Cetaceans evolution: insights from the genome sequences of common minke whales.

BACKGROUND: Whales have captivated the human imagination for millennia. These incredible cetaceans are the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans and have been a source of human food, fuel and tools around the globe. The transition from land to water has led to various aquatic specializations related to hairless skin and ability to regulate their body temperature in cold water. RESULTS: We present four common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) genomes with depth of ×13 ~ ×17 coverage and perform resequencing technology without a reference sequence. Our results indicated the time to the most recent common ancestors of common minke whales to be about 2.3574 (95% HPD, 1.1521 - 3.9212) million years ago. Further, we found that genes associated with epilation and tooth-development showed signatures of positive selection, supporting the morphological uniqueness of whales. CONCLUSIONS: This whole-genome sequencing offers a chance to better understand the evolutionary journey of one of the largest mammals on earth.

Organoclay-assisted interfacial polymerization for microfluidic production of monodisperse PEG-microdroplets and in situ encapsulation of E. coli.

We developed a novel one-pot synthetic strategy for preparing monodisperse polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) microdroplets via organoclay-assisted interfacial polymerization approach for Escherichia coli encapsulation. Based on the mechanism of spontaneous and rapid polymerization of PEGDA precursor solution with Mg-organoclay, the prepared PEGDA microdroplets have uniform size and fine round shape, with size range of 74-118 µm. The size of microdroplets can be controlled through the changing continuous phase flow rate. Organoclay-assisted polymerization method provides a unique environment to produce non-toxic ways of fabricating microorganism encapsulated microdroplets and to prohibit microdroplets merge during the processes. Furthermore, we successfully carried out to entrap E. coli inside of the PEGDA microdroplets. E. coli expressing a green fluorescent protein shows a good viability inside the PEGDA microdroplets. The in situ microfluidic synthetic method provides a novel approach for the preparation of monodisperse PEGDA microdroplets via a one-pot route.

Synthesis of bioactive microcapsules using a microfluidic device.

Bioactive microcapsules containing Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) spores were generated by a combination of a hydro gel, microfluidic device and chemical polymerization method. As a proof-of-principle, we used BT spores displaying enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) on the spore surface to spatially direct the EGFP-presenting spores within microcapsules. BT spore-encapsulated microdroplets of uniform size and shape are prepared through a flow-focusing method in a microfluidic device and converted into microcapsules through hydrogel polymerization. The size of microdroplets can be controlled by changing both the dispersion and continuous flow rate. Poly(N-isoproplyacrylamide) (PNIPAM), known as a hydrogel material, was employed as a biocompatible material for the encapsulation of BT spores and long-term storage and outstanding stability. Due to these unique properties of PNIPAM, the nutrients from Luria-Bertani complex medium diffused into the microcapsules and the microencapsulated spores germinated into vegetative cells under adequate environmental conditions. These results suggest that there is no limitation of transferring low-molecular-weight-substrates through the PNIPAM structures, and the viability of microencapsulated spores was confirmed by the culture of vegetative cells after the germinations. This microfluidic-based microencapsulation methodology provides a unique way of synthesizing bioactive microcapsules in a one-step process. This microfluidic-based strategy would be potentially suitable to produce microcapsules of various microbial spores for on-site biosensor analysis.

Development of a plastic-based microfluidic immunosensor chip for detection of H1N1 influenza.

Lab-on-a-chip can provide convenient and accurate diagnosis tools. In this paper, a plastic-based microfluidic immunosensor chip for the diagnosis of swine flu (H1N1) was developed by immobilizing hemagglutinin antigen on a gold surface using a genetically engineered polypeptide. A fluorescent dye-labeled antibody (Ab) was used for quantifying the concentration of Ab in the immunosensor chip using a fluorescent technique. For increasing the detection efficiency and reducing the errors, three chambers and three microchannels were designed in one microfluidic chip. This protocol could be applied to the diagnosis of other infectious diseases in a microfluidic device.

Multifunctional polyurethane sponge for polymerase chain reaction enhancement.

Selective filtering of target biomaterials from impurities is an important task in DNA amplification through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enhancement and gene identification to save endangered animals and marine species. Conventional gene extraction methods require complicated steps, skilled persons, and expensive chemicals and instruments to improve DNA amplification. Herein, we proposed an alternative method for overcoming such challenges by imparting secondary functionality using commercially available polyurethane (PU) sponges and cost-effective fabrication approaches through polydopamine and polysiloxane coatings. The porous, highly flexible, and chemically modified superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic PU sponges allow large surface areas and mechanically stable frames for effective extraction of genomic DNA through selective filtering of fish tissues and oils. Furthermore, these chemically modified PU sponges allow separation of genes and improvement of PCR for DNA amplification for the identification of fish species. The combination of a simple fabrication method and functionalized PU sponges could be a useful platform for PCR enhancement and gene-based identification of species for practical applications.