an alternative migratory species (herring) resulted in ecologically realistic assignments consistent with fisheries survey data. Location methods based on dietary isotopes such as carbon and nitrogen recover the spatial origin of nutrients assimilated into tissues, and this may not correspond directly to the physical location if either the test animal or its prey is highly migratory. Stable isotope‐based location can be applied to any marine‐feeding organism or derived food product, but the ecological meaning of any assigned area will be more difficult to interpret for large, high trophic level, migratory animals with relatively slow isotopic assimilation rates.

A new transcriptome and transcriptome profiling of adult and larval tissue in the box jellyfish Alatina alata: an emerging model for studying venom, vision and sex.

BackgroundCubozoans (box jellyfish) are cnidarians that have evolved a number of distinguishing features. Many cubozoans have a particularly potent sting, effected by stinging structures called nematocysts; cubozoans have well-developed light sensation, possessing both image-forming lens eyes and light-sensitive eye spots; and some cubozoans have complex mating behaviors, including aggregations, copulation and internal fertilization. The cubozoan Alatina alata is emerging as a cnidarian model because it forms predictable monthly nearshore breeding aggregations in tropical to subtropical waters worldwide, making both adult and larval material reliably accessible. To develop resources for A. alata, this study generated a functionally annotated transcriptome of adult and larval tissue, applying preliminary differential expression analyses to identify candidate genes involved in nematogenesis and venom production, vision and extraocular sensory perception, and sexual reproduction, which for brevity we refer to as “venom”, “vision” and “sex”.ResultsWe assembled a transcriptome de novo from RNA-Seq data pooled from multiple body parts (gastric cirri, ovaries, tentacle (with pedalium base) and rhopalium) of an adult female A. alata medusa and larval planulae. Our transcriptome comprises ~32 K transcripts, after filtering, and provides a basis for analyzing patterns of gene expression in adult and larval box jellyfish tissues. Furthermore, we annotated a large set of candidate genes putatively involved in venom, vision and sex, providing an initial molecular characterization of these complex features in cubozoans. Expression profiles and gene tree reconstruction provided a number of preliminary insights into the putative sites of nematogenesis and venom production, regions of phototransduction activity and fertilization dynamics in A. alata.ConclusionsOur Alatina alata transcriptome significantly adds to the genomic resources for this emerging cubozoan model. This study provides the first annotated transcriptome from multiple tissues of a cubozoan focusing on both the adult and larvae. Our approach of using multiple body parts and life stages to generate this transcriptome effectively identified a broad range of candidate genes for the further study of coordinated processes associated with venom, vision and sex. This new genomic resource and the candidate gene dataset are valuable for further investigating the evolution of distinctive features of cubozoans, and of cnidarians more broadly.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2944-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Reduced salinity increases susceptibility of zooxanthellate jellyfish to herbicide toxicity during a simulated rainfall event

Accurately predicting how marine biota are likely to respond to changing ocean conditions requires accurate simulation of interacting stressors, exposure regimes and recovery periods. Jellyfish populations have increased in some parts of the world and, despite few direct empirical tests, are hypothesised to be increasing because they are robust to a range of environmental stressors. Here, we investigated the effects of contaminated runoff on a zooxanthellate jellyfish by exposing juvenile Cassiopea sp. medusae to a photosystem II (PSII) herbicide, atrazine and reduced salinity conditions that occur following rainfall. Four levels of atrazine (0ngL−1, 10ngL−1, 2μgL−1, 20μgL−1) and three levels of salinity (35 ppt, 25 ppt, 17 ppt) were varied, mimicking the timeline of light, moderate and heavy rainfall events. Normal conditions were then slowly re-established over four days to mimic the recovery of the ecosystem post-rain and the experiment continued for a further 7 days to observe potential recovery of the medusae. Pulse-amplitude modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorescence, growth and bell contraction rates of medusae were measured. Medusae exposed to the combination of high atrazine and lowest salinity died. After 3 days of exposure, bell contraction rates were reduced by 88% and medusae were 16% smaller in the lowest salinity treatments. By Day 5 of the experiment, all medusae that survived the initial pulse event began to recover quickly. Although atrazine decreased YII under normal salinity conditions, YII was further reduced when medusae were exposed to both low salinity and atrazine simultaneously. Atrazine breakdown products were more concentrated in jellyfish tissues than atrazine at the end of the experiment, suggesting that although bioaccumulation occurred, atrazine was metabolised. Our results suggest that reduced salinity may increase the susceptibility of medusae to herbicide exposure during heavy rainfall events.

Metal bioaccumulation pattern by Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa) in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain).

Coastal lagoons are ecosystems highly vulnerable to human impacts because of their situation between terrestrial and marine environment. Mar Menor coastal lagoon is one of the largest lagoons of the Mediterranean Sea, placed in SE Spain and subjected to major human impacts, in particular the mining of metal sulphides. As a consequence, metal concentration in water column and sediments of this ecosystem is usually higher than in other areas. For monitoring ecosystem health, the present study has assessed the ability of Cotylorhiza tuberculata for bioaccumulating metals from sea water. Up to 65 individuals were sampled at 8 different sampling stations during the summer of 2012. Although the concentration values for different elements considered were moderate (Pb: 0.04-29.50 ppm, Zn: 2.27-93.44 ppm, Cd: 0-0.67 ppm, As: 0.56-130.31 ppm) by dry weight of the jellyfish tissues (bell and oral arms combined), bioconcentration levels in relation to seawater metal concentration were extremely high. In any case, the use or disposal of these organisms should consider their metal content because of their potential environmental and health implications.

Testing the long-term stability of marine isoscapes in shelf seas using jellyfish tissues

Maps of the spatial distribution of stable isotope ratios across wide geographic areas (isoscapes) are increasingly used to study mechanisms of nutrient flux, movements of animals, and to improve trophic information derived from stable isotope analyses. Isoscapes are usually constructed from reference samples collected from known geographic positions, a time consuming and costly process. In this study, we test the temporal stability of isoscapes of carbon and nitrogen isotopes across the North Sea over a ten-year period. Using jellyfish tissues as reference organisms, we show that hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes controlling the distribution of carbon and nitrogen isotope values, and thus that the underlying isoscapes, are temporally stable. Remarkably, broad geographic variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope distributions across the North Sea are consistent with previously published variations seen in archaeological cod bones from the ninth to seventeenth centuries, despite dramatic changes in land use in the past 1,000 years. Stable isotope-based studies of trophic interactions or movements in animals with lifespans of a year or more in shelf ecosystems can consequently be referenced to previously published isoscape models, and do not require construction of temporally explicit isotope baseline corrections. Scyphomedusan jellyfish are excellent reference organisms for ecological stable isotope analyses in pelagic ecosystems, due to their widespread distributions, well-defined life histories, and fast tissue growth.

First Report of a Peroxiredoxin Homologue in Jellyfish: Molecular Cloning, Expression and Functional Characterization of CcPrx4 from Cyanea capillata

We first identified and characterized a novel peroxiredoxin (Prx), designated as CcPrx4, from the cDNA library of the tentacle of the jellyfish Cyanea capillata. The full-length cDNA sequence of CcPrx4 consisted of 884 nucleotides with an open reading frame encoding a mature protein of 247 amino acids. It showed a significant homology to peroxiredoxin 4 (Prx4) with the highly conserved F-motif (93FTFVCPTEI101), hydrophobic region (217VCPAGW222), 140GGLG143 and 239YF240, indicating that it should be a new member of the Prx4 family. The deduced CcPrx4 protein had a calculated molecular mass of 27.2 kDa and an estimated isoelectric point of 6.3. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that CcPrx4 mRNA could be detected in all the jellyfish tissues analyzed. CcPrx4 protein was cloned into the expression vector, pET-24a, and expressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) pLysS. Recombinant CcPrx4 protein was purified by HisTrap High Performance chelating column chromatography and analyzed for its biological function. The results showed that the purified recombinant CcPrx4 protein manifested the ability to reduce hydrogen peroxide and protect supercoiled DNA from oxidative damage, suggesting that CcPrx4 protein may play an important role in protecting jellyfish from oxidative damage.

Extract from the Zooxanthellate Jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata Modulates Gap Junction Intercellular Communication in Human Cell Cultures

On a global scale, jellyfish populations in coastal marine ecosystems exhibit increasing trends of abundance. High-density outbreaks may directly or indirectly affect human economical and recreational activities, as well as public health. As the interest in biology of marine jellyfish grows, a number of jellyfish metabolites with healthy potential, such as anticancer or antioxidant activities, is increasingly reported. In this study, the Mediterranean “fried egg jellyfish” Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Macri, 1778) has been targeted in the search forputative valuable bioactive compounds. A medusa extract was obtained, fractionated, characterized by HPLC, GC-MS and SDS-PAGE and assayed for its biological activity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa). The composition of the jellyfish extract included photosynthetic pigments, valuable ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids, and polypeptides derived either from jellyfish tissues and their algal symbionts. Extract fractions showed antioxidant activity and the ability to affect cell viability and intercellular communication mediated by gap junctions (GJIC) differentially in MCF-7and HEKa cells. A significantly higher cytotoxicity and GJIC enhancement in MCF-7 compared to HEKa cells was recorded. A putative action mechanism for the anticancer bioactivity through the modulation of GJIC has been hypothesized and its nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potential was discussed.

Predation by the Phyllosoma Larva of Ibacus novemdentatus on Various Kinds of Venomous Jellyfish

The phyllosoma, a larva of spiny and slipper lobsters, has an exceptionally flat body and long appendages. It is known to associate with several species of cnidarian jellyfish, a behavior that is not rare in crustaceans. Indeed, phyllosomas clinging onto jellyfish have been observed both in the laboratory and in the natural environment. Wild phyllosomas have been found to contain jellyfish tissues in their hepatopancreas and feces, suggesting that the larvae utilize jellyfish as a food source; however, how they capture jellyfish and what species of jellyfish they prefer have rarely been investigated. The few previous studies conducted have suggested that phyllosomas have a high specificity for jellyfish (preying on only a few species); in contrast, the results of our study indicate that specificity is low. We show that phyllosomas prey on a variety of jellyfish species including deadly stinging types, on a variety of jellyfish developmental stages, and on various parts of the jellyfish body. When making contact with a jellyfish, phyllosomas first cling onto its exumbrella, feed on its tentacles or oral arms, and then consume the exumbrella. Phyllosomas may be capable of defending themselves against any types of nematocyst sting, and it is likely that they have evolved to utilize venomous jellyfish as a food in the open sea, where food may be scarce.

Influence of decomposing jellyfish on the sediment oxygen demand and nutrient dynamics

Jellyfish populations can grow rapidly to attain large biomasses and therefore can represent significant stocks of carbon and nitrogen in the ecosystem. Blooms are also generally short-lived, lasting for just weeks or months, after which time the population can decline rapidly, sink to the bottom and decompose. The influence of decomposing jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus, Scyphozoa) on benthic dissolved oxygen and nutrient fluxes was examined in a mesocosm experiment at Smiths Lake, a coastal lagoon in New South Wales, Australia. Sediment (10l) was placed in each of 10 mesocosms (50 x 40 cm, 30 cm deep and ~ 60 l volume) which were supplied a continuous flow of fresh lagoon water. One jellyfish (1.6 kg wet weight or ~25 g C m-2) was added to each of five mesocosms, with the remaining five mesocosms serving as controls. Exchanges of dissolved oxygen, organic and inorganic nutrients between the benthos and water column were measured 14 times over a period of nine days. The addition of dead jellyfish tissue to the mesocosm sediments initially resulted in an efflux of phosphate, dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic phosphorus to the water column. Dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic phosphorus effluxed at rates more than 8 and 25 times greater than those measured in control mesocosms, respectively. This was probably due to the intracellular nutrients leaching from the jellyfish tissues. As decomposition proceeded, a large quantity of ammonium was released to the water column and sediment oxygen demand increased, indicating bacterial decomposition was dominant. Overall the addition of dead jellyfish caused a 454% increase in ammonium efflux and 209% increase in sediment oxygen demand over the 9-day experiment relative to the controls. The decomposition of large numbers of jellyfish after major bloom events could be a significant source of nutrients and, depending on the system, could have a major impact on primary production. Moreover, depending on the degree of mixing in the water column, decaying jellyfish may also contribute to bottom water hypoxia.