title: Antimicrobial Peptides in Jawed and Jawless Vertebrates

authors: Gibbons, Olivia Robyn

subjects: Antimicrobial Peptides

abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a major part of the innate immune defence system which shows a broad spectrum of activity, defending the host against invading microbes. The aim of this work was to identify the AMPs present in yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and pouched lamprey (Geotria australis) and use molecular techniques to fully sequence their cDNA and quantify their expression in adult individuals.

Using bioinformatic approaches candidate AMP genes were ascertained from available S. lalandi and G. australis RNA-seq transcriptomic databases, obtained from various tissues. Selected AMPs were chosen to have their full cDNA sequence amplified using RACE-PCR, which were then cloned and sequenced. Complete cDNA sequences were obtained for S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin, whereas attempts to complete the G. australis defensin-like cDNA were unsuccessful. Comparison of the S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin protein sequences with proteins already characterised in other fish showed good homology and conservation of important features. In addition, specific primers were designed to examine the expression levels of S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin in gill, liver or spleens of three fish. Analysis showed hepcidin expression to be highest in liver tissues, whereas moronecidin expression was highest in the gills and spleens.

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the AMP genes present in S. lalandi and G. australis and some initial characterisation of S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin, which will permit the development of future research applications. Overall, characterising AMP genes in jawed and jawless vertebrates is vital for economical and successful fish farming, while also providing possible therapeutic benefits associated with AMP research in biomedicine and disease in wild fish stocks.

text: Antimicrobial Peptides in Jawed and Jawless Vertebrates Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a major part of the innate immune defence system which shows a broad spectrum of activity, defending the host against invading microbes. The aim of this work was to identify the AMPs present in yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and pouched lamprey (Geotria australis) and use molecular techniques to fully sequence their cDNA and quantify their expression in adult individuals.

Using bioinformatic approaches candidate AMP genes were ascertained from available S. lalandi and G. australis RNA-seq transcriptomic databases, obtained from various tissues. Selected AMPs were chosen to have their full cDNA sequence amplified using RACE-PCR, which were then cloned and sequenced. Complete cDNA sequences were obtained for S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin, whereas attempts to complete the G. australis defensin-like cDNA were unsuccessful. Comparison of the S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin protein sequences with proteins already characterised in other fish showed good homology and conservation of important features. In addition, specific primers were designed to examine the expression levels of S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin in gill, liver or spleens of three fish. Analysis showed hepcidin expression to be highest in liver tissues, whereas moronecidin expression was highest in the gills and spleens.

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the AMP genes present in S. lalandi and G. australis and some initial characterisation of S. lalandi hepcidin and moronecidin, which will permit the development of future research applications. Overall, characterising AMP genes in jawed and jawless vertebrates is vital for economical and successful fish farming, while also providing possible therapeutic benefits associated with AMP research in biomedicine and disease in wild fish stocks.

year: 2016

title: Professional bodies and charity law

authors: Chevalier-Watts, Juliet

abstract: The word “charity” can mean many things to many people. The legal definition is inevitably rather complex and for the layperson, the general notion of charity is that of benevolence and philanthropy, and whilst the legal meaning and the layperson’s meaning of charity may diverge in some respects, it is widely accepted that the social construct of charity is seen as “means of redressing wrongs in society” so where “a State may have been unable to provide a function or service, charity could fill that void, and the voids would depend on the government and policies at the time.” It would also be fair to say that the four heads of charity, as will be addressed shortly, are rooted in government policy. Whilst this notion of redressing societal wrongs has been subject to some criticism, in particular that of Victorian society, where attempts were made to distinguish between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor and who should be most entitled to receive charitable gifts, and whilst the inherent issues relating to the concept of charity generally are outside the scope of this article, it is undoubtedly correct that charity itself is recognised as a socially cohesive part of society, both in terms of its origins, where charity “has been seen from the earliest days of Christianity as one of the central tenets of the Christian faith” to contemporary times, where the central obligation is to put others first, thus engaging the ephemeral concept of the spirit of charity.

text: Professional bodies and charity law The word “charity” can mean many things to many people. The legal definition is inevitably rather complex and for the layperson, the general notion of charity is that of benevolence and philanthropy, and whilst the legal meaning and the layperson’s meaning of charity may diverge in some respects, it is widely accepted that the social construct of charity is seen as “means of redressing wrongs in society” so where “a State may have been unable to provide a function or service, charity could fill that void, and the voids would depend on the government and policies at the time.” It would also be fair to say that the four heads of charity, as will be addressed shortly, are rooted in government policy. Whilst this notion of redressing societal wrongs has been subject to some criticism, in particular that of Victorian society, where attempts were made to distinguish between the deserving poor and the undeserving poor and who should be most entitled to receive charitable gifts, and whilst the inherent issues relating to the concept of charity generally are outside the scope of this article, it is undoubtedly correct that charity itself is recognised as a socially cohesive part of society, both in terms of its origins, where charity “has been seen from the earliest days of Christianity as one of the central tenets of the Christian faith” to contemporary times, where the central obligation is to put others first, thus engaging the ephemeral concept of the spirit of charity.

year: 2014

title: Between the borders

authors: Apiata, Hāwea

abstract: Ekphrasis in response to the artwork 'Taniko Border 6' by Ngāti Raukawa artist, John Bevan Ford.

text: Between the borders Ekphrasis in response to the artwork 'Taniko Border 6' by Ngāti Raukawa artist, John Bevan Ford.

year: 2023-11-30