Objective:To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the ethanol and aqueous extracts of prop roots of Pandanus fascicularis(P.fascicularis) Lam(pandanaceae).And provide experimental evidence for it...Objective:To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the ethanol and aqueous extracts of prop roots of Pandanus fascicularis(P.fascicularis) Lam(pandanaceae).And provide experimental evidence for its traditional use such as rheumatoid arthritis and spasmodic. Methods:The anti-inflammatory activity was observed by carrageenan-induced edema of the hind paw of rats.Analgesic activities of prop roots of P.fascicularis were determined using acetic acid induced writhing model and tail clip method in mice and rat,respectively.The ethanol fraction was then subjected to chromatographic analysis and a compound has been isolated and characterized by IR,~1H-NMR and mass spectroscopy.Results:Edema suppressant effect of ethanol extract was found to be 37.03%inhibition whereas aqueous extract was found to be 63.22%inhibition after 3 h which was nearly equivalent to that of 10 mg/kg of indomethacin (67.81%).Percentage inhibition of writhing compared to control were 63.15%,54.38%,14.90%for aspirin,aqueous extract and ethanolic extract,respectively.Both ethanol and aqueous extracts show significant activity against appropriate controls after 60 min of treatment on tail clip method. The structure of the isolated compound is may be characterized as Hepta deca-5-ene-l-ol by analysis it’s IR,H-NMR and mass spectroscopy data.Conclusions:The extracts of prop roots of P.fascicularis produce significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities,supporting the traditional application of this herb in treating various diseases associated with inflammation and pain.展开更多
Background: This paper describes and displays the spinal radiological anatomy and associated pathology in a Macaca fascicularis and compares it to the spinal anatomy of humans. Animal models are commonly used in resea...Background: This paper describes and displays the spinal radiological anatomy and associated pathology in a Macaca fascicularis and compares it to the spinal anatomy of humans. Animal models are commonly used in research. As compared to Macaca mulatta, the anatomy of M. fascicularis is less well described in the literature. Materials and methods: The authors anatomically reconstructed and reviewed the defleshed spine of a single adult M. fascicularis visually, radiographically, and with high resolution CT. Results: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 3 sacral, and 16 caudal vertebrae were identified. Similarities in the spine to humans were seen as well as differences such as the beaked anterior arch of C1, the anterior pointed lower lumbar vertebrae, the upward curved transverse processes, and presence of three sacral segments. Degenerative changes were seen at multiple locations similar to humans though most pronounced at T3-4. Conclusions: This paper addresses the normal spinal anatomy and degenerative changes in an adult M. fascicularis and compares it to humans.展开更多
Coral fluorescence phenotypes have been suggested as an adaptation to a broad range of environmental conditions,yet the mechanisms linking thermal bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral populations,associated with...Coral fluorescence phenotypes have been suggested as an adaptation to a broad range of environmental conditions,yet the mechanisms linking thermal bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral populations,associated with fluorescence phenotypes due to GFP-like proteins,remains unclear.In this study,the relationship between the thermal sensitivity and phenotypic plasticity of corals was investigated using two phenotypes of Galaxea fascicularis,green and brown.The results reveal that brown G.fascicularis was more susceptible to bleaching than green G.fascicularis when exposed to a higher growth temperature of 32℃.Both phenotypes of G.fascicularis were associated with the thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae symbiont,Durusdinium trenchii.However,the brown G.fascicularis showed a significant decrease in Symbiodiniaceae cell density and a significant increase in pathogenic bacteria abundance when the growth temperature was raised from 29 to 32℃.The physiological traits and transcriptomic profiles of Symbiodiniaceae were not notably affected,but there were differences in the transcriptional levels of certain genes between the two phenotype hosts of G.fascicularis.Under heat stress of 32℃,the gene encoding green fluorescent protein(GFP)-like and chromosome-associated proteins,as well as genes related to oxidative phosphorylation,cell growth and death showed lower transcriptional levels in the brown G.fascicularis compared to the green G.fascicularis.Overall,the results demonstrate that the green form of G.fascicularis is better able to tolerate ocean warming and defend against pathogenic bacteria,likely due to higher gene transcription levels and defense ability.展开更多
Scleractinian corals host numerous microbial symbionts with different types of interactions. The gastric cavity of scleractinian coral, as a semiclosed subenvironment with distinct chemical characteristics(e.g., disso...Scleractinian corals host numerous microbial symbionts with different types of interactions. The gastric cavity of scleractinian coral, as a semiclosed subenvironment with distinct chemical characteristics(e.g., dissolved O2, pH, alkalinity, and nutrients), harbors a distinct microbial community and a diverse array of bacteria that can be pathogenic or beneficial. Galaxea fascicularis is one of the dominant massive scleractinian coral species on inshore fringing reefs in the northern South China Sea.Although the abundance of coral-associated bacteria has been investigated in G. fascicularis, less is known about the microorganisms in the gastric cavity. In this study, we specially isolated cultivable bacterial strains from the gastric cavity of G.fascicularis collected from Hainan Island using a noninvasive sampling approach. Among the 101 representative bacterial strains, one Vibrio coralliilyticus strain, SCSIO 43001, was found to be a temperature-dependent opportunistic pathogen of G.fascicularis. The antagonistic activity between the 100 strains and V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 was tested using a modified Burkholder diffusion assay. Our results showed that V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 inhibits the growth of Erythrobacter flavus and Sphingomonas yabuuchiae. Additionally, we found that three Pseudoalteromonas strains showed moderate to high antibacterial activity against V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 and several other coral-associated Gram-negative bacterial strains.These results suggest that competition between the coral pathogen and other bacteria also occurs in the gastric cavity of coral, and Pseudoalteromonas strains in the gastric cavity of G. fascicularis may provide a protective role in the defense against coinhabiting coral pathogens at elevated temperature.展开更多
Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)have great applications in both reproductive and regenerative medicine.Primates including monkeys are very similar to humans with regard to physiology and pathology.Nevertheless,little i...Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)have great applications in both reproductive and regenerative medicine.Primates including monkeys are very similar to humans with regard to physiology and pathology.Nevertheless,little is known about the isolation,the characteristics,and the culture of primate SSCs.This study was designed to identify,isolate,and culture monkey SSCs.Immunocytochemistry was used to identify markers for monkey SSCs.Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1(GFRAl)-enriched spermatogonia were isolated from monkeys,namely Macaca fascicularis(M.fascicularis),by two-step enzymatic digestion and magnetic-activated cell sorting,and they were cultured on precoated plates in the conditioned medium.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),immunocytochemistry,and RNA sequencing were used to compare phenotype and transcriptomes in GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia between 0 day and 14 days of culture,and xenotransplantation was performed to evaluate the function of GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia.SSCs shared some phenotypes with rodent and human SSCs.GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia with high purity and viability were isolated from M.fascicularis testes.The freshly isolated cells expressed numerous markers for rodent SSCs,and they were cultured for 14 days.The expression of numerous SSC markers was maintained during the cultivation of GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia.RNA sequencing reflected a 97.3%similarity in global gene profiles between 0 day and 14 days of culture.The xenotransplantation assay indicated that the GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia formed colonies and proliferated in vivo in the recipient c-Kitw/w(W)mutant mice.Collectively,GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia are monkey SSCs phenotypically both in vitro and in vivo.This study suggests that monkey might provide an alternative to human SSCs for basic research and application in human diseases.展开更多
The lack of truly robust analgesics for chronic pain is owed,in part,to the lack of an animal model that reflects the clinical pain state and of a mechanismbased,objective neurological indicator of pain.The present st...The lack of truly robust analgesics for chronic pain is owed,in part,to the lack of an animal model that reflects the clinical pain state and of a mechanismbased,objective neurological indicator of pain.The present study examined stimulus-evo ked brain activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging in male and female cynomolgus macaques following unilateral L7 spinal nerve ligation and the effects of clinical analgesics pregabalin,duloxetine,and morphine on brain activation in these macaques.A modified straight leg raise test was used to assess pain severity in awake animals and to evo ke regional brain activation in anesthetized animals.The potential effects of clinical analgesics on both awake pain behavior and regional brain activation were examined.Following spinal nerve ligation,both male and female macaques showed significantly decreased ipsilateral straight leg raise thresholds,suggesting the presence of radicula rlike pain.Morphine treatment increased straight leg raise thresholds in both males and females whereas duloxetine and pregabalin did not.In male macaques,the ipsilateral straight leg raise activated contralateral insular and somatosensory cortex(Ins/SII),and thalamus.In female macaques,the ipsilateral leg raise activated cingulate cortex and contralateral insular and somatosensory cortex.Straight leg raises of the contralateral,unligated leg did not evoke brain activation.Morphine reduced activation in all brain regions in both male and female macaques.In males,neither pregabalin nor duloxetine decreased brain activation compared with vehicle treatment.In females,however,pregabalin and duloxetine decreased the activation of cingulate cortex compared with vehicle treatment.The current findings suggest a diffe rential activation of brain areas depending on sex following a peripheral nerve injury.Diffe rential brain activation observed in this study could underlie qualitative sexual dimorphism in clinical chronic pain perception and responses to analgesics.Future pain management approaches for neuropathic pain will need to consider potential sex differences in pain mechanism and treatment efficacy.展开更多
Due to the elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean acidification(OA) has recently emerged as a research theme in marine biology due to an expected deleterious effect of altered seawater chemistry on calcification. ...Due to the elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean acidification(OA) has recently emerged as a research theme in marine biology due to an expected deleterious effect of altered seawater chemistry on calcification. A system simulating future OA scenario is crucial for OA-related studies. Here, we designed an OA-simulated system(OASys) with three solenoid-controlled CO2 gas channels. The OASys can adjust the pH of the seawater by bubbling CO2 gas into seawaters via feedback systems. The OASys is very simple in structure with an integrated design and is new-user friendly with the instruction. Moreover, the OASys can monitor and record real-time pH values and can maintain pH levels within 0.02 pH unit. In a 15-d experiment, the OASys was applied to simulate OA in which the expected target pH values were 8.00, 7.80 and 7.60 to study the calcifying response of Galaxea fascicularis. The results showed daily mean seawater pH values held at pH 8.00±0.01, 7.80±0.01 and 7.61±0.01 over15 d. Correspondingly, the coral calcification of G. fascicularis gradually decreased with reduced pH.展开更多
Nitrogen cycle is critical to maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem.Urea can provide a source of nitrogen for coral holobiont and is important for coral calcification through degradation by urease.Despite the involv...Nitrogen cycle is critical to maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem.Urea can provide a source of nitrogen for coral holobiont and is important for coral calcification through degradation by urease.Despite the involvement of coral-associated bacteria in nitrogen fixation,nitrification and denitrification are well recognized,to what extend urea degradation by bacteria contributing to the urea utilization by coral holobiont remains to be investigated.In this study,we demonstrate that the urea utilization is a common feature of Halomonas spp.that is a dominant genus in cultivable coral-associated bacteria.A urease operon was characterized by genome sequencing and gene knock-out technique in Halomonas meridiana SCSIO 43005,isolated from the gastric cavity of healthy scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis.H.meridiana showed high urease activity which was induced by urea and deletion of the urease operon reduced the capability to use urea as solo nitrogen source.Furthermore,approximately 1/3 coral-associated bacteria in the IMG/M database possess complete urease operons indicating the involvement of bacteria-derived ureases in coral holobiont.These results suggest that urease from coral-associated bacteria might be important player in the nitrogen cycling of coral reefs.展开更多
文摘Objective:To evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the ethanol and aqueous extracts of prop roots of Pandanus fascicularis(P.fascicularis) Lam(pandanaceae).And provide experimental evidence for its traditional use such as rheumatoid arthritis and spasmodic. Methods:The anti-inflammatory activity was observed by carrageenan-induced edema of the hind paw of rats.Analgesic activities of prop roots of P.fascicularis were determined using acetic acid induced writhing model and tail clip method in mice and rat,respectively.The ethanol fraction was then subjected to chromatographic analysis and a compound has been isolated and characterized by IR,~1H-NMR and mass spectroscopy.Results:Edema suppressant effect of ethanol extract was found to be 37.03%inhibition whereas aqueous extract was found to be 63.22%inhibition after 3 h which was nearly equivalent to that of 10 mg/kg of indomethacin (67.81%).Percentage inhibition of writhing compared to control were 63.15%,54.38%,14.90%for aspirin,aqueous extract and ethanolic extract,respectively.Both ethanol and aqueous extracts show significant activity against appropriate controls after 60 min of treatment on tail clip method. The structure of the isolated compound is may be characterized as Hepta deca-5-ene-l-ol by analysis it’s IR,H-NMR and mass spectroscopy data.Conclusions:The extracts of prop roots of P.fascicularis produce significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities,supporting the traditional application of this herb in treating various diseases associated with inflammation and pain.
文摘Background: This paper describes and displays the spinal radiological anatomy and associated pathology in a Macaca fascicularis and compares it to the spinal anatomy of humans. Animal models are commonly used in research. As compared to Macaca mulatta, the anatomy of M. fascicularis is less well described in the literature. Materials and methods: The authors anatomically reconstructed and reviewed the defleshed spine of a single adult M. fascicularis visually, radiographically, and with high resolution CT. Results: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 3 sacral, and 16 caudal vertebrae were identified. Similarities in the spine to humans were seen as well as differences such as the beaked anterior arch of C1, the anterior pointed lower lumbar vertebrae, the upward curved transverse processes, and presence of three sacral segments. Degenerative changes were seen at multiple locations similar to humans though most pronounced at T3-4. Conclusions: This paper addresses the normal spinal anatomy and degenerative changes in an adult M. fascicularis and compares it to humans.
基金supported by the Opening Project of Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea,Nanning 530004,China(GXLSCRSCS2019003)Natural Science Foundation of Guang Dong(2022A1515010521)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971501)The CAS Pioneer Hundred Talents Program(Y8SL031001,Y9YB021001)Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou,China(202002030345).
文摘Coral fluorescence phenotypes have been suggested as an adaptation to a broad range of environmental conditions,yet the mechanisms linking thermal bleaching tolerance in reef-building coral populations,associated with fluorescence phenotypes due to GFP-like proteins,remains unclear.In this study,the relationship between the thermal sensitivity and phenotypic plasticity of corals was investigated using two phenotypes of Galaxea fascicularis,green and brown.The results reveal that brown G.fascicularis was more susceptible to bleaching than green G.fascicularis when exposed to a higher growth temperature of 32℃.Both phenotypes of G.fascicularis were associated with the thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae symbiont,Durusdinium trenchii.However,the brown G.fascicularis showed a significant decrease in Symbiodiniaceae cell density and a significant increase in pathogenic bacteria abundance when the growth temperature was raised from 29 to 32℃.The physiological traits and transcriptomic profiles of Symbiodiniaceae were not notably affected,but there were differences in the transcriptional levels of certain genes between the two phenotype hosts of G.fascicularis.Under heat stress of 32℃,the gene encoding green fluorescent protein(GFP)-like and chromosome-associated proteins,as well as genes related to oxidative phosphorylation,cell growth and death showed lower transcriptional levels in the brown G.fascicularis compared to the green G.fascicularis.Overall,the results demonstrate that the green form of G.fascicularis is better able to tolerate ocean warming and defend against pathogenic bacteria,likely due to higher gene transcription levels and defense ability.
基金supported by the National Key R & D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2018YFC1406500 & 2017YFC0506303)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41706172, 31625001 & 41376174)the Hainan Provincial Key R & D (Grant No. ZDYF2018108)
文摘Scleractinian corals host numerous microbial symbionts with different types of interactions. The gastric cavity of scleractinian coral, as a semiclosed subenvironment with distinct chemical characteristics(e.g., dissolved O2, pH, alkalinity, and nutrients), harbors a distinct microbial community and a diverse array of bacteria that can be pathogenic or beneficial. Galaxea fascicularis is one of the dominant massive scleractinian coral species on inshore fringing reefs in the northern South China Sea.Although the abundance of coral-associated bacteria has been investigated in G. fascicularis, less is known about the microorganisms in the gastric cavity. In this study, we specially isolated cultivable bacterial strains from the gastric cavity of G.fascicularis collected from Hainan Island using a noninvasive sampling approach. Among the 101 representative bacterial strains, one Vibrio coralliilyticus strain, SCSIO 43001, was found to be a temperature-dependent opportunistic pathogen of G.fascicularis. The antagonistic activity between the 100 strains and V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 was tested using a modified Burkholder diffusion assay. Our results showed that V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 inhibits the growth of Erythrobacter flavus and Sphingomonas yabuuchiae. Additionally, we found that three Pseudoalteromonas strains showed moderate to high antibacterial activity against V. coralliilyticus SCSIO 43001 and several other coral-associated Gram-negative bacterial strains.These results suggest that competition between the coral pathogen and other bacteria also occurs in the gastric cavity of coral, and Pseudoalteromonas strains in the gastric cavity of G. fascicularis may provide a protective role in the defense against coinhabiting coral pathogens at elevated temperature.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31671550,31872845)National Key R&D Project(2016YFC1000606)+3 种基金High Level Talent Gathering Project in Hunan Province(2018RS3066)Major Scientific and Technological Projects for Collaborative Prevention and Control of Birth Defect in Hunan Province(2019SK1012)Key Grant of Research and Development in Hunan Province(2020DK2002)The Open Fund of the NHC Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics(KF201802).
文摘Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)have great applications in both reproductive and regenerative medicine.Primates including monkeys are very similar to humans with regard to physiology and pathology.Nevertheless,little is known about the isolation,the characteristics,and the culture of primate SSCs.This study was designed to identify,isolate,and culture monkey SSCs.Immunocytochemistry was used to identify markers for monkey SSCs.Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1(GFRAl)-enriched spermatogonia were isolated from monkeys,namely Macaca fascicularis(M.fascicularis),by two-step enzymatic digestion and magnetic-activated cell sorting,and they were cultured on precoated plates in the conditioned medium.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),immunocytochemistry,and RNA sequencing were used to compare phenotype and transcriptomes in GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia between 0 day and 14 days of culture,and xenotransplantation was performed to evaluate the function of GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia.SSCs shared some phenotypes with rodent and human SSCs.GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia with high purity and viability were isolated from M.fascicularis testes.The freshly isolated cells expressed numerous markers for rodent SSCs,and they were cultured for 14 days.The expression of numerous SSC markers was maintained during the cultivation of GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia.RNA sequencing reflected a 97.3%similarity in global gene profiles between 0 day and 14 days of culture.The xenotransplantation assay indicated that the GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia formed colonies and proliferated in vivo in the recipient c-Kitw/w(W)mutant mice.Collectively,GFRAl-enriched spermatogonia are monkey SSCs phenotypically both in vitro and in vivo.This study suggests that monkey might provide an alternative to human SSCs for basic research and application in human diseases.
文摘The lack of truly robust analgesics for chronic pain is owed,in part,to the lack of an animal model that reflects the clinical pain state and of a mechanismbased,objective neurological indicator of pain.The present study examined stimulus-evo ked brain activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging in male and female cynomolgus macaques following unilateral L7 spinal nerve ligation and the effects of clinical analgesics pregabalin,duloxetine,and morphine on brain activation in these macaques.A modified straight leg raise test was used to assess pain severity in awake animals and to evo ke regional brain activation in anesthetized animals.The potential effects of clinical analgesics on both awake pain behavior and regional brain activation were examined.Following spinal nerve ligation,both male and female macaques showed significantly decreased ipsilateral straight leg raise thresholds,suggesting the presence of radicula rlike pain.Morphine treatment increased straight leg raise thresholds in both males and females whereas duloxetine and pregabalin did not.In male macaques,the ipsilateral straight leg raise activated contralateral insular and somatosensory cortex(Ins/SII),and thalamus.In female macaques,the ipsilateral leg raise activated cingulate cortex and contralateral insular and somatosensory cortex.Straight leg raises of the contralateral,unligated leg did not evoke brain activation.Morphine reduced activation in all brain regions in both male and female macaques.In males,neither pregabalin nor duloxetine decreased brain activation compared with vehicle treatment.In females,however,pregabalin and duloxetine decreased the activation of cingulate cortex compared with vehicle treatment.The current findings suggest a diffe rential activation of brain areas depending on sex following a peripheral nerve injury.Diffe rential brain activation observed in this study could underlie qualitative sexual dimorphism in clinical chronic pain perception and responses to analgesics.Future pain management approaches for neuropathic pain will need to consider potential sex differences in pain mechanism and treatment efficacy.
基金The China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund Project "China-ASEAN Countries Collaboration on Marine Endangered Species Researches" and "China-ASEAN Marine Protected Areas Ecosystem Management Network"Regional Demonstration of Marine Economy Innovative Development Project under contract No.16PZY002SF18+1 种基金the China-Indonesia Maritime Cooperation Fund Project "China-Indonesia Bitung Ecological Station Establishment"the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No.41506123
文摘Due to the elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean acidification(OA) has recently emerged as a research theme in marine biology due to an expected deleterious effect of altered seawater chemistry on calcification. A system simulating future OA scenario is crucial for OA-related studies. Here, we designed an OA-simulated system(OASys) with three solenoid-controlled CO2 gas channels. The OASys can adjust the pH of the seawater by bubbling CO2 gas into seawaters via feedback systems. The OASys is very simple in structure with an integrated design and is new-user friendly with the instruction. Moreover, the OASys can monitor and record real-time pH values and can maintain pH levels within 0.02 pH unit. In a 15-d experiment, the OASys was applied to simulate OA in which the expected target pH values were 8.00, 7.80 and 7.60 to study the calcifying response of Galaxea fascicularis. The results showed daily mean seawater pH values held at pH 8.00±0.01, 7.80±0.01 and 7.61±0.01 over15 d. Correspondingly, the coral calcification of G. fascicularis gradually decreased with reduced pH.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant Nos.2017YFC0506303&2018YFC1406500)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.91951203,41706172,31625001&41376174)+2 种基金the Hainan Provincial Key R&D Program(Grant No.ZDYF2018108)supported by the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou)(Grant No.GML2019ZD0407)the Guangdong Local Innovation Team Program(Grant No.2019BT02Y262)。
文摘Nitrogen cycle is critical to maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem.Urea can provide a source of nitrogen for coral holobiont and is important for coral calcification through degradation by urease.Despite the involvement of coral-associated bacteria in nitrogen fixation,nitrification and denitrification are well recognized,to what extend urea degradation by bacteria contributing to the urea utilization by coral holobiont remains to be investigated.In this study,we demonstrate that the urea utilization is a common feature of Halomonas spp.that is a dominant genus in cultivable coral-associated bacteria.A urease operon was characterized by genome sequencing and gene knock-out technique in Halomonas meridiana SCSIO 43005,isolated from the gastric cavity of healthy scleractinian coral Galaxea fascicularis.H.meridiana showed high urease activity which was induced by urea and deletion of the urease operon reduced the capability to use urea as solo nitrogen source.Furthermore,approximately 1/3 coral-associated bacteria in the IMG/M database possess complete urease operons indicating the involvement of bacteria-derived ureases in coral holobiont.These results suggest that urease from coral-associated bacteria might be important player in the nitrogen cycling of coral reefs.
