Fecal contamination is one of the factors causing deterioration of Laguna Lake. Although total coliform levels are constantly monitored, no protocol is in place to identify their origin. This can be addressed using the library-dependent microbial source tracking (MST) method, repetitive element sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) fingerprinting. Serving as a prerequisite in developing the host-origin library, we assessed the discriminatory power of three fingerprinting primers, namely BOX-A1R, (GTG)5, and REP1R-1/2-1. Fingerprint profiles were obtained from 290 thermotolerant Escherichia coli isolated from sewage waters and fecal samples of cows, chickens, and pigs from regions surrounding the lake. Band patterns were converted into binary profiles and were classified using the discriminant analysis of principal components. Results show that: (1) REP1R-1/2-1 has a low genotyping success rate and information content; (2) increasing the library size led to more precise estimates of library accuracy; and (3) combining fingerprint profiles from BOX-A1R and (GTG)5 revealed the best discrimination (average rate of correct classification (ARCC) = 0.82 ± 0.06) in a two-way categorical split; while (4) no significant difference was found between the combined profiles (0.74 ± 0.15) and using solely BOX-A1R (0.76 ± 0.09) in a four-way split. Testing the library by identifying known isolates from a separate dataset has shown that a two-way classification performed better (ARCC = 0.66) than a four-way split (ARCC = 0.29). The library can be developed further by adding more representative isolates per host source. Nevertheless, our results have shown that combining profiles from BOX-A1R and (GTG)5 is recommended in developing the MST library for Laguna Lake.

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Stock identification and delineation are important in the management and conservation of marine resources. These were highlighted as priority research areas for Bali sardinella (Sardinella lemuru) which is among the most commercially important fishery resources in the Philippines. Previous studies have already assessed the stocks of S. lemuru between Northern Mindanao Region (NMR) and Northern Zamboanga Peninsula (NZP), yielding conflicting results. Phenotypic variation suggests distinct stocks between the two regions, while mitochondrial DNA did not detect evidence of genetic differentiation for this high gene flow species. This paper tested the hypothesis of regional structuring using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) acquired through restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). We examined patterns of population genomic structure using a full panel of 3,573 loci, which was then partitioned into a neutral panel of 3,348 loci and an outlier panel of 31 loci. Similar inferences were obtained from the full and neutral panels, which were contrary to the inferences from the outlier panel. While the full and neutral panels suggested a panmictic population (global FST ∼ 0, p > 0.05), the outlier panel revealed genetic differentiation between the two regions (global FST = 0.161, p = 0.001; FCT = 0.263, p < 0.05). This indicated that while gene flow is apparent, selective forces due to environmental heterogeneity between the two regions play a role in maintaining adaptive variation. Annotation of the outlier loci returned five genes that were mostly involved in organismal development. Meanwhile, three unannotated loci had allele frequencies that correlated with sea surface temperature. Overall, our results provided support for local adaptation despite high levels of gene flow in S. lemuru. Management therefore should not only focus on demographic parameters (e.g., stock size and catch volume), but also consider the preservation of adaptive variation.

Laguna Lake is the largest inland freshwater body in the Philippines. Although it is classified to be usable for agricultural and recreational purposes by the country's Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), studies looking at lake ecology revealed severe fecal contamination which contributes to the deterioration of water quality. Determining the sources of fecal contamination is necessary for lake protection and management. This study utilized a library-independent method of microbial source tracking (LIM-MST) to identify sources of fecal contamination in selected Laguna Lake stations and tributaries. Genetic markers of the host-associated Escherichia coli, heat-labile toxin (LTIIA) and heat-stable II (STII), were used to identify cattle and swine fecal contaminations, respectively. Meanwhile, human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was used to identify human fecal contamination. Results identified the presence of agricultural and human fecal contamination in Laguna Lake Stations 1 and 5, Mangangate River, and Alabang River. The selected sites are known to be surrounded by residential and industrial complexes, and most of their discharges find their way into the lake. The identification of the specific sources of fecal contamination will guide management practices that aim to regulate the discharges in order to improve the water quality of Laguna Lake.

Aims: The taxonomic identification of mangrove clams was confirmed using DNA barcoding based on 16S mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome. Study design: DNA was extracted from adductor muscle of mangrove clams sample. Purified DNA were sequenced and barcode was generated. Place and duration of the study: The mangrove clams samples used in the study were collected from Malita, Davao Occidental; Santa Cruz, Davao Del Sur; Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines from January 2021 to June 2021. Methodology: DNA was extracted from adductor muscle of mangrove clams using the Promega GoTaq PCR kit. The extracted DNA were then purified and viewed using the Gel Electrophoresis. The Purified DNA samples were then sequenced and various softwares were then utilized namely sequenced assembly and alignment namely Basic Local Search Tool (BLAST) and Barcode Of Life Database(BOLD) and phylogenetic tree was  generated. Results: There are two species morphologically identified as Anodontia philippiana (Reeve, 1850) and Austriella corrugata (Deshayes, 1843) from Davao region. BLAST search established the two species to be closely related to Anodontia (Cavatidens) omissa (Iredale, 1930) and Phacoides pectinatus (Gmelin, 1791), also a member of the Lucinidae family. Conclusion: In this study, the taxonomic identification of the two mangrove clams were further elucidated using the 16S mitochondrial DNA marker.

Laguna Lake is an economically important resource in the Philippines, with reports of declining water quality due to fecal pollution. Currently, monitoring methods rely on counting fecal indicator bacteria, which does not supply information on potential sources of contamination. In this study, we predicted sources of Escherichia coli in lake stations and tributaries by establishing a fecal source library composed of rep-PCR DNA fingerprints of human, cattle, swine, poultry, and sewage samples (n = 1,408). We also evaluated three statistical methods for predicting fecal contamination sources in surface waters. Random forest (RF) outperformed k-nearest neighbors and discriminant analysis of principal components in terms of average rates of correct classification in two- (84.85%), three- (82.45%), and five-way (74.77%) categorical splits. Overall, RF exhibited the most balanced prediction, which is crucial for disproportionate libraries. Source tracking of environmental isolates (n = 332) revealed the dominance of sewage (47.59%) followed by human sources (29.22%), poultry (12.65%), swine (7.23%), and cattle (3.31%) using RF. This study demonstrates the promising utility of a library-dependent method in augmenting current monitoring systems for source attribution of fecal contamination in Laguna Lake. This is also the first known report of microbial source tracking using rep-PCR conducted in surface waters of the Laguna Lake watershed.

Saccharomycopsis (Syn. Endomycopsis) bubodii 2066 is an isolate from bubod, a starter used in making rice wine in northern Philippines. We have shown that the yeast has amylolytic activity on raw sago starch. In our attempt to identify the putative raw starch-digesting amylase in S. bubodii, we determined the cDNA sequence of a glucoamylase gene. One primer pair that was designed based on a glucoamylase of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera HUT7212 (GLU1, NCBI Accession Number L25641.1) produced a sequence of 1234 base pairs. To obtain a wider coverage, a primer walking strategy was carried out using four primer pairs designed based on GLU1 gene. The generated sequence of 1535 base pairs shows 98.7 to 100% homology when aligned with glucoamylase genes from four strains of S. fibuligera suggesting that this glucoamylase is highly conserved between the Saccharomycopsis species. This work further reports a gene sequence of glucoamylase derived from Philippine-isolated yeast. The sequence is deposited in GenBank and assigned the accession number KP068007.1. The gene may be heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for possible utilization in the direct conversion of raw sago starch to bioethanol.