1. Complete mitochondrial genome of sea peach Halocynthia aurantium (stolidobranchia: Pyuridae) from Korea
Jong-Oh Kim, Seong Seok Choi, Yong Bae Seo, Jiyoung Shin, Ji-Young Yang, Gun-Do Kim Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2021 Mar 18;6(3):1007-1008. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1893618.
Halocynthia aurantium (Stolidobranchia: Pyuridae) is a species of tunicate of commercial value that is commonly found in the northern Pacific Ocean and in the Bering Sea. Here, we determined the complete mitogenome of sea peach H. aurantium using 150 PE high-throughput sequencing. The assembled mitogenome is 14,979 bp in length (overall A + T contents 56.2%), and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 21 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs. Phylogenetic analysis of the mitogenome sequence of H. aurantium fully resolved it in a clade with H. roretzi. These data and results will be useful for future studies on the evolution of the Halocynthia and the Pyuridae.
2. Complete mitochondrial genome of Halocynthia hilgendorfi ritteri (Pyuridae) from Korea
Kang-Rae Kim, Moo-Sang Kim, Yong Hwi Kim, Jong Yeon Park, In-Chul Bang Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2020 Oct 27;5(3):3643-3644. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2020.1831987.
Halocynthia hilgendorfi ritteri is an ascidian distributed on the coast of Geoje Island in Korea and found on rocks. The mitochondrial genome of Halocynthia hilgendorfi ritteri consists of 15,181 bp with 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 23 transfer RNA genes. The overall base composition of the complete genome is 22.94% A, 43.32% T, 25.72% G, and 8.02% C, with a high A + T content of 66.26%.
3. Immune-modulation effect of Halocynthia aurantium tunic lipid on RAW264.7 cells
A-Yeong Jang, Chaiwat Monmai, Weerawan Rod-In, Ji-Eun Kim, SangGuan You, Tae Ho Lee, Woo Jung Park Food Sci Biotechnol. 2021 Dec 31;31(1):101-110. doi: 10.1007/s10068-021-01017-4. eCollection 2022 Jan.
The current study evaluated the immune-regulatory potential of lipid extract from Halocynthia aurantium tunic on macrophage cells. The results showed that H. aurantium lipid is composed of primarily SFA (68.32%), followed by MUFA and PUFA (17.61% and 14.07%, respectively). Halocynthia aurantium lipid dose-dependently modulated the NO and PGE2 production in RAW264.7 cells without any LPS stimulation. The lipid effectively up-regulated the cytokine expression, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. The COX-2 expression as a key biomarker for inflammation was also significantly increased. Conversely, H. aurantium lipid down-regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Halocynthia aurantium lipid modulated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p-65, p38, ERK, and JNK, indicating that this lipid activated through NF-κB and MAPK pathways. These results provide insight into the immune-regulatory activities of H. aurantium tunic lipid and suggest that H. aurantium tunic may a potential lipid source for immune-regulatory molecules.
