High or low dietary carbohydrate:protein ratios during first-feeding affect glucose metabolism and intestinal microbiota in juvenile rainbow trout

Remodeling of the epigenetic landscape in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, offspring in response to maternal choline intake

This project focused on evaluating the effects of maternal dietary choline intake on global DNA methylation profiles and related transcriptional changes in rainbow trout offspring. Three experimental diets were formulated to test different levels of choline intake: (a) 2065 ppm choline (Low Choline, 0 % supplementation), (b) 5657 ppm choline (Medium Choline, 0.6 % supplementation), and (c) 9248 ppm choline (High Choline, 1.2 % choline supplementation). Six rainbow trout families were fed experimental diets beginning 18 months post-hatch until spawning; their offspring were fed a commercial diet. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) was utilized to measure genome-wide methylation in offspring immediately after hatching. When comparing to the Medium Choline offspring, differential DNA methylation occurred more in the Low Choline offspring than High Choline, especially in genic features like promoters. The differentially methylated CpGs (q ≤ 0.01) were identified evenly between CpG islands and shores in the genome, mostly found in the introns of genes. Genes such as fabp2 and leap2B associated with protein binding, fatty acid binding, DNA binding, and response to bacteria were differentially methylated and detected as differentially regulated genes by previous RNA-seq analysis. Although these findings indicate that levels of dietary choline available in broodstock diets alter offspring DNA methylation;, most differentially expressed genes were not associated with differential DNA methylation, suggesting additional mechanisms playing a role in regulating gene expression in response to maternal choline intake.

Modulation of gut microbiota composition and predicted metabolic capacity after nutritional programming with a plant-rich diet in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): insights across developmental stages

To promote sustainable aquaculture, the formulation of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feeds has changed in recent decades, focusing on replacing standard marine-based ingredients with plant-based alternatives, increasingly demonstrating successful outcomes in terms of fish performance. However, little is known about how these plant-based diets may impact the gut microbiota at first feeding and onwards. Nutritional programming (NP) is one strategy applied for exposing fish to a plant-based (V) diet at an early stage in life to promote full utilisation of plant-based ingredients and prevent potential adverse impacts of exposure to a plant-rich diet later in life. We investigated the impact of NP on gut microbiota by introducing fish to plant ingredients (V fish) during first feeding for a brief period of two weeks (stimulus phase) and compared those to fish fed a marine-based diet (M fish). Results demonstrated that V fish not only maintained growth performance at 16 (intermediate phase) and 22 (challenge phase) weeks post first feeding (wpff) when compared to M fish but also modulated gut microbiota. PERMANOVA general effects revealed gut microbiota dissimilarity by fish group (V vs. M fish) and phases (stimulus vs. intermediate vs. challenge). However, no interaction effect of both groups and phases was demonstrated, suggesting a sustained impact of V diet (nutritional history) on fish across time points/phases. Moreover, the V diet exerted a significant cumulative modulatory effect on the Atlantic salmon gut microbiota at 16 wpff that was not demonstrated at two wpff, although both fish groups were fed the M diet at 16 wpff. The nutritional history/dietary regime is the main NP influencing factor, whereas environmental and host factors significantly impacted microbiota composition in M fish. Microbial metabolic reactions of amino acid metabolism were higher in M fish when compared to V fish at two wpff suggesting microbiota played a role in digesting the essential amino acids of M feed. The excessive mucin O-degradation revealed in V fish at two wpff was mitigated in later life stages after NP, suggesting physiological adaptability and tolerance to V diet. Future studies are required to explore more fully how the microbiota functionally contributes to the NP.

Dietary betaine and/or TMAO affect hepatic lipid accumulation and glycometabolism of Megalobrama amblycephala exposed to a high-carbohydrate diet

A 12-week experiment was conducted to explore the effects of betaine and/or TMAO on growth, hepatic health, gut microbiota, and serum metabolites in Megalobrama amblycephala fed with high-carbohydrate diets. The diets were as follows: CD group (control diet, 28.5% carbohydrate), HCD group (high-carbohydrate diet, 38.2% carbohydrate), HBD group (betaine-added diet, 38.3% carbohydrate + 1.2% betaine), HTD group (TMAO-added diet, 38.2% carbohydrate + 0.2% TMAO), and HBT group (diet added with both betaine and TMAO, 38.2% carbohydrate + 1.2% betaine + 0.2% TMAO). The results showed that the hepatosomatic index (HSI); whole-body crude fat; hepatic lipid accumulation; messenger RNA expression levels of gk, fpbase, g6pase, ahas, and bcat; serum branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs); ratio of Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes; and abundance of the genus Aeromonas were all significantly increased, while the abundance levels of the genus Lactobacillus and phyla Tenericutes and Bacteroidetes were drastically decreased in the HCD group. Compared with the HCD group, the HSI; whole-body crude fat; hepatic lipid accumulation; expression levels of fbpase, g6pase, pepck, ahas, and bcat; circulating BCAA; ratio of Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes; and abundance levels of the genus Aeromonas and phyla Tenericutes and Bacteroidetes were significantly downregulated in the HBD, HTD, and HBT groups. Meanwhile, the expression levels of pk were drastically upregulated in the HBD, HTD, and HBT groups as well as the abundance of Lactobacillus in the HBT group. These results indicated that the supplementation of betaine and/or TMAO in high-carbohydrate diets could affect the hepatic lipid accumulation and glycometabolism of M. amblycephala by promoting glycolysis, inhibiting gluconeogenesis and biosynthesis of BCAA, and mitigating the negative alteration of gut microbiota. Among them, the combination of betaine and TMAO had the best effect.

Nutritional programming in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Effect of low dietary protein on growth and the intestinal microbiome and transcriptome

Nutritional programming is the idea that early nutrient contributions can influence organismal structure or function and is documented in a variety of vertebrates, yet studies in fish are largely lacking. Tilapia are an important foodfish, with global production having increased rapidly since the 1990s. They exhibit high disease-resistance and grow well on formulated feeds which makes them an ideal aquaculture species, however incorporating high quality proteins into feeds can be costly. As feed constitutes 50-70% of total production costs in aquaculture, reducing protein content could curb these costs and increase revenue. Thus, we examined the effects of feeding Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) fry a restricted protein diet for the first 7-21 days on growth, gut microbial flora, and the intestinal transcriptome. Fish were fed either a 25% restricted or 48% control crude protein starter (ST) diet for up to 21 days and then switched to a 25% or 38% control crude protein growout (GO) diet. Fish fed a 25% ST diet for 14 days followed by a 38% GO diet had significantly higher lengths and weights and better feed efficiency than fish fed the control 48% ST and 38% GO diet after 56 days of culture. Growth of fry on the 25% ST, 7-day/38% GO and the 25% ST,7-day/25% GO diets did not differ from the those fed the control protein diets, while fish fed the 25% ST diet for 21 days had significantly lower growth and survival rates. We observed no significant differences in either alpha or beta diversity of the gut microbial flora between diets, however species richness (Shannon Index) was higher in fry fed the 25% protein ST diet regardless of the GO diet. Similarly, fish fed the 25% ST diet for 14 days followed by the 38% GO diet had minimal changes to the intestinal transcriptome relative to fish fed the control 48% ST and 38% GO diet. However, those fed 25% ST and GO diets for the entire 56 days exhibited substantial differences in the gut transcriptome from other groups showing gene expression profiles characteristic of detrimental changes to gut physiology, protein metabolism and immune function. Results suggest protein restriction for up to 14 days early in development leads to enhanced growth and feed efficiency with minimal effects on gut microbes or intestinal function. Protein restriction beyond this period appears detrimental to fish growth and health as underscored by expression of disease related genes and higher mortality rates.

High-fat diet in early life triggers both reversible and persistent epigenetic changes in the medaka fish (Oryzias latipes)

BACKGROUND

The nutritional status during early life can have enduring effects on an animal's metabolism, although the mechanisms underlying these long-term effects are still unclear. Epigenetic modifications are considered a prime candidate mechanism for encoding early-life nutritional memories during this critical developmental period. However, the extent to which these epigenetic changes occur and persist over time remains uncertain, in part due to challenges associated with directly stimulating the fetus with specific nutrients in viviparous mammalian systems.

RESULTS

In this study, we used medaka as an oviparous vertebrate model to establish an early-life high-fat diet (HFD) model. Larvae were fed with HFD from the hatching stages (one week after fertilization) for six weeks, followed by normal chow (NC) for eight weeks until the adult stage. We examined the changes in the transcriptomic and epigenetic state of the liver over this period. We found that HFD induces simple liver steatosis, accompanied by drastic changes in the hepatic transcriptome, chromatin accessibility, and histone modifications, especially in metabolic genes. These changes were largely reversed after the long-term NC, demonstrating the high plasticity of the epigenetic state in hepatocytes. However, we found a certain number of genomic loci showing non-reversible epigenetic changes, especially around genes related to cell signaling, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, implying persistent changes in the cellular state of the liver triggered by early-life HFD feeding.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our data show that early-life HFD feeding triggers both reversible and persistent epigenetic changes in medaka hepatocytes. Our data provide novel insights into the epigenetic mechanism of nutritional programming and a comprehensive atlas of the long-term epigenetic state in an early-life HFD model of non-mammalian vertebrates.

Metabolic adaptation to high-starch diet in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was associated with the restoration of metabolic functions via inflammation, bile acid synthesis and energy metabolism

A short-term 2-week (2w) and long-term 8-week (8w) feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of low-starch (LS) and high-starch (HS) diets on the growth performance, metabolism and liver health of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Two isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets containing two levels of starch (LS, 9·06 %; HS, 13·56 %) were fed to largemouth bass. The results indicated that HS diet had no significant effects on specific growth rate during 2w, whereas significantly lowered specific growth rate at 8w. HS diet significantly increased hepatic glycolysis and gluconeogenesis at postprandial 24 h in 2w. The hepatosomatic index, plasma alkaline phosphatase, total bile acid (TBA) levels, and hepatic glycogen, TAG, total cholesterol, TBA, and NEFA contents were significantly increased in the HS group at 2w. Moreover, HS diet up-regulated fatty acid and TAG synthesis-related genes and down-regulated TAG hydrolysis and β-oxidation-related genes. Therefore, the glucolipid metabolism disorders resulted in metabolic liver disease induced by HS diet at 2w. However, the up-regulation of bile acid synthesis, inflammation and energy metabolism-related genes in 2w indicated that largemouth bass was still in a state of 'self-repair' response. Interestingly, all the metabolic parameters were returned to homoeostasis, with up-regulation of intestinal glucose uptake and transport-related genes, even hepatic histopathological analysis showed no obvious abnormality in the HS group in 8w. In conclusion, HS feed induced short-term acute metabolic disorder, but long-term metabolic adaptation to HS diet was related to repairing metabolism disorders via improving inflammatory responses, bile acid synthesis and energy metabolism. These results strongly indicated that the largemouth bass owned certain adaptability to HS diet.

The Effect of Gut Microbiota and Probiotics on Metabolism in Fish and Shrimp

The present paper presents an overview of the effects of gut microbiota and probiotics on lipid-, carbohydrate-, protein- and amino acid metabolism in fish and shrimp. In probiotic fish studies, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model is the most frequently used, and probiotic administration reveals the effect on glucose homeostasis, anti-lipidemic effects and increasing short-chain fatty acids, and increased expressions of genes related to carbohydrate metabolism and innate immunity, along with down-regulation of oxidative stress-related genes. Further, improved length of the intestinal villi and expression of nutrient transporters in fish owing to probiotics exposure have been documented. The present review will present an appraisal of the effect of intestinal microbiota and probiotic administration on the metabolism of nutrients and metabolites related to stress and immunity in diverse fish- and shrimp species. Furthermore, to give the reader satisfactory information on the topics discussed, some information from endothermic animals is also presented.

Application of proteomics in shrimp and shrimp aquaculture

Since proteins play an important role in the life of an organism, many researchers are now looking at how genes and proteins interact to form different proteins. It is anticipated that the creation of adequate tools for rapid analysis of proteins will accelerate the determination of functional aspects of these biomolecules and develop new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Though shrimp contains high-quality marine proteins, there are reports about the heavy losses to the shrimp industry due to the poor quality of shrimp production and many times due to mass mortality also. Frequent outbreaks of diseases, water pollution, and quality of feed are some of the most recognized reasons for such losses. In the seafood export market, shrimp occupies the top position in currency earnings and strengthens the economy of many developing nations. Therefore, it is vital for shrimp-producing companies they produce healthy shrimp with high-quality protein. Though aquaculture is a very competitive market, global awareness regarding the use of scientific knowledge and emerging technologies to obtain better-farmed organisms through sustainable production has enhanced the importance of proteomics in seafood biology research. Proteomics, as a powerful tool, has therefore been increasingly used to address several issues in shrimp aquaculture. In the present paper, efforts have been made to address some of them, particularly the role of proteomics in reproduction, breeding and spawning, immunological responses and disease resistance capacity, nutrition and health, microbiome and probiotics, quality and safety of shrimp production, bioinformatics applications in proteomics, the discovery of protein biomarkers, and mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses. Future challenges and research directions on proteomics in shrimp aquaculture have also been discussed.

Dietary carbohydrate-to-protein ratio influences growth performance, hepatic health and dynamic of gut microbiota in atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed a carbohydrate-rich diet exhibit suboptimal growth performance, along with other metabolic disturbances. It is well known that gut microbes play a pivotal role in influencing metabolism of the host, and these microbes can be modified by the diet. The main goal of the present study was to determine the effect of feeding graded levels of digestible carbohydrates to Atlantic salmon on the distal intestine digesta microbiota at 3 sampling times (i.e., weeks 4, 8 and 12), during a 12-week trial. A low carbohydrate-to-high protein diet (LC/HP, 0% wheat starch), a medium carbohydrate-to-medium protein diet (MC/MP, 15% wheat starch) or a high carbohydrate-to-low protein diet (HC/LP, 30% wheat starch) was fed to triplicate fish tanks (27 to 28 fish per tank). We performed an in-depth characterization of the distal intestine digesta microbiota. Further, growth parameters, liver histology and the expression of genes involved in hepatic neolipogenesis in fish were measured. Fish fed a HC/LP diet showed greater hepatosomatic and viscerosomatic indexes (P = 0.026 and P = 0.018, respectively), lower final weight (P = 0.005), weight gain (P = 0.003), feed efficiency (P = 0.033) and growth rate (P = 0.003) compared with fish fed the LC/HP diet. Further, feeding salmon a high digestible carbohydrate diet caused greater lipid vacuolization, steatosis index (P = 0.007) and expression of fatty acid synthase (fas) and delta-6 fatty acyl desaturase (d6fad) (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) in the liver compared with fish fed the LC/HP diet. Although, the major impact of feeding a carbohydrate-rich diet to Atlantic salmon in beta diversity of distal intestine digesta microbiota was observed at week 4 (HC/LP vs MC/MP and HC/LP vs LC/HP; P = 0.007 and P = 0.008, respectively) and week 8 (HC/LP vs MC/MP; P = 0.04), no differences between experimental groups were detected after 12 weeks of feeding. Finally, at the end of the trial, there was a negative correlation between lactic acid bacteria (LAB) members, including Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus, with hepatic steatosis level, the hepatosomatic and viscerosomatic indexes as well as the expression of fas and d6fad. Weissella showed negative correlation with hepatic steatosis level and the hepatosomatic index. Finally, further research to explore the potential use of LAB as probiotics to improve liver health in carnivorous fish fed fatty liver-induced diet is warranted.

Nutritional programming of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) larvae by dietary vegetable oil: effects on growth performance, lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity

The nutritional status experienced in the early development of life plays a vital role in the long-term metabolic state of the individual, which is known as nutritional programming. The present study investigated the long-term effects of vegetable oil (VO) nutritional programming during the early life of large yellow croaker. First, larvae were fed either a fish oil (FO) diet or a VO diet for 30 d. Subsequently, under the same conditions, all fish were fed a commercial diet for 90 d and thereafter challenged with an FO or VO diet for 30 d. The results showed that growth performance was significantly lower in larvae fed the VO diet than in those in fed the FO diet in the stimulus phase. Notably, VO nutritional history fish showed lower levels of liver lipids liver total triglycerides and serum nonesterified free fatty acids than the FO nutritional history fish when juveniles were challenged with the VO diet, which was consistent with the expression of lipogenesis-related genes and proteins. Moreover, the VO nutritional history fish showed lower liver damage and higher antioxidant capacity than FO nutritional history fish when challenged with the VO diet. In summary, this study showed that a short VO stimulus during the early life stage of large yellow croaker, had a long-term effect on lipid metabolism and the antioxidant system. Specifically, VO nutritional programming had a positive effect on alleviating abnormal lipid deposition on the liver, liver damage, and the reduction of hepatic antioxidant capacity caused by a VO diet.

Synergistic Effects Between Dietary Zinc Form Supplementation and Dietary Protein Levels on Performance, Intestinal Functional Topography, Hemato-biochemical Indices, Immune, Oxidative Response, and Associated Gene Expression of Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

The present study investigates the effect of different dietary protein levels suboptimum level (25%) and optimum level (35%), different Zn forms bulk zinc oxide (BZnO) or nanoparticles zinc oxide (NZnO), and their interaction on performance, intestinal topography, hematology, serum biochemical, antioxidant-immune responses, and related gene expression of Nile tilapia. Six experimental diets were formulated to contain approximately 25% and 35% crude protein and supplemented with Zn forms with 0 (normal level in ingredients), 60 mg kg^-1 BZnO and 60 mg kg^-1 nanoparticles of NZnO. Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, fingerlings (7.53 ± 0. 06 g) were fed on one of tested diets in triplicates with 5% of total biomass three times a day for 84 days. Results showed that, fish fed diet containing 35% crude protein and supplemented with NZnO form recorded the highest final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR). However, no significant (P > 0.05) differences were recorded in FBW, WG, SGR, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) between fish fed diet containing 35% crude protein without Zn supplementation and fish fed diet containing 25% crude protein supplemented with NZnO form. Either fish fed diet containing 25% or 35% crude protein and supplemented with NZnO exhibited the highest values of villi height/width. The highest absorption surface area (ASA) was obtained in fish fed diet containing 25% or 35% crude protein and supplemented with BZnO. Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), and red blood cell count (RBCs) highest values were obtained for fish fed diet containing protein level 35% supplemented with NZnO. Fish fed diet containing protein level 35% and supplemented with NZnO had the lowest value of alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST). The highest globulin value was recorded for fish provided with diet containing 35% crude protein and supplemented with BZnO followed by those fed diet containing 35% crude protein and supplemented with NZnO. Fish fed diet containing protein level 25% with NZnO supplementation recorded the highest super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GP_X), with decreasing malondialdehyde (MAD) values. The highest values of immunoglobulin g (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), complement 4 (C4), and complement 3 (C3) were obtained for diet containing 35% crude protein and supplemented with NZnO form. Growth hormone gene (GH) was upregulated in fish fed 25% dietary protein without Zn supplementation, while it was downregulated in fish fed 25% dietary protein and supplemented with NZnO. Transcription of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) gene recorded the highest value for fish fed 35% crude protein and supplemented with BZnO. This is although the diet of 35% crude protein + NZnO induced significant (IGF-I) gene expression compared with 25% crude protein with or without BZnO. Therefore, nano zinc is useful as a feed supplement for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Nutritional programming by maternal diet alters offspring lipid metabolism in a marine teleost

Nutritional programming - the association between the early nutritional environment and long-term consequences for an animal - is an emerging area of research in fish biology. Previous studies reported correlations between maternal provisioning of essential fatty acids to eggs and the whole-body fatty acid composition of larvae reared under uniform conditions for red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. This study aimed to further investigate the nutritional stimulus and the consequences of nutritional programming by feeding adult red drum several distinct diets and rearing larvae under uniform conditions until 21 days post-hatching when larval lipid and fatty acid compositions were assessed. Different maternal diets produced eggs with distinctive lipid and fatty acid compositions, and despite receiving the same larval diet for almost 3 weeks, larvae showed differences in total fatty acid accumulation and in retention of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA). Specifically, larvae reared from a maternal diet of shrimp generally showed elevated levels of fatty acids in the initial steps of the n-3 and n-6 HUFA biosynthetic pathways and reduced levels of fatty acid products of the same pathways, especially in triglyceride. Furthermore, the variations in larval fatty acid accumulation induced by maternal diet varied among females. Lipid metabolism altered by parental diet may have consequences for larval physiological processes and behavioral performance, which may ultimately influence larval survival.

Effect of micro-algae Schizochytrium sp. supplementation in plant diet on reproduction of female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): maternal programming impact of progeny

Background

The broodstock diet, and in particular the lipid and fatty acid composition of the diet, is known to play a key role in reproductive efficiency and survival of the progeny in fish. A major problem when replacing both fish meal and fish oil by plant sources is the lack of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). To address this problem, we studied the effect of the plant-based diet supplemented with Schizochytrium sp. microalgae, source of DHA, compared to a conventional commercial diet rich in fish meal and fish oil on reproductive performance and egg quality and the consequences on progeny, in female rainbow trout broodstock.

Results

The results demonstrated that DHA-rich microalgae supplementation in a plant-based diet allowed for the maintenance of reproductive performance and egg quality comparable to a conventional commercial feed rich in fish meal and fish oil and led to an increased significant fry survival after resorption. Moreover, when females were fed a plant-based diet supplemented with micro-algae, the 4-month-old progenies showed a significant higher growth when they were challenged with a similar diet as broodstock during 1 month. We provide evidence for metabolic programming in which the maternal dietary induced significant protracted effects on lipid metabolism of progeny.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates that supplementation of a plant-based diet with DHA-rich microalgae can be an effective alternative to fish meal and fish oil in rainbow trout broodstock aquafeed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40104-022-00680-9.

Ambient temperature structures the gut microbiota of zebrafish to impact the response to radioactive pollution

Potential nuclear accidents propel serious environmental pollution, and the resultant radionuclide release devastates severely the environment severely and threatens aquatic organism survival. Likewise, ongoing climate change coupled with the gradual increase in global surface temperatures can also adversely impact the aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, we preconditioned zebrafish (Danio rerio) at three different temperatures (18 °C, 26 °C and 34 °C) to investigate the effects of a temperature profile on their radiosensitivity (exposure to 20 Gy of gamma rays) to identify the potential biochemical mechanism responsible for influencing radiosensitivity. We found that preconditioning of zebrafish at different temperatures moulded specific gut microbiota configurations and impacted hepatic glycometabolism and sensitivity to subsequent radiation. Following antibiotic treatment to reduce gut bacteria, these observed differences in the expression of hepatic glycometabolism-related genes and radiation-induced intestinal toxicity were minimal, supporting the hypothesis that the gut bacteria reshaped by different ambient temperatures might be the key modulators of hepatic functions and radiosensitivity in zebrafish. Together, our findings provide novel insights into the connection of radiation injuries with temperature alterations in fish, and suggest that maintaining the stability of gram-positive bacteria may be efficacious to protect aquatic organisms against short or long-term radioactive contamination in the context of global climate change.

The Programming of Antioxidant Capacity, Immunity, and Lipid Metabolism in Dojo Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) Larvae Linked to Sodium Chloride and Hydrogen Peroxide Pre-treatment During Egg Hatching

Non-nutritional stress during early life period has been reported to promote the metabolic programming in fish induced by nutritional stimulus. Sodium chloride (NaCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) have been widely applied during fish egg hatching, but the influences on health and metabolism of fish in their later life remain unknown. In the present study, H₂O₂ treatment at 400mg/L but not 200mg/L significantly increased the loach hatchability and decreased the egg mortality, while NaCl treatment at 1,000 and 3,000mg/L showed no significant influences on the loach hatchability nor egg mortality. Further studies indicated that 400mg/L H₂O₂ pre-treatment significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity and the mRNA expression of genes involved in immune response of loach larvae, accompanied by the increased expression of genes involved in fish early development. However, the expression of most genes involved in lipid metabolism, including catabolism and anabolism of loach larvae, was significantly upregulated after 200mg/L H₂O₂ pre-treatment. NaCl pre-treatment also increased the expression of antioxidant enzymes; however, only the expression of C1q within the detected immune-related genes was upregulated in loach larvae. One thousand milligram per liter NaCl pre-treatment significantly increased the expression of LPL and genes involved in fish early development. Thus, our results suggested the programming roles of 400mg/L H₂O₂ pre-treatment during egg hatching in enhancing antioxidant capacity and immune response of fish larvae via promoting fish early development.

Glucose injection into the yolk influences intermediary metabolism in adult Nile tilapia fed with high levels of carbohydrates

Nutritional programming is a concept proposed to be applied in the field of fish nutrition to improve the use of new diets in aquaculture. This study aimed to investigate for the first time the effects of a glucose injection into the yolk at the alevin stage on intermediary metabolism and growth in adult Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) at 32-37 weeks later in the life. The early stimulus was performed through direct microinjection of 2 M glucose into yolk sacs of Nile tilapia alevin. Subsequently, in adult tilapia, the long-term effects of glucose stimulus on growth performance, blood metabolites, chemical composition in the liver and muscle, expression of genes involved in glucose transport and metabolism (glycolysis and gluconeogenesis) and related pathways (amino acid catabolism and lipogenesis) were investigated. Our results showed that, even though early glucose injection had no effect on growth performance in adult fish, very few significant effects on glucose metabolism were observed. Furthermore, to evaluate the potential metabolic programming after a dietary challenge, a 2 × 2 factorial design with two early stimuli (0.85% NaCl or 2 M glucose) and two different dietary carbohydrate intakes (medium-carbohydrate diet, CHO-M; high-carbohydrate diet, CHO-H) was performed between weeks 33 and 37. As expected, compared with the CHO-M diet, the CHO-H diet led to decreased growth performance, higher glyceamia and triglyceridemia, higher glycogen and lipid levels in the liver as well as down-regulation of gluconeogenesis and amino acid catabolism gene expressions. More interestingly, although early glucose injection had no significant effect on growth performance, it enhanced the capacities for lipogenesis, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, particularly in fish that were fed the CHO-H diet. Thus, the nutritional programming of tilapia linked to glucose injection into the yolk of alevins is always visible at the adult stage albeit less intense than what we previously observed in juvenile.

Aquaculture industry prospective from gut microbiome of fish and shellfish: An overview

The microbiome actually deals with micro-organisms that are associated with indigenous body parts and the entire gut system in all animals, including human beings. These microbes are linked with roles involving hereditary traits, defence against diseases and strengthening overall immunity, which determines the health status of an organism. Considerable efforts have been made to find out the microbiome diversity and their taxonomic identification in finfish and shellfish and its importance has been correlated with various physiological functions and activities. In recent past due to the availability of advanced molecular tools, some efforts have also been made on DNA sequencing of these microbes to understand the environmental impact and other stress factors on their genomic structural profile. There are reports on the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, including amplicon and shot-gun approaches, and associated bioinformatics tools to count and classify commensal microbiome at the species level. The microbiome present in the whole body, particularly in the gut systems of finfish and shellfish, not only contributes to digestion but also has an impact on nutrition, growth, reproduction, immune system and vulnerability of the host fish to diseases. Therefore, the study of such microbial communities is highly relevant for the development of new and innovative bio-products which will be a vital source to build bio and pharmaceutical industries, including aquaculture. In recent years, attempts have been made to discover the chemical ingredients present in these microbes in the form of biomolecules/bioactive compounds with their functions and usefulness for various health benefits, particularly for the treatment of different types of disorders in animals. Therefore, it has been speculated that microbiomes hold great promise not only as a cure for ailments but also as a preventive measure for the number of infectious diseases. This kind of exploration of new breeds of microbes with their miraculous ingredients will definitely help to accelerate the development of the drugs, pharmaceutical and other biological related industries. Probiotic research and bioinformatics skills will further escalate these opportunities in the sector. In the present review, efforts have been made to collect comprehensive information on the finfish and shellfish microbiome, their diversity and functional properties, relationship with diseases, health status, data on species-specific metagenomics, probiotic research and bioinformatics skills. Further, emphasis has also been made to carry out microbiome research on priority basis not only to keep healthy environment of the fish farming sector but also for the sustainable growth of biological related industries, including aquaculture.

A High Starch Diet Alters the Composition of the Intestinal Microbiota of Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, Which May Be Associated With the Development of Enteritis

Starch is an inexpensive feed ingredient that has been widely used in fish feed. However, starch utilization by carnivorous fish is limited and excess starch is detrimental to the health of the organism. High starch diets often lead to liver damage, but the effects on the intestine are often overlooked. Therefore, in this study, two isonitrogenous and isolipidic semi-pure diets (NC: 0% α-starch, HC: 22% α-starch) were formulated and fed to largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) for 45 days. The effects of the high starch diet on the intestine of largemouth bass were comprehensively investigated by intestinal microbiota, histopathology, ultrastructural pathology, and enzymology analyses. Feeding the HC diet did not affect the growth of largemouth bass during the experimental period. However, the high starch diet led to a reduction in the diversity and abundance of intestinal microbiota in largemouth bass, with a significant increase in the abundance of harmful bacteria (Aeromonas) and a decrease in the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Clostridium, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium). Feeding the HC diet caused the development of enteritis, with goblet cell hyperplasia, epithelial necrosis and detachment and inflammatory cell infiltration, and leading to enlarged apical openings and mitochondrial damage in goblet cells. Long-term feeding of the HC diet inhibited intestinal α-amylase activity. changes in the intestinal microbiota, such as an increase in Aeromonas and a decrease in Clostridium, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium, may be closely related to the development of enteritis. Therefore, adding these beneficial bacteria as probiotics may be an effective way to prevent damage to the intestine of largemouth bass from a high carbohydrate diet. Our results suggest reducing the amount of starch added to the largemouth bass diets. This study provides a reference for protecting the largemouth bass gut during modern intensive culture.

Modulation of Energy Metabolism and Epigenetic Landscape in Rainbow Trout Fry by a Parental Low Protein/High Carbohydrate Diet

Simple Summary

While the effects of parental diets on their progeny have been highly described in mammals, such studies are lacking in fish. To explore such a question in a high trophic level teleost fish, two-year old male and female rainbow trout were fed either a control diet (0% carbohydrate and 63.89% protein) or a high-carbohydrate diet (35% carbohydrate and 42.96% protein), for a complete reproductive cycle for females and for a period of 5 months for males. Neither the maternal nor the paternal high-carbohydrate diet alone had induced significant effects on their progeny. Nevertheless, when both parents were fed the high-carbohydrate diet, the energy metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics of their progeny were altered. Moreover, the epigenetic landscape was also highly affected. Even though, offspring growth was only slightly affected at the early stage of life; the effect of parental high-carbohydrate diet should be explored over the long term.

Abstract

It is now recognized that parental diets could highly affect offspring metabolism and growth. Studies in fish are, however, lacking. In particular, the effect of a parental diet high in carbohydrate (HC) and low in protein (LP) on progeny has never been examined in higher trophic level teleost fish. Thus, two-year old male and female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed either a control diet (0% carbohydrate and 63.89% protein) or a diet containing 35% carbohydrate and 42.96% protein (HC/LP) for a complete reproductive cycle for females and over a 5-month period for males. Cross-fertilizations were then carried out. To evaluate the effect of the parental diet on their offspring, different phenotypic and metabolic traits were recorded for offspring before their first feeding and again three weeks later. When considering the paternal and maternal HC/LP nutrition independently, fry phenotypes and transcriptomes were only slightly affected. The combination of the maternal and paternal HC/LP diets altered the energy metabolism and mitochondrial dynamics of their progeny, demonstrating the existence of a synergistic effect. The global DNA methylation of whole fry was also highly affected by the HC/LP parental diet, indicating that it could be one of the fundamental mechanisms responsible for the effects of nutritional programming.

Nutritional Programming with Dietary Soybean Meal and Its Effect on Gut Microbiota in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Nutritional programming (NP) is considered a promising approach that can counteract the negative effects of dietary plant protein (PP) by introducing PP to fish in the early developmental stages. Therefore the objective of our study was to assess the effect of NP on PP utilization and the gut microbiome in zebrafish Danio rerio. The study included four treatment groups: (1) a positive control group that received a fishmeal (FM) diet throughout the entire trial (+ control); (2) a negative control group that received PP diet throughout the entire trial (- control); (3) an NP group that received dietary PP during the larval stage followed by FM-based diet during the juvenile stage and PP diet again during a PP challenge in the grow-out phase (NP-PP); and (4) an FM-group that received FM-based diet during the larval and juvenile stages and was challenged with a PP diet during the grow-out phase (NP-FM). During the PP challenge, the NP-PP group achieved the highest weight gain compared to the (-) control and NP-FM groups. The relative abundance of certain phyla such as Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Bacteroidetes presented higher values in some groups at early juvenile stage. The fish gut microbiome also presented differences throughout the study.

Gut microbiota dynamics in carnivorous European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed plant-based diets

A healthy gastrointestinal microbiota is essential for host fitness, and strongly modulated by host diet. In aquaculture, a current challenge is to feed carnivorous fish with plant-feedstuffs in substitution of fish meal, an unsustainable commodity. Plants have a limited nutritive value due to the presence of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) which are not metabolized by fish. In this work we assessed the effects of NSP-enriched diets on European seabass gut microbiota and evaluate the selective pressure of plant feedstuffs towards gut microbes with NSP-hydrolytic potential, i.e. capable to convert indigestible dietary constituents in fish metabolites. Triplicate groups of European seabass juveniles were fed a fish meal-based diet (control) or three plant-based diets (SBM, soybean meal; RSM, rapeseed meal; SFM, sunflower meal) for 6 weeks, before recovering intestinal samples for microbiota analysis, using the Illumina's MiSeq platform. Plant-based diets impacted differently digesta and mucosal microbiota. A decrease (p = 0.020) on species richness, accompanied by a decline on the relative abundance of specific phyla such as Acidobacteria (p = 0.030), was observed in digesta samples of SBM and RSM experimental fish, but no effects were seen in mucosa-associated microbiota. Plant-based diets favored the Firmicutes (p = 0.01), in particular the Bacillaceae (p = 0.017) and Clostridiaceae (p = 0.007), two bacterial families known to harbor carbohydrate active enzymes and thus putatively more prone to grow in high NSP environments. Overall, bacterial gut communities of European seabass respond to plant-feedstuffs with adjustments in the presence of transient microorganisms (allochthonous) with carbohydrolytic potential, while maintaining a balanced core (autochthonous) microbiota.

Early feeding with hyperglucidic diet during fry stage exerts long-term positive effects on nutrient metabolism and growth performance in adult tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The present study aimed to investigate nutritional programming of carbohydrate metabolism in Nile tilapia. Early nutritional intervention stimulus was achieved by feeding fry with high-protein/low-carbohydrate (HP/LC) or low-protein/high-carbohydrate (LP/HC) diet since first feeding for 4 weeks, and the effect of nutritional stimulus on carbohydrate and its related metabolism was evaluated through the adult stage. Our findings indicated that at week 1, LP/HC diet-fed fry had lower levels of mRNA for genes coding gluconeogenesis and amino acid catabolism and higher levels of hk2 (P < 0⋅05). As expected, in adult tilapia, although LP/HC diet-fed fish had poorer growth (end of stimulus), the fish showed compensatory growth. There were permanent effects of early high-carbohydrate (HC) intake on several parameters, including (1) modulating hepatic composition, (2) increased muscle glycogen, (3) lower levels of enzymes involved in amino acid catabolism and (4) higher levels of glycolytic enzymes in glycolysis. Finally, HP/LC diet- and LP/HC diet-fed fish were challenged with different dietary carbohydrate levels. Irrespective of challenging diets, the early HC stimulus had significant effects on adult tilapia by (1) promoting utilisation of glucose, which had protein-sparing effects for better growth, (2) inducting lipogenesis and (3) decreasing amino acid catabolism. Taken together, for the first time, we demonstrated that early HC feeding was effective for positive nutritional programming of metabolism in Nile tilapia (an omnivorous fish). It led to the improvement of growth performance in adult fish associated with early feeding, which is linked to a better ability to use glucose, to induce lipogenesis, and to suppress amino acid catabolism.

Effect of glycerol feed-supplementation on seabass metabolism and gut microbiota

Dietary glycerol supplementation in aquaculture feed is seen as an alternative and inexpensive way to fuel fish metabolism, attenuate metabolic utilization of dietary proteins and, subsequently, reduce nitrogen excretion. In this study, we evaluated the impact of dietary glycerol supplementation on nitrogen excretion of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and its effects on metabolite profile and bacterial community composition of gut digesta. These effects were evaluated in a 60-day trial with fish fed diets supplemented with 2.5% or 5% (w/w) refined glycerol and without glycerol supplementation. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to characterize the effects of glycerol supplementation on digesta metabolite and bacterial community composition of 6-h postprandial fish. Our results showed that ammonia excretion was not altered by dietary glycerol supplementation, and the highest glycerol dosage was associated with significant increases in amino acids and a decrease of ergogenic creatine in digesta metabolome. Concomitantly, significant decreases in putative amino acid degradation pathways were detected in the predicted metagenome analysis, suggesting a metabolic shift. Taxon-specific analysis revealed significant increases in abundance of some specific genera (e.g., Burkholderia and Vibrio) and bacterial diversity. Overall, our results indicate glycerol supplementation may decrease amino acid catabolism without adversely affecting fish gut bacterial communities.Key points• Glycerol can be an inexpensive and energetic alternative in fish feed formulations.• Glycerol did not affect nitrogen excretion and gut bacteriome composition.• Glycerol reduced uptake of amino acids and increased uptake of ergogenic creatine.• Glycerol reduced putative amino acid degradation pathways in predicted metagenome.

Early leucine programming on protein utilization and mTOR signaling by DNA methylation in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Background

Early nutritional programming affects a series of metabolism, growth and development in mammals. Fish also exhibit the developmental plasticity by early nutritional programming. However, little is known about the effect of early amino acid programming on growth and metabolism.

Methods

In the present study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) was used as the experimental animal to study whether early leucine stimulation can programmatically affect the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, growth and metabolism in the later life, and to undercover the mechanism of epigenetic regulation. Zebrafish larvas at 3 days post hatching (dph) were raised with 1.0% leucine from 3 to 13 dph during the critical developmental stage, then back to normal water for 70 days (83 dph).

Results

The growth performance and crude protein content of zebrafish in the early leucine programming group were increased, and consistent with the activation of the mTOR signaling pathway and the high expression of genes involved in the metabolism of amino acid and glycolipid. Furthermore, we compared the DNA methylation profiles between the control and leucine-stimulated zebrafish, and found that the methylation levels of CG-differentially methylated regions (DMGs) and CHH-DMGs of genes involved in mTOR signaling pathway were different between the two groups. With quantitative PCR analysis, the decreased methylation levels of CG type of Growth factor receptor-bound protein 10 (Grb10), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and mTOR genes of mTOR signaling pathway in the leucine programming group, might contribute to the enhanced gene expression.

Conclusions

The early leucine programming could improve the protein synthesis and growth, which might be attributed to the methylation of genes in mTOR pathway and the expression of genes involved in protein synthesis and glycolipid metabolism in zebrafish. These results could be beneficial for better understanding of the epigenetic regulatory mechanism of early nutritional programming.

Macronutrient modulation of mRNA and microRNA function in animals: A review

Dietary macronutrients have been regarded as a basic source of energy and amino acids that are necessary for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, metabolic programming as well as protein synthesis. Due to the emergence of “nutrigenomics”, a unique discipline that combines nutritional and omics technologies to study the impacts of nutrition on genomics, it is increasingly evident that macronutrients also have a significant role in the gene expression regulation. Gene expression is a complex phenomenon controlled by several signaling pathways and could be influenced by a wide variety of environmental and physiological factors. Dietary macronutrients are the most important environmental factor influencing the expression of both genes and microRNAs (miRNA). miRNA are tiny molecules of 18 to 22 nucleotides long that regulate the expression of genes. Therefore, dietary macronutrients can influence the expression of genes in both direct and indirect manners. Recent advancements in the state-of-the-art technologies regarding molecular genetics, such as next-generation sequencing, quantitative PCR array, and microarray, allowed us to investigate the occurrence of genome-wide changes in the expression of genes in relation to augmented or reduced dietary macronutrient intake. The purpose of this review is to accumulate the current knowledge focusing on macronutrient mediated changes in the gene function. This review will discuss the impact of altered dietary carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake on the expression of coding genes and their functions. In addition, it will also summarize the regulation of miRNA, both cellular and extracellular miRNA, expression modulated by dietary macronutrients.

Glucose Injection Into Yolk Positively Modulates Intermediary Metabolism and Growth Performance in Juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The aim of this study was to explore for the first time in omnivorous fish the concept of nutritional programming. A nutritional stimulus was accomplished by microinjecting 2 M glucose into yolk reserves during the alevin stage in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). At the molecular level in fry, at 1 week post-injection, glucose stimuli were associated with the up-regulation of genes involved in glycolysis (pklr, hk1, hk2, and pkma), glucose transport (glut4) pathways and down-regulation of genes related to gluconeogenesis (g6pca1, g6pca2, and pck1) and amino acid catabolism (asat, alat) (P < 0.05), demonstrating that the larvae well received the glucose stimulus at a molecular level. Moreover, 20 weeks after glucose injection, early glucose stimuli were always linked to permanent effects in juvenile fish, as reflected by a higher level of glycolytic enzymes [gck, hk1 and hk2 at both mRNA and enzymatic levels and pyruvate kinase (PK) activity]. Finally, the effects of the glucose stimulus history were also examined in fish fed with two different dietary carbohydrate/protein levels (medium-carbohydrate diet, CHO-M; high-carbohydrate diet, CHO-H) in juvenile fish (during weeks 20-24). As expected, the CHO-H diet induced the expression of glycolytic and lipogenic genes (gck, pklr, hk1, hk2, fpkma, fasn, and g6pd) and suppressed the expression of gluconeogenic and amino acid catabolism genes (g6pca1, pck1, pck2, asat, alat, and gdh). Nevertheless, the early glucose stimulus led to persistent up-regulation of glycolytic enzymes (gck, pklr, hk1, and hk2) at both the mRNA and enzyme activity levels and glucose transporter glut4 as well as lower gluconeogenic pck1 gene expression (P < 0.05). More interestingly, the early glucose stimulus was associated with a better growth performance of juvenile fish irrespective of the diets. These permanent changes were associated with DNA hypomethylation in the liver and muscles, suggesting the existence of epigenetic mechanisms at the origin of programming. In conclusion, for the first time in tilapia, early glucose stimuli were found to be clearly associated with a positive metabolic programming effect later in life, improving the growth performance of the fish.

Long-term impact of a 4-day feed restriction at the protozoea stage on metabolic gene expressions of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Based on the "nutritional programming" concept, we evaluated the long-term effects of an early four-day caloric restriction (40% reduction in feed allowance compared to a normal feeding level) at the protozoea stage in whiteleg shrimp. We analyzed long-term programming of shrimp by studying metabolism at the molecular level, through RT-qPCR of key biomarkers (involved in intermediary metabolism and digestion). The mRNA levels (extracted from the whole body) were analyzed after the stimulus and after the rearing period, at 20 and 35 days, respectively. At the end of the experimental period, shrimp growth performance was evaluated. There was no difference between normal feed allowance (CTL) and feed-restricted shrimp (RES) for performance parameters (survival, final body weight and the number of post-larvae g-1 or PL g-1). The stimulus directly affected the mRNA levels for only two genes, i.e., preamylase and lvglut 2 which were expressed at higher levels in feed-restricted shrimp. In the long-term, higher levels of mRNAs for enzymes coding for glycolysis and ATP synthesis were also detected. This suggests a possible long-term modification of the metabolism that is linked to the stimulus at the protozoea stage. Overall, further studies are needed to improve nutritional programming in shrimp.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (scd1a) is epigenetically regulated by broodstock nutrition in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

The aim of this study was to generate new knowledge on fish epigenetics, assessing the effects of linolenic acid (ALA) conditioning of broodstock in the offspring of the marine fish Sparus aurata. Attention was focused on gene organization, methylation signatures and gene expression patterns of fatty acid desaturase 2 (fads2) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1a (scd1a). Blat searches in the genomic IATS-CSIC database (www.nutrigroup-iats.org/seabreamdb) highlighted a conserved exon-intron organization, a conserved PUFA response region, and CG islands at the promoter regions of each gene. The analysed CpG positions in the fads2 promoter were mostly hypomethylated and refractory to broodstock nutrition. The same response was achieved after conditioning of juvenile fish to low water oxygen concentrations, thus methylation susceptibility at individual CpG sites seems to be stringently regulated in fish of different origin and growth trajectories. Conversely, the scd1a promoter was responsive to broodstock nutrition and the offspring of parents fed the ALA-rich diet shared an increased DNA-methylation, mainly in CpG sites neighbouring SP1 and HNF4α binding sites. Cytosine methylation at these sites correlated inversely with the hepatic scd1a expression of the offspring. Co-expression analyses supported that the HNF4α-dependent regulation of scd1a is affected by DNA methylation. The phenotypic output is a regulated liver fat deposition through changes in scd1 expression, which would also allow the preservation of fatty acid unsaturation levels in fish fed reduced levels of n-3 LC-PUFA. Collectively, these findings reveal a reliable mechanism by which parent's nutrition can shape scd1a gene expression in the fish offspring.

Higher glycolytic capacities in muscle of carnivorous rainbow trout juveniles after high dietary carbohydrate stimulus at first feeding

Background

Rainbow trout is a “glucose-intolerant” carnivorous species. Using the metabolic programming strategy, we used early nutritional stimuli in order to modify carbohydrate utilization in trout juveniles.

Method

Fish were fed two diets during the first feeding, namely HP (no carbohydrate / high protein) diet and LP (high carbohydrate / low protein) diet. HP diet was used as the control diet and LP diet as an early stimulus diet. We also used another early stimulus with fish fed HP diet every other day during the first feeding (HP restriction feeding - HPR). After the first-feeding stage (4 weeks), all fish were subsequently subjected to a growth trial with a commercial diet followed by a challenge test with the LP diet (11 weeks). At the end of the first feeding stimulus and of the challenge test, we investigated growth performance, glucose metabolism-related parameters and global DNA C^mCGG methylation in trout.

Results

LP and HPR dietary stimuli have been a success as shown by the direct modifications of growth performance and mRNA levels for glucose metabolism-related genes at the end of first feeding compared to alevins fed the HP diet. At the end of the challenge trial, no variation in growth performance and hepatic metabolism of LP-history and HPR-history in trout juveniles were observed. However, in muscle of trout juvenile subjected to LP diet at the first feeding, we found an up-regulation of mRNA levels of some glucose metabolism (glucose transport and glycolysis)-related genes and an increase of activities of important glycolysis-related enzymes (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase). These observations are associated with a decrease in the content of glycogen compared to fish fed the HP diet. Moreover, global C^mCGG DNA methylation in the muscle of fish with LP history was significantly lower than those fed the HP diet.

Conclusion

Dietary LP stimulus at first feeding could permanently modify glucose metabolism and global C^mCGG DNA methylation level in muscle of trout juveniles, showing that the first feeding stage is efficient for programming the glucose metabolism in fish.

Early feeding of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with methionine-deficient diet over a 2 week period: consequences for liver mitochondria in juveniles

Methionine is a key factor in modulating the cellular availability of the main biological methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which is required for all biological methylation reactions including DNA and histone methylation. As such, it represents a potential critical factor in nutritional programming. Here, we investigated whether early methionine restriction at first feeding could have long-term programmed metabolic consequences in rainbow trout. For this purpose, trout fry were fed with either a control diet (C) or a methionine-deficient diet (MD) for 2 weeks from the first exogenous feeding. Next, fish were subjected to a 5 month growth trial with a standard diet followed by a 2 week challenge (with the MD or C diet) to test the programming effect of the early methionine restriction. The results showed that, whatever the dietary treatment of fry, the 2 week challenge with the MD diet led to a general mitochondrial defect associated with an increase in endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitophagy and apoptosis, highlighting the existence of complex cross-talk between these different functions. Moreover, for the first time, we also observed that fish fed the MD diet at the first meal later exhibited an increase in several critical factors of mitophagy, hinting that the early nutritional stimulus with methionine deficiency resulted in long-term programming of this cell function. Together, these data extend our understanding of the role of dietary methionine and emphasize the potential for this amino acid in the application of new feeding strategies, such as nutritional programming, to optimize the nutrition and health of farmed fish.

Variations of the intestinal gut microbiota of farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), depending on the infection status of the fish

AIMS

The aim of the present study was to investigate the composition of the intestinal microbiota during the acute stage of a bacterial infection to understand how dysbiosis of the gut may influence overall taxonomic hierarchy and diversity, and determine if there exists a bacterial taxon(s) that serve as markers for healthy or diseased rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

METHODS AND RESULTS

From July to September 2015, 29 specimens of 3-year-old (an average weight from 240·9 ± 37·7 to 850·7 ± 70·1 g) rainbow trout O. mykiss were studied. Next-generation high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA genes was applied to stomach and intestinal samples to compare the impact of infection status on the microbiota of rainbow trout O. mykiss (Walbaum) from the northwest part of Eurasia (Karelian region, Russia). The alpha diversity (Chao1, Simpson and Shannon index) of the microbial community of healthy rainbow trout was significantly higher than in unhealthy fish. The greatest contribution to the gut microbial composition of healthy fish was made by OTU's belonging to Bacillus, Serratia, Pseudomonas, Cetobacterium and Lactobacillus. Microbiota of unhealthy fish in most cases was represented by the genera Serratia, Bacillus and Pseudomonas. In microbiota of unhealthy fish there were also registered unique taxa such as bacteria from the family Mycoplasmataceae and Renibacterium. Analysis of similarities test revealed the significant dissimilarity between the microbiota of stomach and intestine (P ≤ 0·05).

CONCLUSIONS

A substantial finding was the absence of differences between microbial communities of the stomach and intestine in the unhealthy groups if compared with healthy fish.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

These results demonstrated alterations of the gut microbiota of farmed rainbow trout, O. mykiss during co-infections and can be useful for the development of new strategies for disease control programs.

Effect of Dietary Carbohydrate-to-Protein Ratio on Gut Microbiota in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Simple Summary

Carbohydrates, in the form of energy reserve polysaccharides, are major food components that supply low-cost energy in farm animal feed formulation. Most of these compounds are obtained from plant ingredients (i.e., cereal grains). As the aquaculture industry moves towards formulating marine-derived ingredients free diets, the inclusion of plant ingredients is expected to continuously increase, and thus the amount of carbohydrates in aquafeed formulation will increase as well. Carnivorous fish, including salmonids, show a slow blood glucose clearance rate and suboptimal growth performance when fed rich carbohydrate meals. The role of gut microbial communities on carbohydrate utilization has been poorly explored in salmonids. Hence, we conducted an experiment to evaluate the effect of feeding a high carbohydrate diet to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) on gut microbiota composition. Our results suggest increasing the level of digestible carbohydrate mostly affects low-abundance bacteria in favor of those capable of using carbohydrates as a major energy-yielding substrate. Further study for a better understanding of the role of gut microbiota in carbohydrate utilization in carnivorous fish is required.

Abstract

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a carnivorous fish species whose productive performance tends to be suboptimal when fed low-cost carbohydrate rich meals. It is of interest to study the dynamics of gut microbiota communities in salmonids fed high carbohydrate diets since gut microbes are referred to as key players that influence the metabolism and physiology of the host. A study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding a high carbohydrate diet to Atlantic salmon in gut microbiota communities. A medium carbohydrate (15% wheat starch)/medium protein (MC/MP) diet or a high carbohydrate (30% wheat starch)/low protein (HC/LP) diet was fed to triplicate tanks (28 fish each) during four weeks. We conducted an in-depth characterization of the distal intestine digesta microbiota using high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the major phyla determined in either experimental group. Phylum Planctomycetes, class Planctomycetia, order Planctomycetales and genus Lactococcus were significantly more abundant in fish fed the HC/LP diet compared with fish fed the MC/MP diet. Our study suggests feeding a carbohydrate rich meal to salmon exerts a low impact on the structure of gut microbial communities, affecting mostly low-abundance bacteria capable of metabolizing anaerobically carbohydrates as a major energy-yielding substrate.

New Insights on Intermediary Metabolism for a Better Understanding of Nutrition in Teleosts

The rapid development of aquaculture production throughout the world over the past few decades has led to the emergence of new scientific challenges to improve fish nutrition. The diet formulations used for farmed fish have been largely modified in the past few years. However, bottlenecks still exist in being able to suppress totally marine resources (fish meal and fish oil) in diets without negatively affecting growth performance and flesh quality. A better understanding of fish metabolism and its regulation by nutrients is thus mandatory. In this review, we discuss four fields of research that are highly important for improving fish nutrition in the future: ( a) fish genome complexity and subsequent consequences for metabolism, ( b) microRNAs (miRNAs) as new actors in regulation of fish metabolism, ( c) the role of autophagy in regulation of fish metabolism, and ( d) the nutritional programming of metabolism linked to the early life of fish.

Effects of Lactogen 13, a New Probiotic Preparation, on Gut Microbiota and Endocrine Signals Controlling Growth and Appetite of Oreochromis niloticus Juveniles

In the present study, Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus was used as experimental model to study the molecular effects of a new probiotic preparation, Lactogen 13 (Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501® encapsulated with vegetable fat matrices by spray chilling and further indicated as probiotic microgranules), on growth and appetite during larval development. Probiotic microgranules were administered for 30 days to tilapia larvae starting from first feeding. Molecular analysis using high-throughput sequencing revealed that the probiotic could populate the gastrointestinal tract and modulate the microbial communities by significantly increasing the proportion of Lactobacillus as well as reducing the proportion of potential pathogens such as members of the Family Microbacteriaceae, Legionellaceae, and Weeksellaceae. Morphometric analysis evidenced that body weight and total length significantly increased after probiotic treatment. This increase coincided with the modulation of genes belonging to the insulin-like growth factors (igfs) system and genes involved on myogenesis, such as myogenin, and myogenic differentiation (myod). Alongside the improvement of growth, an increase of feed intake was evidenced at 40 days post-fertilization (dpf) in treated larvae. Gene codifying for signals belonging to the most prominent systems involved in appetite regulation, such as neuropeptide y (npy), agouti-related protein (agrp), leptin, and ghrelin were significantly modulated. These results support the hypothesis that gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota changes due to probiotic administration modulate growth and appetite control, activating the endocrine system of tilapia larvae.

DNA methylation of the promoter region of bnip3 and bnip3l genes induced by metabolic programming

BACKGROUND

Environmental changes of biotic or abiotic nature during critical periods of early development may exert a profound influence on physiological functions later in life. This process, named developmental programming can also be driven through parental nutrition. At molecular level, epigenetic modifications are the most likely candidate for persistent modulation of genes expression in later life.

RESULTS

In order to investigate epigenetic modifications induced by programming in rainbow trout, we focused on bnip3 and bnip3l paralogous genes known to be sensitive to environmental changes but also regulated by epigenetic modifications. Two specific stimuli were used: (i) early acute hypoxia applied at embryo stage and (ii) broodstock and fry methionine deficient diet, considering methionine as one of the main methyl-group donor needed for DNA methylation. We observed a programming effect of hypoxia with an increase of bnip3a and the four paralogs of bnip3l expression level in fry. In addition, parental methionine nutrition was correlated to bnip3a and bnip3lb1 expression showing evidence for early fry programming. We highlighted that both stimuli modified DNA methylation levels at some specific loci of bnip3a and bnip3lb1.

CONCLUSION

Overall, these data demonstrate that methionine level and hypoxia stimulus can be of critical importance in metabolic programming. Both stimuli affected DNA methylation of specific loci, among them, an interesting CpG site have been identified, namely - 884 bp site of bnip3a, and may be positively related with mRNA levels.

Integrative Transcriptomic and microRNAomic Profiling Reveals Immune Mechanism for the Resilience to Soybean Meal Stress in Fish Gut and Liver

In aquafeeds, fish-meal has been commonly replaced with plant protein, which often causes enteritis. Currently, foodborne enteritis has few solutions in regards to prevention or cures. The recovery mechanism from enteritis in herbivorous fish may further help understand prevention or therapy. However, few reports could be found regarding the recovery or resilience to fish foodborne enteritis. In this study, grass carp was used as an animal model for soybean meal induced enteritis and it was found that the fish could adapt to the soybean meal at a moderate level of substitution. Resilience to soybean meal stress was found in the 40% soybean meal group for juvenile fish at growth performance, morphological and gene expression levels, after a 7-week feeding trial. Furthermore, the intestinal transcriptomic data, including transcriptome and miRNAome, was applied to demonstrate resilience mechanisms. The result of this study revealed that in juvenile grass carp after a 7-week feeding cycle with 40% soybean meal, the intestine recovered via enhancing both an immune tolerance and wound healing, the liver gradually adapted via re-balancing immune responses, such as phagosome and complement cascades. Also, many immune factors in the gut and liver were systemically revealed among stages of on-setting, remising, and recovering (or relief). In addition, miRNA regulation played a key role in switching immune states. Thus, the present data systemically demonstrated that the molecular adaptation mechanism of fish gut-liver immunity is involved in the resilience to soybean meal stress.

Metabolite and gene expression profiles suggest a putative mechanism through which high dietary carbohydrates reduce the content of hepatic betaine in Megalobrama amblycephala

BACKGROUND

High-carbohydrate diets (HCD) are favoured by the aquaculture industry for economic reasons, but they can produce negative impacts on growth and induce hepatic steatosis. We hypothesised that the mechanism behind this is the reduction of hepatic betaine content.

OBJECTIVE

We further explored this mechanism by supplementing betaine (1%) to the diet of a farmed fish Megalobrama amblycephala.

METHODS

Four diet groups were designed: control (CD, 27.11% carbohydrates), high-carbohydrate (HCD, 36.75% carbohydrates), long-term betaine (LBD, 35.64% carbohydrates) and short-term betaine diet (SBD; 12 weeks HCD + 4 weeks LBD). We analysed growth performance, body composition, liver condition, and expression of genes and profiles of metabolites associated with betaine metabolism.

RESULTS

HCD resulted in poorer growth and liver health (compared to CD), whereas LBD improved these parameters (compared to HCD). HCD induced the expression of genes associated with glucose, serine and cystathionine metabolisms, and (non-significantly, p = .20) a betaine-catabolizing enzyme betaine-homocysteine-methyltransferase; and decreased the content of betaine, methionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine and carnitine. Betaine supplementation (LBD) reversed these patterns, and elevated betaine-homocysteine-methyltransferase, S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine (all p ≤ .05).

CONCLUSION

We hypothesise that HCD reduced the content of hepatic betaine by enhancing the activity of metabolic pathways from glucose to homocysteine, reflected in increased glycolysis, serine metabolism, cystathionine metabolism and homocysteine remethylation. Long-term dietary betaine supplementation improved the negative impacts of HCD, inculding growth parameters, body composition, liver condition, and betaine metabolism. However, betaine supplementation may have caused a temporary disruption in the metabolic homeostasis.

Core versus diet-associated and postprandial bacterial communities of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) midgut and faeces

This study investigated the impact of different dietary ingredients, with different protein/lipid sources, on midgut and faeces bacteria community structures just before feeding and 3 h after feeding a single meal to individual rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish were kept in experimental rearing facilities and fed ad libitum twice daily for 5 weeks. Fish were fed three different commercial diets, which contained variations of high or low marine fishmeal/fish oil content. DNA was extracted from midgut and faeces samples for analysis of their bacterial 16S rRNA gene diversity by targeting the V3-V4 region with 454 pyrosequencing. A total of 332 unique bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were revealed in all samples. However, each sample was dominated (>80% relative abundance) by 2–14 OTUs, with the single most dominant OTU having >30% dominance, indicating that only a few bacteria were fundamental in terms of relative abundance in each treatment. Fifteen OTUs occurred in all samples (core microbiota). The majority of these OTUs belonged to the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes or Tenericutes, and were associated with other animal gut environments. The faecal material and the midgut samples had few overlaps in their shared OTUs. A postprandial response in the gut bacterial community structure 3 h after feeding highlights how dietary stimulation induces structural changes in the microbiota profiles in the established gut bacteria. This study showed that feeding O. mykiss different diets and even single meals lead to perturbations in the established gut bacteria of O. mykiss.

Summary: The gut bacterial microbiome of rainbow trout contains a few core bacterial taxa and has little overlap with its faeces. Bacterial communities can change even 3 h after feeding.

The Gut Microbiota of Marine Fish

The body of work relating to the gut microbiota of fish is dwarfed by that on humans and mammals. However, it is a field that has had historical interest and has grown significantly along with the expansion of the aquaculture industry and developments in microbiome research. Research is now moving quickly in this field. Much recent focus has been on nutritional manipulation and modification of the gut microbiota to meet the needs of fish farming, while trying to maintain host health and welfare. However, the diversity amongst fish means that baseline data from wild fish and a clear understanding of the role that specific gut microbiota play is still lacking. We review here the factors shaping marine fish gut microbiota and highlight gaps in the research.

Epigenetics in teleost fish: From molecular mechanisms to physiological phenotypes

While the field of epigenetics is increasingly recognized to contribute to the emergence of phenotypes in mammalian research models across different developmental and generational timescales, the comparative biology of epigenetics in the large and physiologically diverse vertebrate infraclass of teleost fish remains comparatively understudied. The cypriniform zebrafish and the salmoniform rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon represent two especially important teleost orders, because they offer the unique possibility to comparatively investigate the role of epigenetic regulation in 3R and 4R duplicated genomes. In addition to their sequenced genomes, these teleost species are well-characterized model species for development and physiology, and therefore allow for an investigation of the role of epigenetic modifications in the emergence of physiological phenotypes during an organism's lifespan and in subsequent generations. This review aims firstly to describe the evolution of the repertoire of genes involved in key molecular epigenetic pathways including histone modifications, DNA methylation and microRNAs in zebrafish, rainbow trout, and Atlantic salmon, and secondly, to discuss recent advances in research highlighting a role for molecular epigenetics in shaping physiological phenotypes in these and other teleost models. Finally, by discussing themes and current limitations of the emerging field of teleost epigenetics from both theoretical and technical points of view, we will highlight future research needs and discuss how epigenetics will not only help address basic research questions in comparative teleost physiology, but also inform translational research including aquaculture, aquatic toxicology, and human disease.

Influence of essential oils in diet and life-stage on gut microbiota and fillet quality of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Developing fish farming to meet the demands of food security and sustainability in the 21st century will require new farming systems and improved feeds. Diet and microbe interactions in the gut is an important variable with the potential to make a significant impact on future fish farming diets and production systems. It was monitored the gut microbiota of farmed rainbow trout using 16S rRNA profiling over 51 weeks during standard rearing conditions and feeding diet with supplementation of an essential oils (MixOil) mixture from plants (at a concentration in diet of 200 mg/kg). Gut microbiota 16S rRNA profiling indicated that the fish gut was dominated by Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Although the dietary supplementation with MixOil had no impact on either the composition or architecture of gut microbiota, significant changes in alpha and beta diversity and relative abundance of groups of gut bacteria were evident during growth stages on test feeds, especially upon prolonged growth on finishing feed. Fish fillet quality to guarantee palatability and safety for human consumption was also evaluated. Significant differences within the gut microbiota of juvenile and adult trout under the same rearing conditions were observed, The addition of essential oil blend affected some physicochemical characteristics of trout fillets, including their resistance to oxidative damage and their weight loss (as liquid loss and water holding capacity) during the first period of storage, that are two important parameters related to product shelf life and susceptibility to spoilage. The results highlighted the need for further studies concern dietary microbiome modulation at different life stages and its influence on animal health, growth performance and final product quality.

Long-term programming effect of embryonic hypoxia exposure and high-carbohydrate diet at first feeding on glucose metabolism in juvenile rainbow trout

Environmental conditions experienced during early life play an important role in the long-term metabolic status of individuals. The present study investigated whether hypoxia exposure [for 24 h: 2.5 mg O₂ l^-1 (20% dissolved O₂)] during the embryonic stage alone (hypoxic history) or combined with a 5-day high-carbohydrate (60%) diet stimulus at first feeding (HC dietary history) can affect glucose metabolism later in life, i.e. in juvenile fish. After 19 weeks of growth, we observed a decrease in final body mass in fish with an HC dietary history. Feed efficiency was significantly affected by both hypoxic and HC dietary histories. After a short challenge test (5 days) performed with a 30% carbohydrate diet in juvenile trout, our results also showed that, in trout that experienced hypoxic history, mRNA levels of gluconeogenic genes in liver and glucose transport genes in both liver and muscle were significantly increased at the juvenile stage. Besides, mRNA levels of glycolytic genes were decreased in fish with an HC dietary history. Both hypoxic and dietary histories barely affected plasma metabolites or global epigenetic modifications in juvenile fish after the challenge test. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that an acute hypoxic stimulus during early development alone or combined with a hyperglucidic stimulus at first feeding can modify growth performance and glucose metabolism at the molecular level in juvenile trout.

The malleable gut microbiome of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Diet-dependent shifts of bacterial community structures

Plant-derived protein sources are the most relevant substitutes for fishmeal in aquafeeds. Nevertheless, the effects of plant based diets on the intestinal microbiome especially of juvenile Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are yet to be fully investigated. The present study demonstrates, based on 16S rDNA bacterial community profiling, that the intestinal microbiome of juvenile Rainbow trout is strongly affected by dietary plant protein inclusion levels. After first feeding of juveniles with either 0%, 50% or 97% of total dietary protein content derived from plants, statistically significant differences of the bacterial gut community for the three diet-types were detected, both at phylum and order level. The microbiome of juvenile fish consisted mainly of the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria, and thus fits the salmonid core microbiome suggested in previous studies. Dietary plant proteins significantly enhanced the relative abundance of the orders Lactobacillales, Bacillales and Pseudomonadales. Animal proteins in contrast significantly promoted Bacteroidales, Clostridiales, Vibrionales, Fusobacteriales and Alteromonadales. The overall alpha diversity significantly decreased with increasing plant protein inclusion levels and with age of experimental animals. In order to investigate permanent effects of the first feeding diet-type on the early development of the microbiome, a diet change was included in the study after 54 days, but no such effects could be detected. Instead, the microbiome of juvenile trout fry was highly dependent on the actual diet fed at the time of sampling.

Effects of soybean meal on digestive enzymes activity, expression of inflammation-related genes, and chromatin modifications in marine fish (Sparus aurata L.) larvae

The effects of soybean meal (SBM) in early diet of Sparus aurata larvae at two developmental windows were assessed. Prolonged (beyond 14 days post-hatch, dph) feeding with SBM decreased the activity of pancreatic enzymes of larvae. In the absence of SBM these larvae later resumed enzyme activities, but exhibited a significant delay in development. Larvae response to SBM involved up-regulation of extracellular matrix remodeling enzymes and pro-inflammatory cytokines, coupled with a drop in putative intestinal enzymes. Larvae receiving SBM at first feeding appear later to have lower expression of inflammation-related genes, especially those fed SBM until 14 dph. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the duration of the SBM early feeding period drives the physiology of larvae in different directions. Feeding larvae with SBM increased global histone H3 acetylation, whereas upon removal of SBM the process was reverted. A more in deep analysis revealed a dynamic interplay among several reversible histone modifications such as H3K14ac and H3K27m3. Finally, we showed that SBM feeding of larvae results in global hypomethylation that persist after SBM removal. This study is the first demonstrating an effect of diet on marine fish epigenetics. It is concluded that there are limitations for extending SBM feeding of S. aurata larvae beyond 14 dph even under co-feeding with live feed, affecting key physiological processes and normal growth. However, up to 14 dph, SBM does not affect normal development, and produces apparently lasting effects on some key enzymes, genes, and chromatin modifications.

Exposure to an acute hypoxic stimulus during early life affects the expression of glucose metabolism-related genes at first-feeding in trout

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is considered a "glucose-intolerant" species. With the aim of programming trout to improve their metabolic use of dietary carbohydrates, we hypothesised that a hypoxic stimulus applied during embryogenesis could later affect glucose metabolism at the first-feeding stage. An acute hypoxic stimulus (2.5 or 5.0 mg·L-1 O2) was applied for 24 h to non-hatched embryos or early hatched alevins followed by a challenge test with a high carbohydrate diet at first-feeding. The effectiveness of the early hypoxic stimulus was confirmed by the induction of oxygen-sensitive markers such as egln3. At first-feeding, trout previously subjected to the 2.5 mg·L-1 O2 hypoxia displayed a strong induction of glycolytic and glucose transport genes, whereas these glucose metabolism-related genes were affected much less in trout subjected to the less severe (5.0 mg·L-1 O2) hypoxia. Our results demonstrate that an acute hypoxic stimulus during early development can affect glucose metabolism in trout at first-feeding.

Molecular cloning of glucose transporter 1 in grouper Epinephelus coioides and effects of an acute hyperglycemia stress on its expression and glucose tolerance

The glucose transporter family proteins play pivotal roles in glucose metabolism. In this study, we successfully cloned the orange spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) glucose transporter 1 (EcGlut1) gene (GenBank accession: JQ623903). The full-length EcGlut1 cDNA was 2126 bp with a 1476 bp ORF, a 437bp5'-UTR and 223bp3'-UTR. EcGlut1 is predicted to encode a 491 amino acid protein with a MW of 53.9 kDa, a pI of 8.66 and a Pfam domain. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that EcGlut1 was evolutionally conserved between fishes with 80-89 % amino acid identities. EcGlut1 was expressed predominantly in heart and liver and at lower levels in muscle, intestine, stomach and brain. We also investigated the effect of acute hyperglycemia stress on EcGlut1 expression. In glucose tolerance test, changes in EcGlut1 mRNA expression in response to glucose injection and glucose metabolism-related indictors were assessed at the same time. Glucose injection significantly suppressed EcGlut1 mRNA expression in liver at 12 h and in brain at 24 h postinjection (P < 0.05). EcGlut1 mRNA levels in heart were increased at 6 h (P < 0.05). Plasma glucose level increased significantly and reached its maximum at 3 h postinjection (P < 0.05). The spatiotemporal expression of EcGlut1 and glucose metabolism suggested that orange spotted grouper might rely on fat anabolism to reduce acute hyperglycemia stress and the delayed transcription of EcGlut1 gene might be one reason for glucose intolerance in E. coioides.

Standardizing the microbiota of fish used in research

Little attention has been paid to the effects of fish microbiotas on the reproducibility and comparability of fish studies so far. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors, such as water quality, environmental microbial populations, diet, host genetic profile, gender, age and stress status, affect fish microbiotas and create significant inter- and intra-species variations. Fish microbiotas play critical roles in many key aspects of host physiology, such as protection against pathogens, digestion and development of the digestive tract and the local immune system. Thus, greater effort should be invested in standardizing the microbiological profiles of research fish. In this context, issues requiring consideration include the establishment of isogenic and isobiotic fish lines, the standardization of rearing conditions and the development of appropriate tests to adequately describe microbial populations. There are many challenges involved in each of these issues, and the research community must decide which aspects should be standardized for each species and each type of research. For all studies in which microbiota is expected to exert an influence, thorough reporting is of paramount importance. Every step towards standardization increases study quality and simultaneously contributes to reducing the number of fish used in research, which is a legal and ethical obligation.

Phylogenetic and functional characterization of the distal intestinal microbiome of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss from both farm and aquarium settings

AIMS

This study focused on comparing the phylogenetic composition and functional potential of the intestinal microbiome of rainbow trout sourced from both farm and aquarium settings.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Samples of distal intestinal contents were collected from fish and subjected to high throughput 16S rRNA sequencing, to accurately determine the composition of the intestinal microbiome. The predominant phyla identified from both groups were Tenericutes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetae and Bacteroidetes. A novel metagenomic tool, PICRUSt, was used to determine the functional potential of the bacterial communities present in the rainbow trout intestine. Pathways concerning membrane transport activity were dominant in the intestinal microbiome of all fish samples. Furthermore, this analysis revealed that gene pathways relating to metabolism, and in particular amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, were upregulated in the rainbow trout intestinal microbiome.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the structure of the intestinal microbiome in farmed rainbow trout may be similar regardless of where the fish are located and hence could be shaped by host factors. Differences were, however, noted in the microbial community membership within the intestine of both fish populations, suggesting that more sporadic taxa could be unique to each environment and may have the ability to colonize the rainbow trout gastrointestinal tract. Finally, the functional analysis provides evidence that the microbiome of rainbow trout contains genes that could contribute to the metabolism of dietary ingredients and therefore may actively influence the digestive process in these fish.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

To better understand and exploit the intestinal microbiome and its impact on fish health, it is vital to determine its structure, diversity and potential functional capacity. This study improves our knowledge of these areas and suggests that the intestinal microbiome of rainbow trout may play an important role in the digestive physiology of these fish.

The highly variable microbiota associated to intestinal mucosa correlates with growth and hypoxia resistance of sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, submitted to different nutritional histories

Background

The better understanding of how intestinal microbiota interacts with fish health is one of the key to sustainable aquaculture development. The present experiment aimed at correlating active microbiota associated to intestinal mucosa with Specific Growth Rate (SGR) and Hypoxia Resistance Time (HRT) in European sea bass individuals submitted to different nutritional histories: the fish were fed either standard or unbalanced diets at first feeding, and then mixed before repeating the dietary challenge in a common garden approach at the juvenile stage.

Results

A diet deficient in essential fatty acids (LH) lowered both SGR and HRT in sea bass, especially when the deficiency was already applied at first feeding. A protein-deficient diet with high starch supply (HG) reduced SGR to a lesser extent than LH, but it did not affect HRT. In overall average, 94 % of pyrosequencing reads corresponded to Proteobacteria, and the differences in Operational Taxonomy Units (OTUs) composition were mildly significant between experimental groups, mainly due to high individual variability. The highest and the lowest Bray-Curtis indices of intra-group similarity were observed in the two groups fed standard starter diet, and then mixed before the final dietary challenge with fish already exposed to the nutritional deficiency at first feeding (0.60 and 0.42 with diets HG and LH, respectively). Most noticeably, the median percentage of Escherichia-Shigella OTU_1 was less in the group LH with standard starter diet. Disregarding the nutritional history of each individual, strong correlation appeared between (1) OTU richness and SGR, and (2) dominance index and HRT. The two physiological traits correlated also with the relative abundance of distinct OTUs (positive correlations: Pseudomonas sp. OTU_3 and Herbaspirillum sp. OTU_10 with SGR, Paracoccus sp. OTU_4 and Vibrio sp. OTU_7 with HRT; negative correlation: Rhizobium sp. OTU_9 with HRT).

Conclusions

In sea bass, gut microbiota characteristics and physiological traits of individuals are linked together, interfering with nutritional history, and resulting in high variability among individual microbiota. Many samples and tank replicates seem necessary to further investigate the effect of experimental treatments on gut microbiota composition, and to test the hypothesis whether microbiotypes may be delineated in fish.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-016-0885-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.