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Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 31233

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Prof. Dr. Isabel Navarro

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Guest Editor

Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: fish; zebrafish; salmon; rainbow trout
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Daniel Garcia de la Serrana

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Guest Editor

Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: myogenesis; molecular physiology; molecular endocrinology; ncRNA; growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although piscine endocrine systems have many traits in common with mammals, fish are ectothermic animals whose metabolisms must face multiple challenges; therefore, their hormonal systems have evolved accordingly. Furthermore, because the whole genome duplications occur at different points of the teleosts’ evolution, several components of the endocrine and molecular networks have been expanded. Duplicated genes are retained through processes of redundancy, subfunctionalization or neofunctionalization, therefore increasing the complexity of the systems. Although fascinating, our understanding of the role of hormones on fish metabolism at a molecular level is still limited for the great majority of fish species.

This Special Issue aims to gather original research and reviews that unravel different aspects of the multiple endocrine systems controlling fish metabolism, including, but not limited to, hypothalamus–pituitary axis, pancreatic hormones and insulin-growth factors, corticosteroids, sex steroids, adrenergic and thyroid hormones. Studies from a molecular perspective are welcome, such as those regarding characterization or phylogenetic analysis of hormones, receptors, signaling pathways, with special (but not exclusive) interest on integrative omics approaches, always within the framework of the endocrine regulation of fish energy metabolism, which, in turn, affects many physiological aspects such as food intake, nutrition, growth, and responses to environment changes. Applied topics in relation to aquaculture, biomedicine or metabolic diseases, toxicology and biotechnology will also be considered for publication in this issue.

Prof. Dr. Isabel Navarro
Dr. Daniel Garcia de la Serrana
Guest Editors

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Keywords

fish
hormones
metabolism
aquaculture
molecular endocrinology
endocrine control
teleost
energetics
growth

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 8101 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Steroidogenic Effects of Salinity Change on the Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Gonad (HPG) Axis of Male Chinese Sea Bass (Lateolabrax maculatus)

by Zhenru Fang, Xujian Li, Yapeng Wang, Wei Lu, Juncheng Hou and Jie Cheng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10905; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810905 - 18 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2025

Abstract

As lower vertebrates, teleost species could be affected by dynamic aquatic environments and may respond to environmental changes through the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad (HPG) axis to ensure their normal growth and sexual development. Chinese sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus), euryhaline marine teleosts, have an extraordinary ability to deal with a wide range of salinity changes, whereas the salinity decrease during their sex-maturation season may interfere with the HPG axis and affect their steroid hormone metabolism, resulting in abnormal reproductive functioning. To this end, in this study, 40 HPG axis genes in the L. maculatus genome were systematically characterized and their copy numbers, phylogenies, gene structures, and expression patterns were investigated, revealing the conservation of the HPG axis among teleost lineages. In addition, freshwater acclimation was carried out with maturing male L. maculatus, and their serum cortisol and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels were both increased significantly after the salinity change, while their testes were found to be partially degraded. After salinity reduction, the expression of genes involved in cortisol and 11-KT synthesis (cyp17a, hsd3b1, cyp21a, cyp11c, hsd11b2, and hsd17b3) showed generally upregulated expression in the head kidneys and testes, respectively. Moreover, cyp11c and hsd11b2 were involved in the synthesis and metabolism of both cortisol and 11-KT, and after salinity change their putative interaction may contribute to steroid hormone homeostasis. Our results proved the effects of salinity change on the HPG axis and steroidogenic pathway in L. maculatus and revealed the gene interactions involved in the regulation of steroid hormone levels. The coordinated interaction of steroidogenic genes provides comprehensive insights into steroidogenic pathway regulation, as well as sexual development, in teleost species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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15 pages, 2943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome Reveals the Effects of Early Weaning on Lipid Metabolism and Liver Health of Yangtze Sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus)

by Xin Zhang, Youlian Liu, Shuhuang Chen, Bin Wang, Hongwei Wu, Ni Tang, Liulan Zhao, Song Yang, Qiao Liu, Bo Zhou, Defang Chen and Zhiqiong Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10866; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231810866 - 17 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1874

Abstract

The Yangtze sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) has recently been declared extinct in the wild, and artificial breeding is the only means to protect its germplasm resources, but it has difficulty in weaning (from live prey to artificial food). In this study, we first performed a histological observation, enzyme-activity determination, and transcriptome sequencing on the livers of juvenile Yangtze sturgeons, and we then cloned five critical genes of lipid metabolism according to the transcriptome-sequencing results. We designed a weaning experiment to analyze their expression levels during weaning. The results showed that the density of hepatocytes and the transaminase activity of the juveniles failed to wean. The differentially expressed genes were enriched significantly in the pathways involving steroid synthesis, amino acid metabolism, and pancreatic secretion. It was found that the mRNA level of the fatty acid-synthesis gene decreased, and the mRNA level of the lipolysis gene increased significantly during weaning. The results of this research indicated that weaning could affect the liver health of Yangtze sturgeon, and it could affect the liver lipid metabolism by inhibiting fatty acid synthesis and promoting lipolysis. This study enhances our understanding of the impact of weaning on the lipid metabolism in fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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17 pages, 5377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Comparative Survey of Coordinated Regulation of Steroidogenic Pathway in Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and Chinese Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

by Fan Yang, Yapeng Wang, Wei Lu, Wenyu Zong, Qing Zhu and Jie Cheng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5520; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105520 - 15 May 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2324

Abstract

Steroidogenesis controls the conversion of cholesterol into steroid hormones through the complex cascade reaction of various enzymes, which play essential roles in sexual differentiation and gonadal development in vertebrates, including teleosts. Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) are important marine cultured fishes in China and have remarkable sexual dimorphism with bigger females and sex reversal scenarios from female to neo-male. Several steroidogenic genes have been analyzed individually in the two species, but there is a lack of information on the coordinated interaction of steroidogenic gene regulation. Therefore, in this study, through genomic and transcriptomic analysis, 39 and 42 steroidogenic genes were systematically characterized in P. olivaceus and C. semilaevis genomes, respectively. Phylogenetic and synteny analysis suggested a teleost specific genome duplication origin for cyp19a1a/cyp19a1b, hsd17b12a/hsd17b12b, ara/arb and esr2a/esr2b but not for star/star2 and cyp17a1/cyp17a2. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed conserved expression patterns for steroidogenic genes in P. olivaceus and C. smilaevis gonads; star/star2, cyp11a/cyp11c, cyp17a1/cyp17a2, cyp21a, hsd3b1, hsd11b and hsd20b were strongly expressed in testis, while cyp19a1a and hsd17b genes were highly expressed in ovaries. Only a few genes were differentially expressed between male and neo-male testis of both P. olivaceus and C. semilaevis, and even fewer genes were differentially regulated in the brains of both species. Network analysis indicated that cyp11c, cyp17a1 and hsd3b1 actively interacted with other steroidogenic genes in P. olivaceus and C. semilaevis, and may play a more sophisticated role in the steroid hormone biosynthesis cascade. The coordinated interaction of steroidogenic genes provided comprehensive insights into steroidogenic pathway regulation with a global biological impact, as well as sexual development in teleost species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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17 pages, 4175 KiB

Open AccessArticle

REV-ERBα Agonist SR9009 Promotes a Negative Energy Balance in Goldfish

by Nuria Saiz, Lisbeth Herrera-Castillo, Esther Isorna, María Jesús Delgado, Marta Conde-Sieira, José Luis Soengas and Nuria de Pedro

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(6), 2921; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23062921 - 8 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 14218

Abstract

REV-ERBα (nr1d1, nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group D member 1) is a transcriptional repressor that in mammals regulates nutrient metabolism, and has effects on energy homeostasis, although its role in teleosts is poorly understood. To determine REV-ERBα’s involvement in fish energy balance and metabolism, we studied the effects of acute and 7-day administration of its agonist SR9009 on food intake, weight and length gain, locomotor activity, feeding regulators, plasma and hepatic metabolites, and liver enzymatic activity. SR9009 inhibited feeding, lowering body weight and length gain. In addition, the abundance of ghrelin mRNA decreased in the intestine, and abundance of leptin-aI mRNA increased in the liver. Hypocretin, neuropeptide y (npy), and proopiomelanocortin (pomc) mRNA abundance was not modified after acute or subchronic SR9009 administration, while hypothalamic cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (cartpt-I) was induced in the subchronic treatment, being a possible mediator of the anorectic effects. Moreover, SR9009 decreased plasma glucose, coinciding with increased glycolysis and a decreased gluconeogenesis in the liver. Decreased triglyceride levels and activity of lipogenic enzymes suggest a lipogenesis reduction by SR9009. Energy expenditure by locomotor activity was not significantly affected by SR9009. Overall, this study shows for the first time in fish the effects of REV-ERBα activation via SR9009, promoting a negative energy balance by reducing energetic inputs and regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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22 pages, 4670 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Amino Acids and IGF1 Regulation of Fish Muscle Growth Revealed by Transcriptome and microRNAome Integrative Analyses of Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) Myotubes

by Bruno Oliveira Silva Duran, Bruna Tereza Thomazini Zanella, Erika Stefani Perez, Edson Assunção Mareco, Josefina Blasco, Maeli Dal-Pai-Silva and Daniel Garcia de la serrana

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1180; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031180 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4630

Abstract

Amino acids (AA) and IGF1 have been demonstrated to play essential roles in protein synthesis and fish muscle growth. The myoblast cell culture is useful for studying muscle regulation, and omics data have contributed enormously to understanding its molecular biology. However, to our knowledge, no study has performed the large-scale sequencing of fish-cultured muscle cells stimulated with pro-growth signals. In this work, we obtained the transcriptome and microRNAome of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus)-cultured myotubes treated with AA or IGF1. We identified 1228 and 534 genes differentially expressed by AA and IGF1. An enrichment analysis showed that AA treatment induced chromosomal changes, mitosis, and muscle differentiation, while IGF1 modulated IGF/PI3K signaling, metabolic alteration, and matrix structure. In addition, potential molecular markers were similarly modulated by both treatments. Muscle-miRNAs (miR-1, -133, -206 and -499) were up-regulated, especially in AA samples, and we identified molecular networks with omics integration. Two pairs of genes and miRNAs demonstrated a high-level relationship, and involvement in myogenesis and muscle growth: marcksb and miR-29b in AA, and mmp14b and miR-338-5p in IGF1. Our work helps to elucidate fish muscle physiology and metabolism, highlights potential molecular markers, and creates a perspective for improvements in aquaculture and in in vitro meat production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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26 pages, 4546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of 17α-Ethynilestradiol and GPER1 Activation on Body and Muscle Growth, Muscle Composition and Growth-Related Gene Expression of Gilthead Seabream, Sparus aurata L

by Maria D. Ayala, Victoria Gómez, Isabel Cabas, María P. García Hernández, Elena Chaves-Pozo, Marta Arizcun, Daniel Garcia de la Serrana, Francisco Gil and Alfonsa García-Ayala

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(23), 13118; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222313118 - 4 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2123

Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals include natural and synthetic estrogens, such as 17α-ethynilestradiol (EE₂), which can affect reproduction, growth and immunity. Estrogen signalling is mediated by nuclear or membrane estrogen receptors, such as the new G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). The present work studies the effect of EE₂ and G1 (an agonist of GPER1) on body and muscle parameters and growth-related genes of 54 two-year-old seabreams. The fish were fed a diet containing EE₂ (EE₂ group) and G1 (G1 group) for 45 days and then a diet without EE₂ or G1 for 122 days. An untreated control group was also studied. At 45 days, the shortest body length was observed in the G1 group, while 79 and 122 days after the cessation of treatments, the shortest body growth was observed in the EE₂ group. Hypertrophy of white fibers was higher in the EE₂ and G1 groups than it was in the control group, whereas the opposite was the case with respect to hyperplasia. Textural hardness showed a negative correlation with the size of white fibers. At the end of the experiment, all fish analyzed in the EE₂ group showed a predominance of the gonadal ovarian area. In addition, the highest expression of the mafbx gene (upregulated in catabolic signals) and mstn2 (myogenesis negative regulator) was found in EE₂-exposed fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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16 pages, 3153 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of a Leptin Receptor Paralog and Its Response to Fasting in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

by Jamie L. Mankiewicz and Beth M. Cleveland

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(14), 7732; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147732 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2647

Abstract

Leptin is a cytokine that regulates appetite and energy expenditure, where in fishes it is primarily produced in the liver and acts to mobilize carbohydrates. Most fishes have only one leptin receptor (LepR/LepRA1), however, paralogs have recently been documented in a few species. Here we reveal a second leptin receptor (LepRA2) in rainbow trout that is 77% similar to trout LepRA1. Phylogenetic analyses show a salmonid specific genome duplication event as the probable origin of the second LepR in trout. Tissues distributions showed tissue specific expression of these receptors, with lepra1 highest in the ovaries, nearly 50-fold higher than lepra2. Interestingly, lepra2 was most highly expressed in the liver while hepatic lepra1 levels were low. Feed deprivation elicited a decline in plasma leptin, an increase in hepatic lepra2 by one week and remained elevated at two weeks, while liver expression of lepra1 remained low. By contrast, muscle lepra1 mRNA increased at one and two weeks of fasting, while adipose lepra1 was concordantly lower in fasted fish. lepra2 transcript levels were not affected in muscle and fat. These data show lepra1 and lepra2 are differentially expressed across tissues and during feed deprivation, suggesting paralog- and tissue-specific functions for these leptin receptors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Endocrine Control of Fish Metabolism)

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