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Previous studies suggest fish with additional copies of their genome (polyploids) underperform in suboptimal conditions and may be more susceptible to stress and disease. The objective of this study was to determine the role ploidy plays in the physiological response of white sturgeon to chronically elevated water temperatures. White sturgeon of two ploidies (8 N and 10 N) were acclimated to ambient (18 °C) and warm (22 °C) water. Bioindices of stress (plasma cortisol, glucose and lactate, total erythrocyte count, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean erythrocyte volume, mean erythrocyte hemoglobin, and mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration), immunity (respiratory burst, plasma lysozyme, and total leukocyte count), and cellular metabolic capacity (lactate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase activity) were measured before and after a 6-week acclimation period. Both ploidies appear comparable in their constitutive immune and stress parameters and respond similarly to warming. Hematological indices suggest 8 N and 10 N sturgeon are similar in oxygen carrying capacity; however, differences in enzyme activity between ploidies indicate that 10 N sturgeon may have a lower cellular aerobic capacity. Our results have implications for the screening and management of ploidy on white sturgeon farms and hatcheries, as the differences between ploidies may affect 10 N sturgeon performance at elevated water temperatures. Further research is needed to elucidate the differences in inducible stress and immune responses and metabolism of white sturgeon of different ploidies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus) completely protect intracellular tissue pH (pH) despite large reductions in extracellular (blood) pH (pH), termed preferential pH regulation, in response to elevated environmental PCO (hypercarbia) and in general appear to be relatively resilient to stressors. Preferential pH regulation is thought to be associated with hypercarbia tolerance in general, but has also recently been observed to protect pH against metabolic acidoses induced by exhaustive exercise and anoxia in a tropical air breathing catfish. We hypothesized that preferential pH regulation may also be a general strategy of acid-base regulation in sturgeon. To address this hypothesis, severe acidoses were imposed to reduce pH, and the presence or absence of preferential pH regulation was assessed in red blood cells (RBC), heart, brain, liver and white muscle. A respiratory acidosis was imposed using hyperoxia, while metabolic acidoses were induced by exhaustive exercise, anoxia or air exposure. Reductions in pH occurred following hyperoxia (0.15 units), exhaustive exercise (0.30 units), anoxia (0.10 units) and air exposure (0.35 units); all acidoses reduced RBC pH. Following hyperoxia, heart, brain and liver pH were preferentially regulated against the reduction in pH, similar to hypercarbia exposure. Following all metabolic acidoses heart pH was protected and brain pH remained unchanged following exhaustive exercise and air exposure, however, brain pH was reduced following anoxia. Liver and white muscle pH were reduced following all metabolic acidoses. These results suggest preferential pH regulation may be a general strategy during respiratory acidoses but during metabolic acidoses, the response differs between source of acidoses and tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major limitation in the analysis of genetic marker data from polyploid organisms is non-Mendelian segregation, particularly when a single marker yields allelic signals from multiple, independently segregating loci (isoloci). However, with markers such as microsatellites that detect more than two alleles, it is sometimes possible to deduce which alleles belong to which isoloci. Here, we describe a novel mathematical property of codominant marker data when it is recoded as binary (presence/absence) allelic variables: under random mating in an infinite population, two allelic variables will be negatively correlated if they belong to the same locus, but uncorrelated if they belong to different loci. We present an algorithm to take advantage of this mathematical property, sorting alleles into isoloci based on correlations, then refining the allele assignments after checking for consistency with individual genotypes. We demonstrate the utility of our method on simulated data, as well as a real microsatellite data set from a natural population of octoploid white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus). Our methodology is implemented in the R package polysat version 1.6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most species of sturgeon have experienced significant population declines and poor recruitment over the past decades, leading many, including white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ), to be listed as endangered. Reasons for these declines are not yet fully understood but benthic lifestyle, longevity, and delayed sexual maturation likely render sturgeon particularly susceptible to factors such as habitat alteration and contaminant exposures. One contaminant of particular concern to white sturgeon is selenium (Se), especially in its more bioavailable form selenomethionine (SeMet), as it is known to efficiently bioaccumulate in prey items of this species. Studies have shown white sturgeon to be among the most sensitive species of fish to dietary SeMet as well as other pollutants such as metals, dioxin-like chemicals and endocrine disrupters. One of the primary hypothesized mechanisms of toxicity of SeMet in fish is oxidative stress; however, little is know about the specific mode by which SeMet affects the health of white sturgeon. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize oxidative stress and associated antioxidant responses as a molecular event of toxicity, and to link it with the pathological effects observed previously. Specifically, three-year-old white sturgeon were exposed for 72 days via their diet to 1.4, 5.6, 22.4 or 104.4 µg Se per g feed (dm). Doses were chosen to range over a necessary Se intake level, current environmentally relevant intakes and an intake representing predicted increases of Se release. Lipid hydroperoxides, which are end products of lipid oxidation, were quantified as a marker of oxidative stress. Changes in gene expression of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, apoptosis inducing factor and caspase 3 were quantified as markers of the response to oxidative stress. Concentrations of lipid hydroperoxides were highly variable within dose groups and no dose response was observed. GPx expression was significantly increased in the low dose group indicating an induced antioxidant response. Expression of other genes were not significantly induced or suppressed. Overall, there was very little evidence of oxidative stress, and therefore, in contrast to previous reports on other species of teleost fishes, oxidative stress is not believed to be a main driver of toxicity in white sturgeon exposed to SeMet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of feed restriction on whole-organism upper thermal tolerance and the heat shock response of green and white sturgeon to determine how changes in food amount might influence physiological performance of each species when faced with temperature stress. Two parallel feed restriction trials were carried out for juvenile green (202 g; 222-day post hatch: dph) and white sturgeon (205 g; 197-dph) to manipulate nutritional status at 12.5%, 25%, 50%, or 100% of optimum feeding rate (100% OFR were 1.6% and 1.8% body weight/day, respectively) for four weeks. Following the trials, the critical thermal maximum (CTMax, 0.3 °C/min) of sturgeon ( N = 12/treatment/species) was assessed as an indicator of whole-organism upper thermal tolerance. To assess temperature sensitivity, sturgeon ( N = 9/treatment/species) were acutely transferred to two temperature treatments (28 °C and 18 °C as a handling control) for 2 h followed by 2 h of recovery at 18 °C before being sacrificed, and gill, brain, and mucus sampled for measurements of 70-kDa heat shock protein levels (Hsc/Hsp70). Feeding rate had species-specific effects on CTMax in green and white sturgeon such that CTMax of green sturgeon decreased as the magnitude of feed restriction increased; whereas, CTMax of white sturgeon did not change with feed restriction. Elevated temperature (28 °C) and feed restriction increased Hsc/Hsp70 levels in the gill tissue of green sturgeon, while heat shock increased Hsc/Hsp70 levels in the mucus of white sturgeon. Our results suggest that green sturgeon may be more susceptible to temperature stress under food-limited conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus) are in decline in North America. This is attributed, primarily, to poor recruitment, and white sturgeon are listed as threatened or endangered in several parts of British Columbia, Canada, and the United States. In the Columbia River, effects of metals have been hypothesized as possible contributing factors. Previous work has demonstrated that early life stage white sturgeon are particularly sensitive to certain metals, and concerns over the level of protectiveness of water quality standards are justified. Here we report results from acute (96-h) toxicity tests for copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) from parallel studies that were conducted in laboratory water and in the field with Columbia River water. Water effect ratios (WERs) and sensitivity parameters (i.e., median lethal accumulations, or LA50s) were calculated to assess relative bioavailability of these metals in Columbia River water compared to laboratory water, and to elucidate possible differences in sensitivity of early life stage white sturgeon to the same concentrations of metals when tested in the different water sources. For Cu and Pb, white sturgeon toxicity tests were initiated at two life stages, 8 and 40 days post-hatch (dph), and median lethal concentrations (LC50s) ranged between 9-25 μg Cu/L and 177-1,556 μg Pb/L. LC50s for 8 dph white sturgeon exposed to Cd in laboratory water and river water were 14.5 and 72 μg/L, respectively. Exposure of 8 dph white sturgeon to Zn in laboratory and river water resulted in LC50s of 150 and 625 μg/L, respectively. Threshold concentrations were consistently less in laboratory water compared with river water, and as a result, WERs were greater than 1 in all cases. In addition, LA50s were consistently greater in river water exposures compared with laboratory exposures in all paired tests. These results, in combination with results from the biotic ligand model, suggest that the observed differences in toxicity between river water exposures and laboratory water exposures were not entirely due to differences in water quality and metal bioavailability but rather in combination with differences in fish sensitivity. It is hypothesized that differences in concentrations of calcium in the different water sources might have resulted in differences in acquired sensitivity of sturgeon to metals. Canadian water quality guidelines, US national criteria for the protection of aquatic life, and water quality criteria for the state of Washington were less than LC50 values for all metals and life stages tested in laboratory and Columbia River water. With the exception, however, that 40 dph white sturgeon exposed to Cu in laboratory water resulted in threshold values that bordered US national criteria and criteria for the state of Washington. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies about sturgeon reproductive physiology over the past twenty years have helped researchers to understand the relationship between how sexual maturation in female sturgeon may affect the quality and yield of caviar. Here, works about white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus) female reproductive physiology relating to egg harvest and roe quality are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing stage of oocyte maturity in female sturgeon by calculating oocyte polarization index (PI) is a necessary tool for both conservation propagation managers and caviar producers to know when to hormonally induce spawning. We tested the assumption that sampling ovarian follicles from one section of one ovary is sufficient for calculating an oocyte PI representative of oocyte maturity for an individual animal. Short-wavelength near-infrared spectroscopy (SW-NIR) scans were performed on three positions per ovary for five fish prior to caviar harvest. Samples of ovarian follicles were subsequently taken from the exact location of the SW-NIR scans for calculation of oocyte PI and follicle diameter. Oocyte PI was statistically different though not biologically relevant within an ovary and between ovaries in four of five fish. Follicle diameter was statistically different but not biologically relevant within an ovary in three of five fish. There were no differences in follicle diameter between ovaries. No statistical differences were observed between SW-NIR spectra collected at different locations within an ovary or between ovaries. These results emphasize the importance of utilizing both oocyte PI measurement and progesterone-induced oocyte maturation assays while deciding when to hormonally induce spawning in sturgeon females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many fish of aquacultural importance including sturgeon and paddlefish have a history of polyploidy in their evolutionary lineages. Spontaneous autopolyploids have been detected in several sturgeon species in culture despite the fact that the induction of triploidy is not a management tool in farming sturgeon for meat and caviar. In 2010, we discovered two female spontaneous autopolyploid white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) on a commercial caviar farm that had successfully produced offspring of intermediate ploidy in crosses with normal males. Here we use flow cytometry and microsatellite genotyping to screen a second aquaculture program for the presence of spontaneous autopolyploids. Flow cytometry of female parents and their progeny in the 2011 year class created by the Kootenai River white sturgeon conservation aquaculture program revealed that wild caught females used as dams possessed normal ploidy (8N). Five of ten families sampled from the 2011year class contained spontaneous autopolyploids possessing DNA content consistent with dodecaploidy (12N). The percent of autopolyploid individuals sampled ranged from 0 to 33% per family, and the total number of spontaneous autopolyploids in the 2011 year class was 12/150 (8%). Microsatellites were not useful in detecting spontaneous autopolyploids in the conservation aquaculture program due to low levels of genetic diversity in the endangered Kootenai River population. The two families with the highest incidence of spontaneous autopolyploids (33% and 26% of offspring sampled) were sired by a single male, suggesting a paternal effect on the generation of spontaneous autopolyploids in white sturgeon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The molecular species of collagen in the muscular and vertebral parts of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus were examined by biochemical techniques. Pepsin-solubilized collagens were prepared from these parts, and fractionated into major and minor collagen fractions by differential salt precipitation at acidic or neutral pH. Collagens contained in these fractions showed several features characteristic of fish type I and V collagens, respectively, in SDS-PAGE patterns and the amino acid compositions of both parts. These results suggest that at least two molecular species, corresponding to type I and V collagens, are distributed in the muscular and vertebral parts of white sturgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: CO2 tolerance in white sturgeon is associated with the ability to tightly regulate intracellular pH (pHi) despite a large reduction in extracellular pH (pHe) termed preferential pHi regulation. How this regulatory response affects whole animal metabolic rate is unknown. Accordingly, we characterized oxygen consumption rate () and metabolically-relevant organismal and cellular responses in white sturgeon during exposure to hypercarbia. White sturgeon were able to protect intracellular pH (pHi) in liver and white muscle as early as 6h (the earliest time period investigated) following exposure to severe (sub-lethal) hypercarbia (45 and 90mmHg PCO2). Sturgeon exposed to 15 and 30mmHg PCO2 exhibited pHe compensation and significant increases in (up to 80% greater than control values). In contrast, severe hypercarbia (≥45mmHg PCO2) elicited an uncompensated reduction in pHe (up to ~1.0 pH units) and red blood cells (as great as ~0.5 pH units), and was accompanied by 30 and 60% reductions in , respectively. While behavioral, respiratory and cellular responses to hypercarbia were observed, none corresponded well with the pattern or magnitude of changes in . The findings of this research provide empirical support for the hypothesis that preferential pHi regulation is not metabolically costly, and thus may have been a strategy strongly selected for in fishes encountering short-term hypercarbia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Partial genome sequences were determined and subjected to comparative analyses from two fish herpesviruses (HVs). Acipenserid (Aci) HV-2, originating from the white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), and ictalurid (Ic) HV-2, isolated from the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), are recently approved species of the genus Ictalurivirus of the family Alloherpesviridae. Methods: An almost 8,000-base-pair fragment, spanning between the genes of the DNA polymerase and the ATPase subunit of the terminase, was sequenced from each virus. Results: The size, position and orientation of 2 partial and 3 full open reading frames, contained in the studied genome fragment, proved to be similar to their counterparts in IcHV-1, the type species of the genus Ictalurivirus. Thus, a well-conserved genus-specific gene block was identified. In the members of two other genera (Cyprinivirus and Batrachovirus) of the family Alloherpesviridae, no such gene block could be found; the location and orientation of the homologous genes showed significant divergence. Conclusion: The results of phylogenetic calculations were in good agreement with the genome arrangements inasmuch as AciHV-2, IcHV-1 and -2 are monophyletic and separated from the lineages of the other two genera. The new sequence enabled the inclusion of a hitherto unassigned HV, that of the Australian pilchard, into a phylogenetic calculation. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To improve quality and yield of caviar in farmed white sturgeon it is essential to correctly assess the stage of ovarian maturity and avoid harvesting females with atretic ovarian follicles. To detect atresia by changes in blood plasma sex steroids, individual females (N=10) in the late phase of oogenesis were repeatedly bled and their ovaries biopsied before and after onset of ovarian atresia. Follicular atresia was induced by transferring females from cold (10–13°C) to warm water (20°C). Ovarian follicle diameter increased and oocyte polarization index decreased in sampled fish over time. Plasma testosterone concentrations in fish with normal follicles were significantly higher, compared to fish with early histological signs of follicular atresia, such as structural changes in the chorion. Plasma estradiol concentrations declined to below detection limit prior to histological signs of atresia in 55% of the fish. Ninety five percent of fish with normal ovarian follicles and 93% of fish with atretic ovarian follicles were correctly classified using a discriminant function analysis based upon plasma testosterone concentrations. Logistic regression models were developed to predict the probability of normal ovaries based on plasma concentrations of sex steroids and can be further refined to improve selection of fish with normal ovaries for caviar harvest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Morphological and biochemical changes in white sturgeon (N=11) plasma and ovarian follicles were monitored during late vitellogenesis and follicular atresia using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR, 4000–400cm−1), with the objective to predict ovarian regression. Spectral features of plasma were correlated with ovarian follicular atresia based upon changes in spectra of sex steroids and vitellogenin. Principal Component Analysis could differentiate ovarian maturity during vitellogenesis and onset and progression of ovarian regression. It was possible to predict the ovarian conditions (late vitellogenesis vs. early atresia) about 70% of the time using Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy models. We conclude that FT-IR spectroscopy provides a useful tool for predicting ovarian maturity and optimal time of roe harvest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Temperature and selenium are two environmental parameters that potentially affect reproduction and stock recruitment of sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay/Delta Estuary. To identify proteins whose expression is modified by these environmental stressors, we performed a proteomic analysis on larval green and white sturgeons exposed to 18 or 26°C and micro-injected with Seleno-L-Methionine to reach 8µgg− 1 selenium body burden, with L-Methionine as a control. Selenium and high temperature induced mortalities and abnormal morphologies in both species, with a higher mortality in green sturgeon. Larval proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and differential abundances were detected following spot quantitation and hierarchical cluster analysis. In green sturgeon, 34 of 551 protein spots detected on gels showed a variation in abundance whereas in white sturgeon only 9 of 580 protein spots were differentially expressed (P <0.01). Gel replicates were first grouped according to heat treatment. Fifteen of these spots were identified using MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Proteins involved in protein folding, protein synthesis, protein degradation, ATP supply and structural proteins changed in abundance in response to heat and/or selenium. 40S ribosomal protein SA, FK506-binding protein 10, 65kDa regulatory subunit A of protein phosphatase 2, protein disulfide isomerase, stress-induced-phosphoprotein 1, suppression of tumorigenicity 13 and collagen type II alpha 1, were differentially expressed in high temperature treatment only. Serine/arginine repetitive matrix protein 1, creatine kinase, serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 5 and HSP90 were sensitive to combined temperature and selenium exposure. Valosin-containing protein, a protein involved in aggresome formation and in protein quality control decreased more than 50% in response to selenium treatment. Potential use of such proteins as biomarkers of environmental stressors in larval sturgeons could indicate early warning signals preceding population decline. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Baker DW, Matey V, Huynh KT, Wilson JM, Morgan JO, Brauner CI. Complete intracellular pH protection during extracellular pH depression is associated with hypercarbia tolerance in white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus. Am J Physiol Regul integr Comp Physiol 296: R1868-R1880, 2009. First published April 1, 2009; doi: 10.11 52/ajpregu.90767.2008.-Sturgeons are among the most CO[sub2] tolerant of fishes investigated to date. However, the basis of this exceptional CO[sub2] tolerance is unknown. Here, white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, were exposed to elevated CO[sub2] to investigate the mechanisms associated with short-term hypercarbia tolerance. During exposure to 1.5 kPa PCO[sub2], transient blood pH [extracellular pH (pHe)] depression was compensated within 24 h and associated with net plasma HCO[sub3][sup-] accumulation and equimolar C1 loss, and changes in gill morphology, such as a decrease in apical surface area of mitochondrial-rich cells. These findings indicate that pHe recovery at this level of hypercarbia is accomplished in a manner similar to most freshwater teleost species studied to date, although branchial mechanisms involved may differ. White sturgeon exposed to more severe hypercarbia (3 and 6 kPa PCO[sub2]) for 48 h exhibited incomplete pH compensation in blood and red blood cells. Despite pHe depression, intracellular pH (pHi) of white muscle, heart, brain, and liver did not decrease during a transient (6 h of 1.5 kPa P[subCO[sub2]]) or prolonged (48 h at 3 and 6 kPa P[subCO[sub2]]) blood acidosis. This pHi protection was not due to high intrinsic buffering in tissues. Such tight active cellular regulation of pHi in the absence of pHe compensation represents a unique pattern for non-air-breathing fishes, and we hypothesize that it is the basis for the exceptional CO[sub2] tolerance of white sturgeon and, likely, other CO[sub2] tolerant fishes. Further research to elucidate the specific mechanisms responsible for this tremendous pH regulatory capacity in tissues of white sturgeon is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate whether stress-response indicators in blood plasma (BP) are similarly reflected in the peritoneal fluid (PF) white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus were stressed by a 30 min air exposure and pH, PCO2, osmolality, cortisol, glucose and lactate levels measured. Changes in certain stress indicators in the BP (pH, PCO2, osmolality and glucose) also occurred in the PF, while stressor-induced changes in cortisol and lactate were restricted to the BP. Data suggest that PF is a modified ultrafiltrate of the blood and potentially a useful indicator of animal stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to evaluate the efficiency of diets with Spirulina and plant oils (POs) inclusion for white sturgeon weaning and their effects on the fatty acid (FA) composition of fish flesh. Three isoproteic (45%) and isoenergetic (21 MJ kg−1 DM) diets were formulated: one fish meal-based diet integrated with fish oil (FMO) and two 40% Spirulina meal-based diets integrated with corn (SPC) or soybean (SPS) oils respectively. One hundred and thirty-five white sturgeon fingerlings (mean weight 17.5 g) were stocked randomly in nine fibreglass tanks. At the end of the trial, which lasted 71 days, the growth performance traits and somatic indexes were determined. The chemical composition, gross energy and FA profile were determined on the fish fillets. No significant effects were observed for the growth performances or fillet chemical composition. The FA profile of the fillets reflected those of the diets. In particular, the fillets of the fish fed with the SPC and SPS diets were lower in n-3 FA, due to the substitution of fish oil (FO) with POs. It is possible to replace FO and meal in sturgeon; therefore, Spirulina meal integrated with POs could be a good alternative to sturgeon diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Serum and cutaneous mucus antibodies were monitored in white sturgeon for 15weeks following intraperitoneal immunization. Ten fish were immunized (50μg) with white sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV) or white sturgeon gonad (WSGO) tissue culture cells emulsified with or without FCA. An additional group was immunized with FITC:KLH+FCA. Fish were booster immunized at 6weeks. Fish immunized with FITC:KLH+FCA produced significant serum antibodies to FITC by 6weeks and this response peaked at 12weeks (average titer 31,000). Mucosal antibodies to FITC were first detected at 12weeks and significantly elevated by 15weeks (average titer 18). Anti-WSIV antibody titers were detected in the serum by 9weeks in fish immunized with WSIV and WSIV+FCA, but only a small number responded to immunization. At 15weeks, four fish immunized with WSIV produced serum antibodies (average titer 838) and one fish immunized with WSIV+FCA had a serum titer of 1600. Mucosal anti-WSIV antibody titers of 8 and 16 were observed in two fish from the WSIV group at 12weeks while four different fish from this group responded at 15weeks (average titer 4). Western Blot using a monoclonal antibody confirmed immunoglobulin in mucus, and specificity to WSIV was further demonstrated by immunocytochemistry using serum from fish immunized with WSIV. Specific antibody was not detected in mucus of fish immunized with WSIV+FCA, WSGO, or WSGO+FCA. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate that white sturgeon can generate a specific antibody response following immunization, and is the first report showing mucosal immunoglobulin is present in this species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Pectoral fin tissue of white sturgeon was investigated as a potential non-lethal sample source for the detection of white sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV) infection. Histopathology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results using fin tissue were compared with the standard lethal histopathology sampling method that utilizes head tissue. Tissues for each of the three sampling methods were collected weekly for 8 weeks from individual sturgeon undergoing an experimental cohabitation challenge with fish infected with the Abernathy isolate of WSIV. Non-lethal fin histopathological evaluation did not reveal infection during the first 3 weeks of sampling, while non-lethal PCR and the lethal method were variable. However, all three sampling methods were equally capable of identifying infection from 4 to 8 weeks post-exposure. Of the survivors tested, all were negative by PCR and the lethal method, and only one fish was identified as being positive by non-lethal fin histopathology. In another experiment, all three sampling methods were applied to asymptomatic WSIV carriers in a case study conducted at the Kootenai Tribal Sturgeon Conservation Hatchery. Results showed that both lethal and non-lethal fin histopathology were equally effective in detecting infection, but PCR was unable to identify this strain of WSIV. Depending on the virus isolate, these results suggest that non-lethal sampling of fin tissue (histopathology or PCR) is comparable with the lethal sampling method at identifying WSIV infection once infection is established, and under certain circumstances may provide an alternative to lethal sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near simultaneous exposure to selenium and salinity stress is an environmental reality faced by white sturgeon juveniles in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, having the potential for adverse synergistic impacts on juveniles during seaward migration. White sturgeon juveniles (36–132 g) were transferred into higher salinities (15–20 ppth) after exposure to dietary selenium (0.4, 9.6, 20.5, 41.7, 89.8, or 191.1 μg Se/g diet) in the form of l-selenomethionine (SeMet) for 8 weeks in freshwater (0 ppth). White sturgeon fed above 41.7 μg Se/g diet experienced significant ( P < 0.05) declines in survival relative to sturgeon fed between 0.4 and 41.7 μg Se/g diet when transferred into brackish water (15 ppth salinity) for 3 days. Plasma osmolality and ionic concentrations in white sturgeon after abrupt transfer correlated positively with dietary Se concentrations. Transfer of white sturgeon fed above 41.7 μg Se/g diet into 20 ppth brackish water for 1 day resulted in significant declines in survival relative to white sturgeon fed 0.4–41.7 μg Se/g diet. Hematocrit and dehydrational weight loss were significantly correlated with dietary Se concentrations while plasma osmolality and ion concentrations were not. The transfer of sturgeon into 20 ppth water for 3 days resulted in severe survival declines in all treatment groups. The results of this study suggest that the previously established threshold for Se toxicity (10–20 μg Se/g) is sufficient to protect white sturgeon from the adverse interactive affects resulting from increases in dietary Se and ambient water salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sturgeon aquaculture, it is advantageous to sex fish as early as possible so that males can be used for meat production and females reserved for caviar production. Currently, growers wait 3 to 4 years before fish are sexed by an invasive surgical examination of the gonads. The goal of this study was to determine when sex could be determined by examining levels of plasma steroids. Populations of white sturgeon were held at three locations and water temperatures (Oregon—13±0.1 °C, Idaho—15±0.1 °C and California—18±0.5 °C). Blood was sampled every 3 months and plasma testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (KT) and estradiol (E2) concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). By 18 months of age, males from California had significantly higher levels of T and KT than females. By 21 months, all males could be separated from females based on T and KT content (>2 ng/ml). However, males and females from Idaho and Oregon had similar levels of T and KT up to 36 and 34 months of age, respectively, and sex could not be delineated based on plasma sex steroid content. There were no differences in E2 levels between males and females in all populations, and at all sample periods. Histological analysis of gonads revealed that all but one of the males from California had well differentiated testes with spermatogonia undergoing mitosis in cysts (stage 2), whereas the testes of all fish from Idaho and Oregon had just begun to differentiate (stage 1). Growth rates of fish were highest in California, intermediate in Idaho and lowest in Oregon. It appears that proliferation of spermatogonia is necessary for production of androgens and that growth rate, as influenced by water temperature, is the main contributor to the early onset of this process. This study has developed a less invasive technique for ascertaining sex in white sturgeon that can be used 1 to 2 years earlier than current methodologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The cytoarchitecture of the diencephalon and pretectum of the white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, was studied utilizing cresyl violet stained serial paraffin sections. The identified cell groups were assigned to the preoptic area, hypothalamus, thalamus and posterior tubercle, epithalamus, synencephalon and pretectum. The outlines of the diencephalic and pretectal nuclei were projected graphically onto a midsagittal section of the brain, thus providing a reconstruction of the relative positions of the major cell groups. This facilitated comparisons with the diencephalic and pretectal nuclei of other ray-finned fishes. Our cytoarchitectural analysis indicates that the diencephalon and pretectum of the white sturgeon is intermediate to that described for cladistians and neopterygians. The preoptic area in Acipenser is relatively conservative compared to other ray-finned fishes but lacks distinct subdivisions in the magnocellular periventricular preoptic nucleus and includes a unique migrated rostral accessory nucleus. The hypothalamic walls are rather thin, and due to the presence of extensive lateral and posterior recesses and the lack of migrated nuclei, they superficially resemble the condition seen in sharks. The dorsal and ventral thalamic nuclei do not exhibit much variation compared to other ray-finned fishes, except for the presence of a small lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, the absence of a distinct ventrolateral thalamic nucleus, and slight differences in the internal organization of the ventromedial thalamic nucleus. The posterior tubercle in Acipenser clearly comprises more migrated cell groups than that of Polypterus, however, these cell groups are considerably less well defined than in neopterygians. As in other nonteleost actinopterygians, the habenular nuclei are highly asymmetrical with the right side larger than the left side. The cytoarchitectonic complexity of the pretectum in Acipenser is intermediate to that observed in Polypterus and neopterygians in that a magnocellular component within the superficial pretectal nucleus is clearly present but cannot be delineated as a distinct magnocellular superficial pretectal nucleus. Also, the posterior pretectal nucleus which is absent in Polypterus but which has been identified as a small nucleus both in Lepisosteus and Amia is represented in Acipenser by a small group of scattered cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]